I am glad that kids and, importantly, their parents, are finally waking up to the colossal scam that most (yes, most) colleges are these days. College is not a ticket to a six figure income for probably half to two thirds of the kids who go. And trade schools are increasingly teaching classes that are more sophisticated. The old delineation that college was about studying books and trade school is about working with your hands is increasingly blurred.
The college bubble needs to burst. There needs to be a massive shake out and a number of C-rate colleges need to close or be dramatically cut back. And the administrative staff of most colleges needs to be cut in half or more. There needs to be depression in higher education to get it back on track.
“There needs to be depression in higher education to get it back on track.”
Agreed. But it’s pretty hard to accomplish. Higher Ed is like any other ‘Government Program.’ Once established it is a monster that grows and consumes all while producing little to nothing. :(
you don’t dare suggest that the entrenched, entitle, $250k+/annum professor class might need to take a pay cut, do you? /s
The Morrill Land Grant University act (and subsequent acts supporting it!) was supposed to do what the modern trade schools now do. Many state universities owe their existence to these acts. The law specified the mission of these institutions: to focus on the teaching of practical agriculture, science, military science, and engineering—although “without excluding other scientific and classical studies”. Almost all have moved far away from that! They have retained their intended role to some extent but much of that has been eroded away. They have picked up curricula that are outside the original intent of the law. Some of the additional curricula like business, medicine, law (Questionable!) complement the original curricula. They were never intended to provide resting places for sources of higher education frivolity as they are now. Another problem which dilutes and distracts the original mission is that they are now providers of sports entertainment. State legislatures, appointed governing bodies have all allowed this to happen with no pushback from the taxpayer. In fact the taxpayer is usually a huge supporter of the new sports entertainment mission!
A forced return to the original mission should be looked at