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I did too, but I left university, and did pretty good for myself despite that decision. University is a choice unless you need the paper to be a doctor, engine

by eggy 10y ago

I did too, but I left university, and did pretty good for myself despite that decision. University is a choice unless you need the paper to be a doctor, engineer or lawyer, or other 'professional'. I personally do not subscribe to the public education system. I am home schooling my youngest here in East Java. My eldest sone is studying German, and thinking on going to Germany for university, which is very cheap even for foreigners. My daughter goes to an affordable college. The days of elite universities and Ivy league tuition are numbered. I had the joy of somebody I met traveling telling me how much debt he had to send his son to Cornell. I simply said why not a more affordable school, to which he replied, "Because you know your kid is set for life with that piece of paper no matter how he performs as long as he graduates." I am almost gagged. It's elitist attitudes like that I disdain, and frankly, I don't think the programs vary in proportion to the cash outlay and debt for life. I like the 'if you landed on a deserted island who would you want with you', and by that metric, I am very confident in my son, not so much in the elitist's son. I am not sure how to take your 'snow' comment, since that comes from a comedy routine, and yes, I understand its take on hyperbole. But I can pretty much guess you cannot speak to how deep or inclined the snow was for me ;)

wmil 10y ago
The problem is that the ivy league elitists control access to most of the best jobs. Resumes from the affordable school your daughter is attending are quickly filed in the round bin. The quality of education doesn't actually vary much, but the quality of the contacts and the doors opened is greatly improved by more prestigious schools. The US job market is just much more competitive now than when you were young. Look at the numbers. There are about 4.5 million 22 year olds in the US. There are over 1 million new legal immigrants each year. Basically entry level jobs are flooded. And jumping career tracks is far more difficult than you think, HR departments aren't huge believers in IQ or transferable skills. A bad school can lead to a bad job track, and that can lead to a life long struggle.
- eggy 10y ago
  I have jumped outside that track, and it is what I am teaching my kids to think about. What best jobs? What does it mean to be successful? I have far less money than some of my peers, but they envy my lifestyle of living minimally and in different countries. It all depends on what your goals are, and what group you run with I guess. I say question your assumptions. As far as being more competitive, I don't buy it. 1 million, 1 billion, if you truly have common sense and some intellect, you beat out 99% of those numbers, and the common sense doesn't seemed to have scaled to make the population that now enters the market any more difficult, but that is purely limited empirical obsevation on my part. BTW, I am still in the job market, so I am familiar with how competitive it is, and I don't rely on just established connections. I venture out of my comfort zone often. From programming, to diving to maintain and fix electrical and hydralic systems underwater, to managing installations and subsequent operations of a few world-class installations of unique equipment, and an odd assortment of other skills. And, I did it without completing a degree. See that was my attempt at putting me CV out there ;)

by eggy 10y ago

wmil 10y ago

The problem is that the ivy league elitists control access to most of the best jobs. Resumes from the affordable school your daughter is attending are quickly filed in the round bin. The quality of education doesn't actually vary much, but the quality of the contacts and the doors opened is greatly improved by more prestigious schools. The US job market is just much more competitive now than when you were young. Look at the numbers. There are about 4.5 million 22 year olds in the US. There are over 1 million new legal immigrants each year. Basically entry level jobs are flooded. And jumping career tracks is far more difficult than you think, HR departments aren't huge believers in IQ or transferable skills. A bad school can lead to a bad job track, and that can lead to a life long struggle.

eggy 10y ago
I have jumped outside that track, and it is what I am teaching my kids to think about. What best jobs? What does it mean to be successful? I have far less money than some of my peers, but they envy my lifestyle of living minimally and in different countries. It all depends on what your goals are, and what group you run with I guess. I say question your assumptions. As far as being more competitive, I don't buy it. 1 million, 1 billion, if you truly have common sense and some intellect, you beat out 99% of those numbers, and the common sense doesn't seemed to have scaled to make the population that now enters the market any more difficult, but that is purely limited empirical obsevation on my part. BTW, I am still in the job market, so I am familiar with how competitive it is, and I don't rely on just established connections. I venture out of my comfort zone often. From programming, to diving to maintain and fix electrical and hydralic systems underwater, to managing installations and subsequent operations of a few world-class installations of unique equipment, and an odd assortment of other skills. And, I did it without completing a degree. See that was my attempt at putting me CV out there ;)