Shouldn't a College Degree Keep You Out of Poverty?

Change.Org ^ | June 11th 2010 | Lauren Kelley

[Nat Turner]

Something tells me he will be done with school and working while she continues to gripe about how she can't find work in her field.

just as long you hide her voter registration card and car keys on election day, we will be fine LOL

[Cardhu]

Thanks AAM

[discostu]

No. Jobs keep you out of poverty, a degree can HELP you get a good job, but you still need to go get the job and do it well enough to keep it and get promotions and such.

[Marathoner]

Gregory S. Kienzl, director of research and evaluation at IHEP, summed it up best: "If you have a degree, you should no longer be poor."

NO, if you have a marketable skill that people are willing to pay for, you should no longer be poor.

I have an MBA and I know that in and of itself all it's good for is to spruce up a resume. It's what I do with it that matters.

[Graybeard58]

I remember those days long ago - you couldn’t get a job unless you had experience and you couldn’t get experience unless you could get a job.

It used to be the same with credit. No credit history? No credit for you!

[SteamShovel]

college might start to seem like a worthless pursuit for everyone – and I don't think that's a road any of us want the country to go down.

We're already there...

[SteamShovel]

If we don't start improving educational outcomes for poor students...

As in EEOC grade quotas, or real learning with the grades falling as they will?

[CatoRenasci]

The most important thing to do while in college is NETWORK...NETWORK...NETWORK.

This is only partly true, but it does reflect the one true difference between going to an ivy league (or equivalent) university or 'little ivy' or equivalent liberal arts college, on the one hand, and any of the literally thousands of public and private colleges that are not prestigious: what I've long described as "East Pottowottamie Teachers Normal School and State University."

That is, if one goes to 'old XX' one can (but doesn't necessarily) meet and interact with the children of the elites who have money, position, and/or prestige. Those who will inherit, or will step into the prestigious positions that require connections. And, if one does mingle with them successfully, one can end up on the edges of those circles (or even into them in rare cases) and can take advantage of these sorts of connections to rise oneself. While in the main, it's true that the average student at the top universities is more intrinsically capable, and the faculty is often 'better', the fact is that a student at almost any respectable state university or private college can get the nuts and bolts of an education every bit as good as that which can be obtained at the ivy brand institution. The only reason to pay 'ivy prices' for an education is to actually get the branded product. And even then, it's arguable, unless one takes a very rigorous curriculum and makes a conscious effort to get the most out of it socially as welly. The truly appalling spectacle is watch people pay ivy prices ($50,000+ per year) for colleges and universities that will not provide the networking opportunities and cachet that the brand name schools represent.

[CatoRenasci]

The problem is that we lump all of the "liberal arts" together in a way that doesn't meaningfully describe whether or not one has learned anything.

A traditional liberal arts education, focused on the classics (including one classical language), a modicum of mathematics and hard science, history, literature (as both were taught before the 'post-modernists set in) and at least one modern language requires solid work and gives one precise the sort of intellectual preparation for adaptable, innovative and effective leadership. Especially if combined with solid experience in team sports and social dynamics.

Much of what passes for a 'liberal arts' degree now (which includes all of the social sciences, all of the 'ethnic and gender' studies, communications, etc.) is just nonsense and fits one only to become a parasite.

[Centurion2000]

Thank you SO much .... I’d been thinking about going back to college to get into economics as my managerial position is starting to require some financial calculcations / accounting / etc ....

[The Comedian]

College degrees officially jumped the shark when people spent $30K a year in tuition to qualify for a $25K a year job after they graduate.

That should be printed on every American university brochure, much like the "cancer" warning on cigarette packs.

I experienced significant professional success, nationally and internationally, without the benefit of any college degree whatsoever. Ability trumps education in all cases (except academia and government, where ability doesn't matter at all).

I'm now pursuing a PhD simply out of spite.

Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

[ctdonath2]

I remember that interview! Asked why he didn’t go out and get a better paying job instead of whining about the barista position, he whined “but I like this job!” Couldn’t understand that just because you like your job doesn’t mean anyone else is obligated to feed/house you for life.

[Pollster1]

"Classics and Classical Studies (I like this one, but it’s not marketable)" Liberal arts disciplines such as this one train students in thinking and communicating. Such graduates are likely to be adaptable, innovative, and effective leaders. It may be more difficult to get one's foot in the door with this kind of major, but the employer that gives those grads a chance will profit thereby.

I agree with your points, both the value of the education and that it's difficult to get in the door.

[RipSawyer]

“College degrees officially jumped the shark when people spent $30K a year in tuition to qualify for a $25K a year job after they graduate. Aside from SOME BA degrees, and engineering/math/science degrees, most aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.”
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Spot on. They leave college after incurring a huge debt and still have far less than what used to be a free public high school education. Then they apply for the type of job that used to be done by a tenth grade dropout. Then if they ever work up to a thousand a week it buys less at the grocery store than the eighty a week people used to make fifty years ago straight out of public high school. Some great system we have going and it gets worse every day.

[RipSawyer]

How about the kids who get a degree in “French Art”??
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That’s not anything like, “French Culture” is it?

[palmer]

PS. If you are a guy it helps to have an elegant lady with you, she will really help you NETWORK at these conferences. :)

My own career went a lot better once I realized that some people are allergic to cats and many people don't like having them walk across the table of hor devours.

[VOA]

bump

[rabscuttle385]

The sensible thing to do here is to put a cap on the number of students allowed to get in

Then get rid of Federally-backed student loans for those majors. Actually, get rid of all of them; educational institutions will be forced by the laws of supply and demand to reduce their prices to what the market can bear and corporations will be forced to stop using college degrees as the new high school diploma.

the cap should have a sound connection to the demand for professionals in a certain discipline.

Determined by the government, eh?

That's called central planning, sir.

[TheThinker]

White low-income students are twice as likely as African Americans and Hispanics to remain poor after graduation? Really?

Affirmative Action, increasing racism towards whites, and lack of access to both private (b/c banks must lend to minority applicants with similar and lower credit scores) and government loans to start small businesses have taken their toll.

[Cardhu]

Absolutely, the white graduates are on their own.