> It is depraved and cynical to suggest that the purpose of a college should be job-training. This is a wholly american idea, and a shitty one at that. Not who

> It is depraved and cynical to suggest that the purpose of a college should be job-training. This is a wholly american idea, and a shitty one at that. Not wholly American. I have a coworker in Brussels who was surprised to find out that most of the programmers in the states only have BS degrees. In Belgium, he tells me, it's hard to find a programming job with less than six years of university on your résumé. > If one wants to study art history, then one should study art history. I agree, but the problem is the mixed messages. The messages being told to prospective students (and they were told to me) are (1) "Study whatever you are passionate about; the purpose of an education is to make you a well-rounded human being" and (2) "After 4 or 5 years of this, you'll be able to get whatever job you like". It's perfectly acceptable to tell someone #1 but with the caveat that there aren't a lot of jobs in art history. It's also reasonable to tell someone #2 with the understanding that they need to study, e.g., STEM. > College shouldn't cost 6 figures in the first place. Wholly agree.