As an electrician and automation man, I read a lot of serious books, and I’m held accountable by code which is written by lawyers I’m fairly certain heh.
You have a good point. More people should be trained by a program in a field they want to be in rather than some expensive indoctrination facility.
And just to be clear:
If someone is an English major, and they only read books recommended by Oprah, I think there is a problem. Have they read Jane Austen? W. Somerset Maugham? Kingsley Amis? Read any TS Eliot? What kind of English major are they?
If someone is a Political Science major, have they read "The Conservative Mind" by Russell Kirk? And Chesterton? Kissinger? Are they actually interested in politics? Or do they just watch Steven Colbert?
A lot of people outside of college read serious books of various types. A lot of college students don't actually seem to be interested in anything at all.