Posted on 05/30/2018 5:31:36 AM PDT by Kaslin
Today, all Americans are told, "Go to college!"
President Obama said, "College graduation has never been more valuable."
But economist Bryan Caplan says that most people shouldn't go.
"How many thousands of hours did you spend in classes studying subjects that you never thought about again?" he asks.
Lots, in my case. At Princeton, I learned to live with strangers, play cards and chase women, but I slept through boring lectures, which were most of them. At least tuition was only $2,000. Now it's almost $50,000.
"People usually just want to talk about the tuition, which is a big deal, but there's also all the years that people spend in school when they could have been doing something else," points out Caplan in my new YouTube video.
"If you just take a look at the faces of students, it's obvious that they're bored," he says. "People are there primarily in order to get a good job."
That sounds like a good reason to go to college. But Caplan, in his new book, "The Case Against Education," argues that there's little connection between what we absorb in college and our ability to do a job.
"It's totally true that when people get fancier degrees their income generally goes up," concedes Caplan, but "the reason why this is happening is not that college pours tons of job skills into you. The reason is ... a diploma is a signaling device."
It tells employers that you were smart enough to get through college.
But when most everyone goes to college, says Caplan, "You just raise the bar. Imagine you're at a concert, and you want to see better. Stand up and of course you'll see better. But if everyone stands up, you just block each other's views."
That's why today, he says, high-end waiters are expected to have college degrees.
"You aren't saying: you, individual, don't go to college," I interjected."You're saying we as a country are suckers to subsidize it."
"Exactly," replied Caplan. "Just because it is lucrative for an individual doesn't mean it's a good idea for a country."
Caplan says if students really want to learn, they can do it without incurring tuition debt.
"If you want to go to Princeton, you don't have to apply," he points out. "Just move to the town and start attending classes."
That's generally true. At most schools you can crash college lectures for free. But almost no one does that.
"In people's bones, they realize that what really counts is that diploma," concludes Caplan.
Because that diploma is now usually subsidized by taxpayers, college costs more. Tuition has risen at triple the rate of inflation.
It's not clear students learn more for their extra tuition, but colleges' facilities sure have gotten fancier. They compete by offering things like luxurious swimming pools and gourmet dining. That probably won't help you get a job.
"If you're doing computer science or electrical engineering, then you probably are actually learning a bunch of useful skills," Caplan says. But students now often major in abstract topics like social justice, diversity studies, multicultural studies.
"But don't the liberal arts expand people's minds?" I asked. Philosophy? Literature? Isn't it all making our brains work better?
"That's the kind of thing you expect teachers to say," answered Caplan. "There's a whole field of people who have actually studied this (and) they generally come away after looking at a lot of evidence saying, 'Wow, actually it's wishful thinking.'"
A study found that a third of people haven't detectably learned anything after four years in college.
Although Caplan thinks college is mostly a scam, he says there's one type of person who definitely benefits -- professors like him.
"I'm a tenured professor," he said. "A tenured professor cannot be fired. ... You got a nice income and there are almost no demands upon your time."
Professor Caplan is only expected to teach for five hours a week.
I told him that sounded like a government-subsidized rip-off.
"Yeah. Well, I'm a whistleblower," replied Caplan.
Unfourtunately, professions like law have the ability to break society even more the more of them there are, leading to more of them being employable, therefore breaking society more ... lather, never rinse, repeat.
In a pinch, you can always befriend a knowledgeable pro and they may be happy to tutor you for small bucks -- or for free. I joined an active on-line forum and people would encourage me and give me hints on ways to improve my coding.
I learned object oriented programming in this way. And there's not much in the way of PC programs I can't develop.
And I found an $80 course on-line that got me started.
An alternative to college are these "sanctuaries for entrepreneurs" starting to spring up in cities. Working with other people around fulfills the social side of college -- as you're making money.
This is exactly how Steve Jobs got his college education. He couldn't afford tuition at a Graphic Design college, so he audited the classes for free.
The sciences, engineering, some business/economics/computer related can be tied together with learning effective writing are necessary college level courses. Digging deeply into our past has its purpose and is necessary if accurately taught. Social warrior tactics are easily learned by such as Hogg, etc.
The large corporation hiring is done by ignorant HR Departments who do things “as they have always been done” because they are clueless idiots.
Will this change? It will—but not as quickly as it should.
“If you plan on working for a Fortune 500-type company, certainly as a young adult with little experience, you will not be considered for an associate-level position without a degree. I don’t care what kind of experience you have, or how self-taught you think you might be. Without being matriculated, and with a couple years’ worth of schooling under your belt, you will not be able to get an internship with most companies. “
Not true. The large portion of computer programmers do not have degrees. They self teach a language and off they go making $100,000+. I’ve known many of them.
“In people’s bones, they realize that what really counts is that diploma,”
I believe the Scarecrow found that to be true.
Yes, perhaps that's true. It may have "always been done this way," and while not ideal, that's the way it is.
While my sample size is small, I don't necessarily disagree with you, but many coders are hired like this as consultants and independent contractors. They often work through contract employment agencies, who receive a portion of whatever their hourly rate is. They're temporary, and once their contract or project is up, they're onto something else. It can be a living, but there is a degree of uncertainty in this employment lifestyle. It's certainly not for everyone.
“They’re temporary”
As are the a number of employees these days. It is now a “gig economy”.
I have seen staffing at 100% contractors, and most Fortune 500 are easily 30%+ staff augmentations. I have rarely seen employees with more than 4 years company time. Turnover is so great that they might as well be temporary workers. Heck, I’ve seen contractors at a company longer than the company staff.
The days of hiring, training, and retaining technical employees is over, and has been for 15+ years.
Organizations I am familiar with in the US are calling together their employees and telling them, that there is now full employment in the area AND EVERYONE WHO WANTS A JOB HAS ONE and no price hikes sooooo
there is not going to raise in pay, instead they are going to hire from the world pools of immigrants instead of from the local pool
I am serious, this has happened in the past month. A number of folks from different companies and organizations have told me.
Mostly leftists in shock.
Welcome to our third world country.
Say "Navy Corpseman" in Austrian, you mouthbreathing clown...
LOL
More reasons why Pro-American companies get the better talent. I’m involved with a new startup and excellent American talent is hungry for a good company to work for. I can only hope my competitors continue to hire low IQ foreigners.
Mentors, really great ones, are as difficult to find as dads in the hood. A mentor relationship is different on so many levels as opposed to college.
I believe that is so true. I'm in a situation right now where I could mentor someone in my business. Finding the right person -- with the right skills and motivation is the tough part.
Another great post, Grampa. Your wife’s biography is a real life illustration of being able to do things instead of showing a college degree.
Your wife seems to have done a well directed and guided work=study program that had/has real value in the real world.
I believe the real world is catching up to the work place.
My sister is a retired 3 year RN. She was good in her day and is certainly enjoying her retirement and telling the friends and relatives what it’s like in modern medicine.
It ain’t pretty, but it is expensive. :-)
And the doctors are turning into college debt loaded grunts. And that ain’t pretty at all. Just ask my sister.
>In peoples bones, they realize that what really counts is that diploma,
I believe the Scarecrow found that to be true.<
YES! There are a lot of scarecrows out there who can never get out of debt. Scarecrows are just stuffed shirts left outdoors to twist in the wind.
The truly outstanding mentors are not just technical experts—they teach you people skills never taught in the university.
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