The author tries to dismantle arguments given for going to college...
For instance:
* “school teach kids how to think”.
HIS RESPONSE:
“learn how to use a library.” And while we’re at it. Put more computers in the library. The knowledge is out there. We don’t need to own the banks and the government $800 billion to get knowledge.
* “There’s a huge income gap between people with a college degree and people without a college degree”
HIS RESPONSE:
“Did you take Statistics 101 in college? That spurious statistic that is making the rounds fails the basic test of an accurate statistic. It has selection bias. It also ignores cause versus correlation. That’s chapter one of Statistics 101 in college. A true test would be to take 2,000 people and separate them into two groups of 1,000. Group A is not allowed to go to college. Group B goes to college. 20 years later lets see how they are doing. Obvious this test will never get done but the basic idea is common sense. Take people who are equally intelligent and ambitious and give them a five-year head start and with no debt.” They are going to do very well, I have no doubt.
etc. etc.
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR HIS RESPONSES TO THE COMMON ARGUMENTS FOR GOING TO COLLEGE.
This wouldn’t matter as much if they actually learned something in college. But except for the sciences, it has all become one big excursion into political correctness and social norming.
I just can’t get on board this anti-college stunt. I cannot imagine the three in my family not going to college. What would we be now? College is important. Perhaps if those that are not good students went to a community college for two years that would at least help. I agree with the fact that some students feel that they are Ivy League types but are not really intelligent enough for it. Let’s put it this way. Some here say that college is not necessary but lets say you have two students. One does not go to college and goes right to McDonald’s....he works for four years and makes 400 a week. Now you have a guy that goes to college and needs a job. He goes to McDonald’s too and because of his business and Management degree he is hired as the manager for 800 a week. In this situation, it is STILL worth going to college. I just think that some of you have this big blanket of NO COLLEGE because it is not worth it.
I finished my undergraduate degree in English less than ten years ago, and I have neither student loans nor credit card debt. I'm also a semester away from a Master's degree in English, fully paid for.
My degree has taken me higher up the food chain and garnered more respect among "leadership" in my company than those without. Your mileage may vary.
This article is replete with poor grammar. Perhaps the author should look in the mirror before casting aspersions.
With 59% of U.S. parents still supporting their 20-30 year old “children,” according to a new survey, they certainly did not get their money’s worth after sending thousands of their hard-earned dollars to universities.
We have a very well educated bunch of waiters, waitresses, dog walkers, etc. who will never see the promised financial rewards from the tens of thousands of dollars “invested” in a college education. Those who are up to their eyeballs in student loan debt are really stuck in this horrible economy.
It’s a scam in more ways than one!
Indoctrination—political, social, economic, etc.—in effect a system where those able to sit on their butts in a classroom all those years, eventually gets to go to the head of the employment line, ahead of others who may be in effect as qualified.
In the meantime, the ivory tower education (so-called) industry/establishment has grown to gubmint proportions or more.
On and on....
save
I saw the change of attitude from avocation to for profit institutions. My first degree the State paid 75% and student paid 25%. Now it the exact reverse.
Then they started this sleazy practice of having the text books written by the Professor, printed by the University press, and sold only at their bookstores. The result were what they wanted: a poorly written text that cost way too much.
Its all about the money now.
sfl
I don't agree with his logic. College is not necessarily a bad idea or a good idea. I do think that the sum that many third-tier private colleges bill for tuition amounts to a scam.
If mom and dad can write the check they should be able to spend their money any way they see fit. I also think 20-year school loans, or 10-year car loans are pretty stupid financial decisions.
student loans should be dischargable in bankruptcy.
Perhaps only in ch13 so a few pennies will be paid over five years.
No degree, no interview.
My son just graduated college.
His mom and I did Floridas prepaid college program.
Soooo instead of starting his adult working life with a huge bill to pay off,
He starts out free and clear and Not some indentured servant
You just watch....if Obama is running behind in the polls next September they are going to float some massive student loan “forgiveness” plan. This is a made-to-order vote buying scam which touches nearly everyone.
I have people working for me who pay a full mortgage payment's worth of college loans a month.
We have a good friend, in his mid forties, who is planning to go back to school. He has an associates degree in his field, which was considered acceptable for over 20 years. In addition, he has he has two decades of impressive experience. In recent years, however, he has been told repeatedly that he is not “qualified” in his field despite his vast experience because he does not have a minimum of Bachelor’s degree. He is not alone in his plight. So, while the author of the article does make some valid points, the practical reality is that a college education, though expensive and in many instances little more than politically correct indoctrination, is still a necessity in many career fields.