College is a ludicrous waste of money

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by BlueMason, Sep 6, 2014.

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  1. BlueMason

    BlueMason Audaces fortuna juvat

  2. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    I have a problem with the article's title. In the actual article, the author is specifically talking about liberal arts degrees, not college as a whole.
     
  3. me again

    me again Well-Known Member

    Having a liberal arts degree (Bachelors) is no guarantee of fame or fortune, but it's simply a milestone to be achieved.

    Prognostication: In the next 10-20 years, technical degrees at the AAS level may become a hot commodity as a way of achieving a secure job in a technical field that cannot be obtained with a 4-year liberal arts degree.
     
  4. GeneralSnus

    GeneralSnus Member

    This is the theme of Reich's article. In my area the AAS title seems more or less retired in favor of AA and AS.
     
  5. sanantone

    sanantone Well-Known Member

    Just saying "liberal arts" is oversimplification. The liberal arts are the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and mathematics. Business administration is not a liberal art. Would it really be better for someone to get a business administration degree over a physics or chemistry degree? Business administration majors are the most underemployed. Architecture is not a liberal art, but architecture majors have the highest unemployment rate among recent college graduates.

    Every STEM degree is also not always good for marketability, and it irks me that so many people think that STEM and liberal arts are mutually exclusive. The liberal arts have been around for thousands of years; STEM is a new, catchy term that's meant to put focus on quantitative and technology fields with perceived shortages. It does not mean "not liberal arts." According to a Georgetown study looking at the years of 2010 and 2011, information systems majors had the second highest unemployment rate. Payscale's list of most underemployed majors had biology in the top 10.
     
  6. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    I have said for years that college is not for everyone, nor is it even necessary to gain entry into the shrinking middle class. I think if more young people learned the technical skills Reich is talking about, or started their own businesses, they would be better off. It would certainly be a better use of their money. I don't understand going deep into debt to earn a degree that most people don't use. I have encountered so many people who have a BA, but are working in a field that has nothing to do with their major.
     
  7. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I'd like to see a more streamlined path from high school to technical school or community college. I've seen some places do a great job of this, others not so much.

    One high school I used to work for has as its official mission to prepare all students for entry into a four year university, despite the fact that less than 10% of its graduates go to college. In other words, the school is working extremely hard to help students in ways that are entirely irrelevant to most of them. Similarly, my guidance counselor outright demanded that I enroll in a four-year university, despite the fact that that was not a realistic option for me at that point in life for just about every imaginable reason. It didn't even matter that I had no idea what I wanted to major in, I was supposed to spend massive amounts of time and money (I couldn't get ANY scholarships for part-time study.) on an endeavor for which I had no idea what I was even looking to gain :pat:

    There are a lot of really smart people out there who are not academic by nature. How about we give these people a better shot at success by letting them know what the full range of their options are?

    Better yet, how about SOMEBODY tell 17 year old Maniac Craniac that the books at the public library have the same words in them as the books at the university library and that a dollar earned installing electrical equipment is worth just as much as a dollar earned teaching high school French? :pat:

    BTW, of course a guidance counselor and all of your teachers are going to tell you that you need to go to university to get a job- they ALL have jobs that require university degrees! There are other options out there, but none of the adults in my life seemed to be aware of them.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2014
  8. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    wait....uhhh? I think....um....let me check.
    Yes. We have discussed this 6,423 times before.
    :stooges:
     
  9. Koolcypher

    Koolcypher Member

    [​IMG]
     
  10. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    now THAT'S funny. Thanks for the laugh!
     
  11. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    I think the same could be said for nearly every discussion here.

    Here, let's save everyone a lot of time:

    1. RA good
    2. NA not as good
    3. Unaccredited schools are not good
    4. Degree mills are bad
    5. Enroll in one of the Big Three
    6. Test out of as many courses as you can with CLEP and DANTES
    7. Getting a degree helps you "check a box" with employers
    8. Not everyone needs to go to college
    9. You can transfer ACE reviewed courses to most colleges
    10. Online degrees are as valid as B&M degrees

    Make a sticky, and you'll practically never have to start another thread.
     
  12. LearningAddict

    LearningAddict Well-Known Member

    LOL! Claps!
     
  13. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    I would add

    1. An online PhD from an online school has little chance of getting a tenure track at a B&M school
    2. If you want a cheap and credible PhD, you should follow a PhD from a SA school
    3. If you want a cheap, fast and credible PhD, the only option is a PhD by publication but this assumes previous publications in the field of choice.


     
  14. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

    And I would add:

    1. Who am I?
    2. What am I doing here?
     
  15. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Oh, come on, we have a LOT more variety than that! For example:

    1. Useless Maniac Craniac thread that gets 5 replies.

    2. Maniac Craniac is considering yet another program we all know he will never enroll in.

    3. WAAAH, somebody made fun of my degree!!

    4. I have a question that I probably should have just typed into Google.

    5. What's the least amount of work I could possibly do to get a degree?

    *various members give a few reasonable answers*

    Yeah, but how can I do even less?
     
  16. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator


    I'd appreciate it if you all would keep this on the down-low. Otherwise we Mods might lose our high paying internet jobs.
    :shhh:
     
  17. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    At one time disciplines such as math and science were taught as part of philosophy degrees. On my bookshelf is Newton's The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy which contains much of what is used today in physics andengineering.
     
  18. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  19. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

  20. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    College is a waste of money if you do know how to balance your checkbook and determine the return on investment. The first thing would be research about your major and real life job/career.

    Recently, Walmart's VP of Public Relations is under the hot seat of college degree where he is resigning. He did not complete his college degree, just shy serveral credits. Until the promotion comes, and the third party discovered that he does not hold a degree that he claims in the resume.

    URL: The One Lie That Brought Down Walmart's PR Chief - Businessweek

    Now, it does not only hurting from promoting to Senior Vice President, but also his current job. That is not all, since this story goes to the public; eventually, he lose his reputation for integerty.
     

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