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Exactly. The whole "anyone can do anything" culture in America has its benefits, but also its costs. I personally think a good middle ground is to be sending f

Exactly. The whole "anyone can do anything" culture in America has its benefits, but also its costs. I personally think a good middle ground is to be sending far more students to community colleges. This doesnt immediately comdemn lower-level jobs to the truly determined (as they can transfer out), but it is far more affordable than a 4-year degree without much in the way of a loss of benefits for the students. On the other hand, It seems like far too many jobs in the US require bachelors degrees these days. If a job doesnt require a specific major/set of majors in the posting, the work probably doesnt require a bacheolars at all.

jacoblyles 16y ago
A recent Econ Talk podcast reviewing a sociologist's study of low-wage workers showed that technical degrees and certificates can make a huge difference in a person's earning potential: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/03/newman_on_low-w.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2010/03/newman_on_low-w.htm... Though "community college" has a certain stigma among the intellectual classes that debate and shape public policy, these programs make a strong positive impact in people's lives.
piguy314 16y ago
The ROI per dollar of associates degrees and technical certificates is like 3 or 4 times higher than a bachelor's degree. Telling people not to goto university is not the same as telling them to get no further training after high school. I think even Obama conceded this when he phrased his admonition to return to school as "some form of post-highschool education"