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IMHO, because what colleges are selling is effectively a positional good[1], one valued specifically for how it ranks against other similar goods. They're selli
by SilasX 6y ago
IMHO, because what colleges are selling is effectively a positional good[1], one valued specifically for how it ranks against other similar goods. They're selling the certification that "this person is in the n% percentile of employability".
And you generally can't just make more of a positional good. That's like, "why can't Louis Vuitton ramp up production so that everyone can have a LV handbag?"
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_good https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_good
- klipt 6y agoRight, for example almost everyone in California can go to the state's cheap, accessible community colleges. But not everyone can go to UC Berkeley or UCLA.
- Ericson2314 6y agoThe answer is we have UBI, and embrace the positional value going to 0. Just about everyone is already overqualified for the jobs that they do. It's a bullshit job economy. Let's drive up the cost of labor, educate for non-job-related reasons, and see if the the two paths meet again in some vastly different economy.
- AdrianB1 6y agoPlease tell anyone that is overqualified at their current job to contact me, about everyone in my company in IT is underqualified, many times incompetent because we don't compete on salaries with the FAANG companies paying 3-5x more.
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y ago> about everyone in my company in IT is underqualified Downward spiral, the people who get stuff done get babied to death and decide to change jobs, the ones who are just along for the ride stay. Wash and repeat 3-4 times and you end up with a dysfunctional company.
- Ericson2314 6y agoI'm talking overqualified on paper---in terms of education and other credentials. Absolutely this doesn't translate into the brilliant coworkers everyone here moans about not having, but that that's due to a bunch of systemic things: If: - Jobs were less pointless - School reward system wasn't all screwed up - Jobs required more skills People would be "smarter". Without that, of course y'all gonna feel like you're surrounded by smug idiots.
- tptacek 6y agoPeople say that, but it's not really true. Tuitions are lower-tier schools are also extremely high; the tuition break doesn't happen until you get out of accredited 4-year universities and into community colleges.
- SilasX 6y agoCould you clarify what that's responding to? I don't see the connection to my point.
- tptacek 6y agoIf college were priced purely as a positional good, tuitions at lower-tier schools would be be sharply lower than those of upper-tier schools. In Illinois, SIU and NIU cost approximately as much as UIUC, the state flagship.
- SilasX 6y ago>If college were priced purely as a positional good, tuitions at lower-tier schools would be be sharply lower than those of upper-tier schools. Price (to the buyer) is more than just tuition -- the more prestigious ones are more selective, which is effectively a higher price. It has to charge that higher "price" (selectivity) in order to maintain its prestige. And generally the correlation holds, between prestige and price, even if it's not perfect. If there really is no difference between those colleges you listed, except that one degree is worth more but costs the same, then I agree I can't explain that.
- JJMcJ 6y agoCommunity colleges are accredited too. People transfer to 4 year colleges with AA degrees all the time, even to high prestige colleges.