You seem fixated on the attainment of a job and I certainly would not argue that that is unimportant. But I would rather have an education (in the truest sense of the word) followed by the opportunity for attainment of employment in which the employer teaches me what I need to know.
When I graduated there were many companies whose hiring staff would not even talk to you unless you were a college graduate. That was reality then and I think that’s reality now.
I do agree with you that engineering, medicine, law and a few other professions are really not academic pursuits but advanced vocational schools. I would like to see engineering removed from the umbrella of colleges and universities. It doesn’t belong there.
You must understand that I am 71 years old and in a kind of a time warp because when I was in school (1962-66) we had no liberal indoctrination going on. I never knew the political leanings of my professors, and that’s good.
Since it was Alabama my bet would be that they were conservatives.
As regards college pranks and the like, that did not go on at my school. There were no fraternities or sororities at my school then, nor was there consumption of alcohol (the school was in a dry county). I suppose it would have been Dullsville to the type of student you describe. I never saw them nor was there an Animal House on or near the campus.
And I have seen enough written about the subject to agree with you that many college graduates never attain the ability to express themselves well orally or in the written form. And many never become mature enough to function in a professional atmosphere. They truly are a waste of time and resources.
Identifying the quality students can be a real challenge to employers.
I suppose we agree more than we disagree, SamAdams76.
“But I would rather have an education (in the truest sense of the word) followed by the opportunity for attainment of employment in which the employer teaches me what I need to know.”
If you need to understand math, most employers will NOT want to spend a few years teaching you.
The liberal arts majors I’ve met know nothing of history, language, economics, math, business or life. They have demonstrated an ability to spew BS, not think. Apart from sales, an ability to BS others isn’t useful in most businesses...
While my higher education consisted of mainly military and technical schools, I did pursue a business degree at nights during the 1990s. I ended up not finishing the program but did get to take some non-technical courses like economics, creative writing, and literature. They didn't necessarily help me in my career but I did enjoy taking them.
One should have that education before entering college. As an example, my kids wrote this paper at the ages of 12 & 13.