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Yup. Couldn't agree more with this response. There is this growing contrarian sentiment—particularly in the HN and Reddit communities—that "college isn't for e

Yup. Couldn't agree more with this response. There is this growing contrarian sentiment—particularly in the HN and Reddit communities—that "college isn't for everyone". The college industrial complex aside, I cannot see how further education—particularly through programs like this one—could ever be a bad thing. After all, education is the silver bullet.

Chronic28 12y ago
People are not actually learning. They are simply "along for the ride" while memorizing for tests so they can land a job and forget most of the things they've learned. Perhaps we should improve our secondary education as we are lacking on that front in America instead of encouraging everyone to take 4 more years out of their working lives.
- jimmaswell 12y ago
  I've witnessed this, myself. It shows itself as a lot of questions about what's going to be on a test instead of trying to understand the material.
gaius 12y ago
There are many important, useful, societally and culturally valuable things, that are not best suited to being studied as an academic degree.
aestra 12y ago
>I cannot see how further education—particularly through programs like this one—could ever be a bad thing Opportunity costs for one.
- genericuser 12y ago
  Opportunity costs do not make things bad. They can make things worse than an alternative or better than an alternative. If the person choosing what to do with their life is able to see an existing opportunity which is better than education then they should choose it, why would they not? But if they are unable to see such opportunities then choosing to become more educated is not a bad choice provided as is the case in this situation that it does not present an additional financial burden. One could even argue that the set of options one should consider when weighing opportunity cost should only be composed of the options to which the decision maker is aware (can reasonably be expected to become aware) of.
  - aestra 12y ago
    >But if they are unable to see such opportunities then choosing to become more educated is not a bad choice provided as is the case in this situation that it does not present an additional financial burden. You aren't taking into consideration opportunity costs. I spend 4 years at school to get a Spanish degree that doesn't cost anything for me to go. Now I have a Spanish degree and I have exactly the same job as I could have gotten before the degree. I've wasted 4 years where I could have been making a salary, pursuing hobbies, raising children, etc. We shouldn't be like: 1) Take a class/get a degree in anything with no plan whatsoever. 2) ??? 3) PROFIT!
    - genericuser 12y ago
      No, I am. But you don't seem to understand the difference between hindsight and opportunity cost. (Either that or are trolling me, in which case success for you I guess) I specifically said: "is able to see an existing opportunity which is better than education then they should choose it, why would they not?" So you chose Education presumably because you thought getting a Spanish degree was a better option than those others, therefore you viewed the other options as having the opportunity cost. In which case you may have been bad at estimating benefit, or perhaps the choices you were trying to value were simply too unpredictable, but you followed the idea of opportunity cost correctly. Or even worse you knew those options were better and you chose an option you recognized as worse, in which case WHY? Opportunity cost is not a synonym for hindsight it is about weighing two decisions with information you have available (or can have) at the time. Edit: Also now you know Spanish which should bring you as a person some level of enjoyment, and is therefore a benefit. If not I wonder why you would of kept studying it.

Chronic28 12y ago

People are not actually learning. They are simply "along for the ride" while memorizing for tests so they can land a job and forget most of the things they've learned. Perhaps we should improve our secondary education as we are lacking on that front in America instead of encouraging everyone to take 4 more years out of their working lives.

jimmaswell 12y ago
I've witnessed this, myself. It shows itself as a lot of questions about what's going to be on a test instead of trying to understand the material.

gaius 12y ago

There are many important, useful, societally and culturally valuable things, that are not best suited to being studied as an academic degree.

aestra 12y ago

>I cannot see how further education—particularly through programs like this one—could ever be a bad thing Opportunity costs for one.

genericuser 12y ago
Opportunity costs do not make things bad. They can make things worse than an alternative or better than an alternative. If the person choosing what to do with their life is able to see an existing opportunity which is better than education then they should choose it, why would they not? But if they are unable to see such opportunities then choosing to become more educated is not a bad choice provided as is the case in this situation that it does not present an additional financial burden. One could even argue that the set of options one should consider when weighing opportunity cost should only be composed of the options to which the decision maker is aware (can reasonably be expected to become aware) of.
- aestra 12y ago
  >But if they are unable to see such opportunities then choosing to become more educated is not a bad choice provided as is the case in this situation that it does not present an additional financial burden. You aren't taking into consideration opportunity costs. I spend 4 years at school to get a Spanish degree that doesn't cost anything for me to go. Now I have a Spanish degree and I have exactly the same job as I could have gotten before the degree. I've wasted 4 years where I could have been making a salary, pursuing hobbies, raising children, etc. We shouldn't be like: 1) Take a class/get a degree in anything with no plan whatsoever. 2) ??? 3) PROFIT!
  - genericuser 12y ago
    No, I am. But you don't seem to understand the difference between hindsight and opportunity cost. (Either that or are trolling me, in which case success for you I guess) I specifically said: "is able to see an existing opportunity which is better than education then they should choose it, why would they not?" So you chose Education presumably because you thought getting a Spanish degree was a better option than those others, therefore you viewed the other options as having the opportunity cost. In which case you may have been bad at estimating benefit, or perhaps the choices you were trying to value were simply too unpredictable, but you followed the idea of opportunity cost correctly. Or even worse you knew those options were better and you chose an option you recognized as worse, in which case WHY? Opportunity cost is not a synonym for hindsight it is about weighing two decisions with information you have available (or can have) at the time. Edit: Also now you know Spanish which should bring you as a person some level of enjoyment, and is therefore a benefit. If not I wonder why you would of kept studying it.