5 ms·

Another facet of this problem is misaligned expectations about the PURPOSE of a degree. There seems to be an underlying assumption here that a university degree

• austenallred 11y ago
  If the primary purpose of getting a college degree isn't getting a good job, then every high school teacher and advisor I ever had lied to me. > many people do just fine in their careers after college even if they majored in English Lit or philosophy Yes, but many, many don't, and they take out loans expecting "jobs" of one sort or another to be there upon graduation. I can't count the number of friends I have with $50K+ in student loans working at minimum wage jobs with a worhless degree on two hands.
  • eaandkw 11y ago
    I'm sorry to burst your bubble but most teachers and advisors are lying to everyone. You can get some pretty respectable jobs in construction or the oil business without ever getting a college degree. People just have to be willing to work hard and maybe get a little dirty. If you are a good worker that only last for a few years before you move up to better positions.
    • austenallred 11y ago
      I mean, I never got a degree, so I don't really care. But the notion that "People don't go to college expecting to get jobs" is absurd.
  • angdis 11y ago
    Well, yes, they did lie to you (a little bit). If you really _just_ want "a good job" there are easier ways to do it than going to a 4 year university. I think that students who major in something like philosophy or literature are aware of what awaits them after college and are going into it with open eyes. Those that expect more than entry-level jobs immediately after college are simply failing to grasp reality. That said, a good education, whatever the subject matter is DOES HELP people in their lives in ways which are hard to measure. Bright English lit majors who end up as waiters after college, don't necessarily remain as waiters for the rest of their careers.
    • pjc50 11y ago
      I really don't think people do realise this. Everyone still believes it's an automatic entry ticket to a middleclass lifestyle. As you say, they were lied to.
      • austenallred 11y ago
        Yes. Most are taking advice from parents/grandparents/teachers, for whom a degree was a guarantee.
    • saint_fiasco 11y ago
      >If you really _just_ want "a good job" there are easier ways to do it than going to a 4 year university. The weird thing is, if you replace "want \"a good job\"" with "want \"a good education\", that sentence is still true. You can get a good education at a library, a bookstore, fucking around on the internet, and more recently, MOOCs. Universities are still useful if you want to advance the state of the art, discover something new, and so on. Not so good if you just want to learn things already known by others.
      • angdis 11y ago
        I am sure that extraordinarily dedicated people can educate themselves in a library or using internet resources as well as in a university, Abe Lincoln did it, right? But for the vast majority of young folks that just isn't going to fly, let alone be "easier" than a 4-year degree. Perhaps in the future things will be different, the resources just aren't there right now.
  • codingdave 11y ago
    You are mostly friends with young people, I would guess. The value of education adds up over your entire life. Right now, the economy is leaving young people without good jobs. But eventually, they all will find something better. And at that point, the education that came along with the degree will help them to do better, and advance in their career faster.
• egoodz 11y ago
  Except it's not "job training". Many employers want professional experience in addition to the degree.