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Alternatively, all middle class jobs do not require a college degree. Perhaps a college degree is primarily a signalling mechanism for adherence to a bygone era
by monero-xmr 1y ago
Alternatively, all middle class jobs do not require a college degree. Perhaps a college degree is primarily a signalling mechanism for adherence to a bygone era of societal norms. But the price is far too high to justify it, and the market will create alternative proof of societal norms, at a far cheaper price. Which is happening as we debate.
My concern now is a large number of under-employed college graduates who are indebted to worthless degrees, feeling pinched because the debt far surpasses their market value. This has been the case for a long time, but has now reached the upper-echelons of academia where even Ivy league grads cannot get employment. You need to re-calibrate your ire to the correct target
- novemp 1y agoYeah, sure, not every job should require a degree, but that doesn't justify keeping The Poors from pursuing education. Some of us value education for its own sake, not as a prerequisite for employment.
- monero-xmr 1y agoYou are assuming the only avenue to "education" is through the university experience
- novemp 1y agoSome people learn best in structured class settings.
- sciencejerk 1y agoIf AI and other societal shifts eliminate many white-collar jobs in developed countries, degree-seekers will eventually notice and the demand and perceived value of a college education may greatly diminish. I got my degree at a time when it was actually useful as a signalling mechanism. Now students might not benefit much from a college degree and internships might be hard to find. This is too bad and grossly unfair. I hope that new societal avenues are created to help young people start their careers, even if those careers are in fields like plumbing, nursing and hospitality. I also hope efforts are made to help white collar workers transition into other (lesser-paying) careers when AI really starts to permanently reduce the size of the white-collar workforce.
- sciencejerk 1y ago> You need to re-calibrate your ire to the correct target Who do you think is the correct target? Big institutions? The college system?
- monero-xmr 1y agoDefinitely the colleges, which charge more year after year, burdening the young with debt for worthless pieces of paper.