“Au contraire, my friends! In my years at Faber, I learned the valuable skills that made it possible for me to become an honorable member of the United States Senate.”
Posted on 08/13/2008 6:42:34 AM PDT by shrinkermd
Yes, we live in a state in which it's darn tough to get into the state university--you need near-flawless grades and SATs, and my daughter had a B average due to some awful setbacks in high school. She would not have gotten in. Even if she had, the tab would have been $20K per year for an in-state student. So she had no choice but to go to a private college. Lots of kids in our state have a similar situation.
I went to a major university too, and it cost me about $1000 per year. Times change.
“Au contraire, my friends! In my years at Faber, I learned the valuable skills that made it possible for me to become an honorable member of the United States Senate.”
I disagree. I believe there's something to be said for stimulating intellectual awareness about other subjects aside from one's own expertise. In many cases specific courses are not mandated, but instead, the student can choose a number of classes in a broad category. "Literature," is one thought that immediately comes to mind.
And like it or not, this falls into the "things I don't want to do, but have to do" category. Something that "certifications" don't lend themselves to doing.
Married to a college grad, have two college kids. I’m just saying it doesn’t guarantee you have a brain. When I hire I look at a person’s qualifications, not their educational history. I hired one person who had a decree in union negotiation, who I had to teach how to gather info every time I was in the office. She’s history now.
What we know as a society is an ever expanding accumulation of facts and experiences over time. We learn from what has occurred before us, and we take that knowledge to move further and learn more. If we didn’t we would never progress. Whereas the educational system has huge problems, it is a very important part of our society, beyond job training. I’m not saying that college/universities are the only answer, and clearly there are a ton of people who never went to college and are more discerning and thoughtful than their counterparts who did. Nonetheless, we should embrace learning for learning sake and not consider all education useless unless it trains you specifically for a job.
I think you said something to the effect that only the dumb and lazy go to college ...
College serves one very useful purpose.
It teaches kids who have grown beyond the socialist public schools system (where there are no repercussions for anything except political incorrectness), the habits which they will need to hold and keep jobs.
Waking up each morning ready to go, whether you feel like it or not - because of the wild fraternity/sorority bash the night before. Passing tests. Paying attention. Doing stuff you don’t really want to.
Those skills are pretty darn important in the real world.
College profs, are training for a boss.
You like some. You don’t like some. But you have to deal with that.
College classes are like work duties.
You like some. You don’t like some.
You deal with that too.
All true, but should those lessons cost $200,000 as they do at some Ivy League schools and others?
#27: “I just think the dumb lazy people are the ones who go to college.”
#64: “Married to a college grad, have two college kids.”
All dumb and lazy?
Now, if people actually want to go and get a true education—to read the classics, to understand art, science, literature, a foreign culture, and history, to write and think—that does take time and is worth quite a lot of money. But not many college kids are actually getting much of an education these days.”
Good post. This is sort of the flip side of what Murray is talking about.
Think about it. Imagine a world where college did NOT equal getting a job. There would be ways to do that, including possibly the Certifications he talks about. Then...for those that want an education, college would be a possibility. And certainly there is no need in principle for it to cost a quarter of a million dollars.
That is an ignorant statement if I've ever heard one.
How do you prove to an employer that you've "studied at home?" Why should an employer even start with your resume without some educational credentials that show you've done some critical thinking, are functionally literate, and have shown that you at least have the tenacity to spend 3-5 years in pursuit of something?
And as far as internships, what company would invest the time in training someone without some proof that candidate can learn? This is particularly true for positions in the medical field, law, and engineering, to name a few.
Because white and Asian males will have higher pass rates. A system that does not provide for an end-run around this reality will never fly in these PC times.
Soon, the Ph.D. will be standard issue for employment in most white collar fields.”
I think you could argue that that is sort of the case in some European countries, esp in big business culture (my experience is in the German speaking businesses). There were a LOT of doctorates floating around there.
Think harder.
It also disadvantages people who for whatever reason just aren't good at taking standardized tests. I had a duplex when I was in law school and one of my tenants had to take the bar exam five times before she passed it. I “coasted” through law school rarely ever going to class and passed it the first time. I was not disadvantaged in the least. I'm good at cramming and I have never been intimidated by standardized tests. The right answers are on the page. All you have to do is pick the right ones. Somehow she had already passed the CPA exam but had a mental block when it came to the bar exam. Some people are just really good at taking these tests and others aren't. Some people get mental blocks. And some people can spend a relatively small amount of time cramming and pass almost any test, although they may not remember much of what they learned for long.
Employers need to start requiring certification.
No, a Naval Academy graduate, one who runs the family business, and one who is raising a family. Why am I arguing? Bye
“It also indicates that the applicant can read and write”
Nope, Sad to say but I had a few who could do neither. As someone said earlier, it’s all about the money. I don’t believe it was always this way but it certainly is now.
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