Saturday, April 24, 2010
College, the over-priced ticket up the ladder
What is a college education now a days? You're told a 4 years excursion, where you'll have the best 4 years of your life. An environment to find yourself. Where you'll have an (insert high number)% job placement guarantee after you graduate. that college graduates make hundreds of thousands more income compared to non-college graduates. well, the college education is an over-rated expense that someone could by-pass. if they are focused and savvy enough they could rise above anyone who obtains a college education. in the 4 years that someone spends in college, or many times even longer for some people, a person could gain invaluable experience in the field working and honing their skills. instead of throwing away thousands of dollars of their own money or their parents money, they could save up that money to place a down payment onto a house or into their own business. since many college programs focus on research over practical experience many collegiate graduates get thrown into the working world really un-prepared to face it. AveQ states this trouble quite nicely, "what do you do with a BA in english?what is my life going to be? 4 years of college, and plenty of knowledge, has earned me this useless degree. i can't pay the bills yet, because i have no skills yet." instead of throwing away money at college, the high school graduate should focus on expanding their skills through apprenticeships and expanding their social networking skills.
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This is funny because just the other day my sister-in-law and myself were just talking about this exact subject! I was asking her if she thinks she learn more in college or working at her jobs. She replied with her jobs of course so then we got on this exactly topic. I think your paper will be interesting because I want to know if a lot of people feel this same way. I do agree to a certain extent that it is a "over-priced ticket up the ladder." but we have to have it. A company wont even look at you with out it and soon it is going to be a master degree they require. I have mixed feelings, but I do feel that some of this long drawn out process is pointless. I have been applying for jobs and a lot of companies keep saying I need more experience, but I will have a college degree I have had four internships in different areas in my field of study and a retial background. I am not sure what more experience they want, but I would think spending five years in college learing about it should be enough.
ReplyDeleteThis hits home for me. The only way I know of that I can get a job that isn't in food service (or retail) with my degree is through family or friends, or other close contacts. I'm planning on either getting a graduate degree and moving forward from there, or joining the Peace Corps and trying my luck with that. College doesn't seem to have provided me with any marketable skills. All I have now is an expensive piece of paper in a nice frame, and five years worth of experience that essentially helped me to become cynical and depressed.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this is more because the available jobs in this country all require expertise in some specific area, or a general degree in business, marketing, economics or the like. I feel like there's nothing for me if I don't want to wear a tie to work and sit in a cubicle. I don't have the mind for science, the lax ethical code to be a successful lawyer, the steady hands or strong constitution to be a doctor or surgeon, computers bore me to hell and back (as a profession), and I don't want to work with my hands for the rest of my life. I can't expect to freelance for the rest of my life, and getting a job at a newspaper? Please. What am I going to do, farm? Hope to win the lottery? Is this our generation? I don't know, maybe it's just me.
Good luck with this paper. It'd be too personal for me.
I think your argument will be more persuasive if you give account to the counterargument that college is well worth one's time. More evidence actually exists for it rather than against it. That said, I think you have a provocative argument in the making.
ReplyDeleteHave you read about the trend toward Corporate Universities like Motorola's? If college takes too long, is too expensive, and doesn't prepare you for a specific job, why not simply be trained by the company you will work for? Personally, I can't imagine not having received a liberal arts education. We might end up creating a society of corporate drones, but it is an option your paper should consider.
What are the consequences of having a nation without a college education? How can we compete on the world scene? Would we be take seriously? Could we adequately contribute to our government and politics if we dont even know how it works or how to analyze history and make valid arguments? Scary prospect. I agree that a college education isnt what it used to be...what could be a solution?
ReplyDeleteI believe that going to college and getting a degree is somewhat useless but it does give an individual “bragging rights.” A degree is a great way to feel superior over another person- but the truth is you just spent a ton of money on an education that you may not even use or need at the job you get.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, my boyfriend(who has graduated from UC's Engineering Department) tells me that all the things he learned in college for his major are useless to him and where he works. The only thing he is thankful for is the co-op/intern program that they have because he just continued to work for his co-op when he graduated. It is the same way with his friends.I really think that he could have gotten his job without a college degree, spending a ton of money and wasting five years of his life.