4 ms·

Can we talk about the inflation related to the value of the degree as well? A college degree in 1983 is worth alot more than one in 2023.

Workaccount2 3y ago
This is something that always bothers me. People have completely lost sight of the forest for the trees. The entire point of an education is to make you a good worker/citizen. That's it. People completely lose sight of this and think that the point of an education is to get a degree. Therefore we end up with legions of kids trying to "get a degree" as opposed to "become a good worker/citizen".
runako 3y ago
Exactly the opposite. In 2023, a degree is a prerequisite (or effectively so) to a lot of jobs. This was less true in 1983 than it is now.
- Eumenes 3y ago
  Not if you're independent, resourceful, and motivated to learn. Is there some risk in not going to college, yeah, maybe - but young adults have many years to 'figure it out'. Not all answers lie in institutional credentials. I've worked with dozens of self taught programmers, designers, operators, etc. Look at how much more information is available via the web now vs what was available in 1983.
  - runako 3y ago
    Not disagreeing with anything you are saying. In fact, why get a job at all? Start a business during high school, make millions, and skip it all. There's plenty of information out there to make this a realistic option. However, for people that did not pursue that route, it is also true that many employers require a college degree for many jobs. Some 19-year-olds may "pattern match" well enough to get some hiring managers to grant exceptions. But these are exceptions and by definition not good general advice. > Not all answers lie in institutional credentials. Also consider that the truth of this may depend on the specifics of a job-seeker's phenotype. YMMV.

4 ms·

Can we talk about the inflation related to the value of the degree as well? A college degree in 1983 is worth alot more than one in 2023.

by Eumenes 3y ago

Workaccount2 3y ago
This is something that always bothers me. People have completely lost sight of the forest for the trees. The entire point of an education is to make you a good worker/citizen. That's it. People completely lose sight of this and think that the point of an education is to get a degree. Therefore we end up with legions of kids trying to "get a degree" as opposed to "become a good worker/citizen".
runako 3y ago
Exactly the opposite. In 2023, a degree is a prerequisite (or effectively so) to a lot of jobs. This was less true in 1983 than it is now.
- Eumenes 3y ago
  Not if you're independent, resourceful, and motivated to learn. Is there some risk in not going to college, yeah, maybe - but young adults have many years to 'figure it out'. Not all answers lie in institutional credentials. I've worked with dozens of self taught programmers, designers, operators, etc. Look at how much more information is available via the web now vs what was available in 1983.
  - runako 3y ago
    Not disagreeing with anything you are saying. In fact, why get a job at all? Start a business during high school, make millions, and skip it all. There's plenty of information out there to make this a realistic option. However, for people that did not pursue that route, it is also true that many employers require a college degree for many jobs. Some 19-year-olds may "pattern match" well enough to get some hiring managers to grant exceptions. But these are exceptions and by definition not good general advice. > Not all answers lie in institutional credentials. Also consider that the truth of this may depend on the specifics of a job-seeker's phenotype. YMMV.