Manufacturing Useful Idiots

Trades are crying for folks - take a look at Mike Rowe's site. There are two problems with getting kids into vocational trades; one is that they'd have to work and won't be coddled. That's a problem for some (I won't say all - that's not fair) of these little snowflakes. The other is a parental mindset that "my kid's going to college no matter what". I encountered that. It was made abundantly clear to me that I was, by God, going to college whether I wanted to or not. So I did. Hated every moment of it, got the piece of paper, and went on my merry way to a living completely unrelated to my college degree.

Do I regret it? Yes and no. I learned a lot about getting along with folks and doing stuff I really didn't want to do and seeing it through. I learned to see BS for what it was. If I had it to do all over again though I'd take up welding or electrical.

I believe too that universities are so out of touch with real-world jobs that unless one is looking to be a doctor or lawyer that there's no point in going. Apprenticeships would be a better way to go in many workplaces.

I think a reasonable alternative may be to go to community college for a couple of years - take the core stuff that is always required and then perhaps one has a better idea of whether to continue on or to go do something else. Wish I would have had the presence of mind to present that to my folks.

This is too good: Modern Educayshun

Rick wrote: University of Minnesota Rejects 9/11 Remembrance Because it Might Incite Racism

...rejected by the Minnesota Student Association as it may potentially violate a "safe space" on campus.

When I was a child in the 1960s, some of the PTA folks got together and decided it would be a good idea to have a safe space on each of the local streets. Before and after school, if a child was being followed or bullied or it was raining, there was always a "safe house" where a stay-at-home mom would take in any child and call their parents. It was a FANTASTIC plan. In fact, most of these moms would be outside during these times, keeping an eye out. But alas, as we all know, that was yesteryear.

This was a very good plan when I was 6-10 years old.

I don't believe that college students, who want to be treated as adults, are entitled to a "safe space" where they can hide when their feelings get hurt.

cydl wrote: Trades are crying for folks - take a look at Mike Rowe's site. There are two problems with getting kids into vocational trades; one is that they'd have to work and won't be coddled. That's a problem for some (I won't say all - that's not fair) of these little snowflakes. The other is a parental mindset that "my kid's going to college no matter what". I encountered that. It was made abundantly clear to me that I was, by God, going to college whether I wanted to or not. So I did. Hated every moment of it, got the piece of paper, and went on my merry way to a living completely unrelated to my college degree.

Do I regret it? Yes and no. I learned a lot about getting along with folks and doing stuff I really didn't want to do and seeing it through. I learned to see BS for what it was. If I had it to do all over again though I'd take up welding or electrical.

I believe too that universities are so out of touch with real-world jobs that unless one is looking to be a doctor or lawyer that there's no point in going. Apprenticeships would be a better way to go in many workplaces.

I think a reasonable alternative may be to go to community college for a couple of years - take the core stuff that is always required and then perhaps one has a better idea of whether to continue on or to go do something else. Wish I would have had the presence of mind to present that to my folks.

For whatever reasons, having a college degree definitely helps both in salary earned and unemployment. According to this Bureau of Labor Statistics chart, on average (median) a person with a college degree earns $22,516 more per year than a person with just a high school degree and the unemployment rate is 3.5% vs. 6%. Compared to a person with an associate's degree, the person with the college degree makes $16,068 more. Over a 40 year working career that's a lot of money. And as I recall the difference in unemployment was much greater when we had the higher unemployment rates around 10%.



www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm

But of course college isn't for everyone and there are a lot of exceptions where people without college degrees can do very well in a trade or running a business.


And back to the video in the first post of this topic. That girl isn't asking for enough! Why not ask instead for both a free college education and get paid $15/hr to attend as well?


But seriously, a college education is way too expensive, even in state run schools. Do all universities really need such large infrastructures and also support research? If you want a free education maybe you can allow people to do most of it with on-line classes (as is often the case now) but not have to pay so much to support the expensive infrastructure of a university. I'm not sure big education would allow it, though, nor accredit it. There are some great, free college level on-line courses available now, but I don't think you can get a college degree with them (not that I've researched it much).