The absolute and over-inflated importance placed upon a college degree is a great scam perpetrated by and for the benefit of the Educational-Industrial Complex, and perpetuated by career interviewers who want the laziest possible knee-jerk way to sort and screen out job applicants. People go along with it because the coddling of our young adults leaves most high school graduates too immature for anything but another 4 years of (basically) more high school.
Sure, if a student is receptive they can pick up some useful things in college, but nothing like value for what you pay. Certain technical professions aside, the majority of the workforce learns the job on the job - not from college.
MIND YOU: I love academia! So if the vast majority of kids who don't need it are being forced to pay through the nose for something that has very little bearing on its advertised purpose (their eventual career), then I at least am glad that it's going to fund that beautiful pristine dreamworld of knowledge for knowledge's sake. As long as people are fine with that, then the existing system is fine.
However, I'd still like people to be a bit more up front about the nature of the transaction. What you get is a piece of paper that entitles you: "bearer entitled to apply for a non-shit job." What you don't get (for the large majority of graduates) is anything remotely relevant to the performance of said job.
I mean, I majored in fine arts painting. What the heck's THAT got to do with anything?
Sure, if a student is receptive they can pick up some useful things in college, but nothing like value for what you pay. Certain technical professions aside, the majority of the workforce learns the job on the job - not from college.
MIND YOU: I love academia! So if the vast majority of kids who don't need it are being forced to pay through the nose for something that has very little bearing on its advertised purpose (their eventual career), then I at least am glad that it's going to fund that beautiful pristine dreamworld of knowledge for knowledge's sake. As long as people are fine with that, then the existing system is fine.
However, I'd still like people to be a bit more up front about the nature of the transaction. What you get is a piece of paper that entitles you: "bearer entitled to apply for a non-shit job." What you don't get (for the large majority of graduates) is anything remotely relevant to the performance of said job.
I mean, I majored in fine arts painting. What the heck's THAT got to do with anything?
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- William Munny, PhD.