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What if the problem is the cost of degrees? I think it's possible that many degrees are not worth the money and maybe we should stop encouraging people to get t

What if the problem is the cost of degrees? I think it's possible that many degrees are not worth the money and maybe we should stop encouraging people to get them. In most cases that seems like a reasonable conclusion. Degrees are also probably creating a lot of social problems I won't discuss. They laden people, in particular women, with debt. Women have more student loan and other debt than men. This makes them feel obligated to work for corporations that don't care about them in mediocre jobs. Some degrees are necessary but many I think are completely superfluous.

Dalewyn 4y ago
The push to go to college/university "just because" is by far one of the biggest ripoff lies told in our time. You go into higher education when your life goals require it, eg: you get a medical degree because you need one to become a doctor. The way most people go about higher education today is bass ackwards, going to college/university and then figuring out what you want to do. That more than likely isn't going to amount to anything besides useless debt and precious time wasted.
kalleboo 4y ago
This is a US-centric view. Even in countries where higher education is free (and you even get a living stipend), birth rates have dropped
- hiAndrewQuinn 4y ago
  Yeah, after moving to Finland which is a fantastic place to raise kids financially, and seeing the birth rates around here I'm actually much more convinced it _is_ a global vibe shift moreso than a straight economic concern. My conspiracy theory is that kids used to inject a lot more novelty into the lives of adults, but now that hunger for novelty is now much more readily filled by books / videos / interesting work.
- onetimeusename 4y ago
  ya I agree. I was talking about the affordability of living for couples especially since I know people who are in this situation. The fertility decline is a much bigger issue that I think obtaining degrees is one particular symptom of. That topic is probably not a good one for HN discussion unfortunately.

Dalewyn 4y ago

The push to go to college/university "just because" is by far one of the biggest ripoff lies told in our time. You go into higher education when your life goals require it, eg: you get a medical degree because you need one to become a doctor. The way most people go about higher education today is bass ackwards, going to college/university and then figuring out what you want to do. That more than likely isn't going to amount to anything besides useless debt and precious time wasted.

kalleboo 4y ago

This is a US-centric view. Even in countries where higher education is free (and you even get a living stipend), birth rates have dropped

hiAndrewQuinn 4y ago
Yeah, after moving to Finland which is a fantastic place to raise kids financially, and seeing the birth rates around here I'm actually much more convinced it _is_ a global vibe shift moreso than a straight economic concern. My conspiracy theory is that kids used to inject a lot more novelty into the lives of adults, but now that hunger for novelty is now much more readily filled by books / videos / interesting work.
onetimeusename 4y ago
ya I agree. I was talking about the affordability of living for couples especially since I know people who are in this situation. The fertility decline is a much bigger issue that I think obtaining degrees is one particular symptom of. That topic is probably not a good one for HN discussion unfortunately.