College education in America is a bad joke. Instead of preparing the next generation of leaders for the jobs of tomorrow, the college education "industry" has become a giant money making scam. We constantly preach to our high school students that they "need" to go to college and we tell them to not even worry about how much it is going to cost because a college education is "always" worth the money. Then we lend them outrageous amounts of money so that they can pay the gigantic bills for the "education" that they are receiving. But the truth is that the quality of education at America's colleges and universities is absolutely abysmal these days. I spent 8 years at U.S. universities, and most of the courses that I took could have been passed by the family dog. Sadly, once our young people graduate they quickly discover that there are way too many college graduates and not nearly enough good jobs. Today, we have millions upon millions of young Americans that are enslaved to student loan debt for the rest of their lives. They were promised a bright future, but instead most of them are discovering that they are going to be working really hard to pay off financial predators for decades to come. Unfortunately, for most college graduates a diploma is simply a ticket to a crappy job and a lifetime of debt slavery.
The following are 35 shocking facts that prove that college education in America has become a giant money making scam....
The Student Loan Debt Bubble
#1 After adjusting for inflation, U.S. college students are borrowing about twice as much money as they did a decade ago.
#2 According to the College Board, college tuition is absolutely soaring. The following comes from a recent CBS News article....
Average tuition and fees at public colleges rose 8.3 percent this year and, with room and board, now exceed $17,000 a year, according to the College Board.
#3 Average yearly tuition at private universities in the United States is now up to $27,293. That figure has increased by 29% in just the past five years.
#4 In America today, approximately two-thirds of all college students graduate with student loan debt.
#5 In 2010, the average college graduate had accumulated approximately $25,000 in student loan debt by graduation day.
#6 According to the Student Loan Debt Clock, total student loan debt in the United States will surpass the 1 trillion dollar mark in early 2012.
#7 The total amount of student loan debt in the United States now exceeds the total amount of credit card debt in the United States.
#8 Over the past 25 years, the cost of college tuition has increased at an average rate that is approximately 6% higher than the general rate of inflation.
#9 Back in 1952, a full year of tuition at Harvard was only $600. Today, it is $35,568.
#10 The cost of college textbooks has tripled over the past decade.
#11 One survey found that 23 percent of all college students actually use credit cards to pay for tuition or fees.
#12 According to recent Pew Research Center polling, 75% of all Americans believe that college is too expensive for most Americans to afford.
#13 College has become so expensive that it is causing many college students to do desperate things in order to pay for it. For example, an increasing number of young college women are actively advertising on the Internet for "sugar daddies" who will help them pay their college bills.
#14 The student loan default rate has nearly doubled since 2005.
#15 Approximately 14 percent of all students that graduate with student loan debt end up defaulting within 3 years of making their first student loan payment.
The Quality Of College Education In America Stinks
#16 The typical U.S. college student spends less than 30 hours a week on academics.
#17 According to very extensive research detailed in a new book entitled "Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses", 45 percent of all U.S. college students exhibit "no significant gains in learning" after two years in college.
#18 Today, college students spend approximately 50% less time studying than U.S. college students did just a few decades ago.
#19 35% of U.S. college students spend 5 hours or less studying per week.
#20 50% of U.S. college students have never taken a class where they had to write more than 20 pages.
#21 32% of U.S. college students have never taken a class where they had to read more than 40 pages in a week.
#22 U.S. college students spend 24% of their time sleeping, 51% of their time socializing and 7% of their time studying.
#23 Federal statistics reveal that only 36 percent of the full-time students who began college in 2001 received a bachelor's degree within four years.
Not Enough Jobs For College Graduates
#24 Only 55.3% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 were employed last year. That was the lowest level that we have seen since World War II.
#25 According to the Economic Policy Institute, the "official" unemployment rate for college graduates younger than 25 years old was 9.3 percent in 2010.
#26 One-third of all college graduates end up taking jobs that don't even require college degrees.
#27 In the United States today, there are more than 100,000 janitors that have college degrees.
#28 In the United States today, 317,000 waiters and waitresses have college degrees.
#29 In the United States today, approximately 365,000 cashiers have college degrees.
#30 In the United States today, 24.5 percent of all retail salespeople have a college degree.
#31 The percentage of mail carriers with a college degree is now 4 times higher than it was back in 1970.
#32 Right now, there are 5.9 million Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 that are living with their parents.
#33 According to one recent survey, only 14 percent of all Americans that are 28 or 29 years old are optimistic about their financial futures.
#34 Record numbers of Americans are going to college, but incomes for young American adults just keep falling. Since the year 2000, incomes for U.S. households led by someone between the ages of 25 and 34 have fallen by about 12 percent after you adjust for inflation.
#35 Once they get out into the "real world", 70% of all college graduates wish that they had spent more time preparing for the "real world" while they were still in school.
So is going to college always a bad idea?
Of course not.
But it is a huge gamble.
There is no guarantee that all of the time, money and effort that you put into getting a college education is going to pay off with a promising career.
If you want to go to college, my advice would be to get someone else to pay for it. Failing that, try to get the best quality education that you can at the lowest price possible.
And try to go into as little debt as you possibly can in the process.
Today, there are millions of college students that wish that they had done things differently.
For example, the following student loan horror story comes from a recent Business Insider article....
"I am the first in my family to go to college. Without family support, I self-financed three college degrees (BA, MA and PhD) at state colleges between 1988 and 2005 using Pell Grants, multiple jobs, scholarships and $90,000 in subsidized and unsubsidized student loans.
My loans have been bought and sold so many times it is impossible to keep track of changes in rates, balances and terms of service since I have never had to resign any promissory notes. Eventually, I was able to consolidate the loans with Sallie Mae at a 7% interest rate. My loan payments have ranged from $400-600/mo. depending on the loan provider and lowest possible payment option available.
...I am currently a public school teacher with an income of $50,000, barely enough income to pay the interest-only payments. I have never missed a payment in over ten years ... and my loan balance stands at $105,000. To date, I have paid over $40,000 in loan payments and because my income restricts me to interest-only payments, and the 7% daily capitalized interest rate, I now owe $15,000 more than I borrowed....
My student loan situation has nothing to do with a lack of financial responsibility.
I have never missed a student loan payment and I have paid off $20,000 in credit card debt and a $10,000 car loan since graduation. I have no mortgage or any other outstanding debt, just my student loans. I have a credit score of 820. However, because of the usurious interest rates, capitalization of interest and the sole option of interest-only payments, I will never be able to pay off my student loan.
It’s just not possible, unless I win the lottery."
Please learn a lesson from those that have gone before you.
Student loan debt is very cruel and it can ruin your life.
So do you have a student loan debt horror story to share? Or do you have an opinion about the money making scam that college education in America has become? If so, please leave a comment with your opinion below....
“We have millions upon millions of young Americans that are enslaved to student loan debt for the rest of their lives.” This is bad for the students, but for those who hold the loans, these students represent money machines that will produce for decades to come.
As for how hard students work in school, I worked my fanny off from 1978 to 1982; however, my dorm mates spent most of their time getting high, skipping class, partying, and nailing their girlfriends. Many didn’t graduate and simply ran up bills for their parents, and I’m sure this state of affairs continues today.
“Once they get out into the “real world”, 70% of all college graduates wish that they had spent more time preparing for the “real world” while they were still in school.”
- This was the biggest joke after graduation and entering the work force. Very few found themselves using or needing anything they had learned in college. I recall a history professor telling the class that studies demonstrated that, one year after taking a class, students remembered no more than 10% of what they had learned, and from there it went further downhill. That means all that costly tuition bought us knowledge that flew out of our heads like air escaping from a leaky tire.
Well aren’t we self important and righteous little person. Has nothing to do with the rubbish you are spouting. The educational ‘system’ like housing, etc, has been hijacked by the banks to create more debt slaves.
Well aren’t we a self important and righteous little person. Has nothing to do with the rubbish you are spouting. The educational ‘system’ like housing, etc, has been hijacked by the banks to create more debt slaves.
Our broken education system (top to bottom) does not bode well for the future of this country and without well educated citizens America will continue to fall towards the bottom in all major categories. Third world country here we come…
I wish I had know then what I know now about college debt. I currently have a bachelor’s degree and have had over 4 jobs since I graduated 2 years ago, none of which required a degree. I am newly engaged and had to move for a better job for my fiancee (and since my job was not paying my bills anyway the move was good for us). I had to defer my loan payments when we moved(not by choice but by lack of employment). I currently am temping at a secretary position, no need for the degree, and no future promise for a job, poor pay, and no raise in sight. I am still sitting on my loans in deferred status, because I can’t make enough to pay them any way. (Oh did I mention I have two other jobs besides the FULL TIME secretary position, and still can’t pay the amount to my loans). I am looking at my loans in this “Defer” status dreading what is to come, knowing that the only payments I will be making on them will be interest only. You know when loans are in derment they still tack on the interest, so that when and if you can actually start paying them again you are only going to be paying the interest you accrued while in the deferred status while the loan itself is still tacking on interest, which I am fearing will be all I am paying for the rest of my life and never even “touch” payments for the actual loan. For me college was a rip off and my major was a joke. My advice to everyone: Be careful what you chose to go to college for because you don’t need a degree for everything. Do your research first.
I am not going to marry a college loan.
A lot has to do with what one gets a degree in. You will find that far too many are getting degrees in fields that presently have very little employment opportunities and historically those fields did not offer a job years ago either. Degrees in Political Science and History while very interesting (especially to me) are pretty much a dead end street economically. The humanities as a whole do not prepare someone for a “good job at good wages”. The public has lumped in engineering and medicine with European Art History in their thoughts about higher education. The goal of “doing something you love” takes a back seat to “making a living” for all but the wealthy. Too many parents disappointed with their own life created a false world with false expectations for their children. The now 30 year old faced with the reality of making a living is lost because they expected a life of fun. Welcome to the real world and your world is nastier then the one I seen.
Our kids are a surgical assistant with an Associates of Science degree and a Journeyman Electrician with 4 years on night school. Both are gainfully employed with benefits.
But fields like engineering are not the golden calf they are promised to be. First of all, only a minority of the population has the natural talents, skills and aptitudes to become an engineer or a scientist. Not everyone can be a scientist or a engineer just like not everyone can play for the NBA or the NFL. America ranks near the bottom when it comes to math test scores and yet people who aren’t engineers or scientists are demanding empty-headed products of the American education system to become rocket scientists?! Pretty laughable.
Also, despite what is plastered all over the media, there is no shortage for the vast majority of types of engineers. Wages for most types of engineers have remained flat for the past two decades. Tens of millions Americans possess math and science degrees. Many of these people are underemployed or unemployed. It is not hard to find dozens of testimonial articles from the past few years of unemployed recent math and science grads who can’t find a job putting holes in donuts let alone a job in their field.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-innovations/president-obama-there-is-no-engineer-shortage/2011/09/01/gIQADpmpuJ_story.html
There is no shortage of smart and capable people in America. Corporations lie to American workers and say they lack skills. In reality, that is merely an excuse to outsource labor or hire much cheaper H-1B Visas to cut costs and buy CEO’s bigger summer homes and a new fleets of luxury cars.
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/learn/issues/high-tech-workers/there-no-tech-worker-shortage.html
Globally there is a shortage engineers – thou donuts need not apply
I’m not implying that engineering is what it used to be when a person with a BSME or EE in India will do your work for $20,000 / yr. Actually if you never leave your desk your desk will end up in Bombay. Educated hands (hands in demand) that require you to be in the US to perform your job is what is needed to hold as much value as possible. I’m not implying that everyone can become an engineer or physician or other medical professional.
I am implying that a degree without a clear job in demand at completion will have limited to no economic value.
All college degrees are not equal.
I would much sooner have my child become a certified automobile mechanic then be the “Proud Holder” of a humanities degree.
Now the Federal Government owns all the paper on student loans and is sending SWAT Teams to round up those who refuse/can’t pay. On top of that, there are those in Congress who call for laws that force loan recipients to “work off” their loans by serving as “bullet catchers” in the U.S. Armed Forces.
When the government invades an industry and starts to run things like an out-of-control parasitic organism, then it behooves the smarter among us to avoid dealings in that industry or fall victim to the “Invasion of the Body-Snatchers”…
Get someone else to pay for it? That someone else had better not be the taxpayer. The taxpayer is the someone else who has had to pay for healthcare, welfare, warfare, empire, bailouts, illegals, pensions, Solyndra, Government Motors, foreign aid, the EU, TARP, QE1, QE2, TSA, EPA, DOE, HHS, CIA, etc., in addition to too much tuition already.
For Item #9, the link is dead. Here is an active link:
http://www.swifteconomics.com/2011/06/29/who-says-college-is-worth-the-cost/
http://www.rense.com/general92/rack.htm (This article states that the full cost for a student at Harvard for one year is $60,000. This includes all the other things associated with going to college.)
According to this site, Historical Currency Converter, $600 in 1952 was equivalent to $4873.09 in today’s dollars. (link – http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi)
I think it’s more honest to discuss past monetary amounts at current values. Otherwise, people may get the wrong notions.
For example, in this article (http://www2.census.gov/prod2/popscan/p60-015.pdf), the median (average) family income in 1952 was $3900, or $31675.05. (http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi) The price of an average car in 1952 was $1700, or $13,807.07 (http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1952.html, http://www.westegg.com/inflation/infl.cgi)
So, for an average family in 1952, three years of tuition costs at Harvard was equivalent to purchasing a new car.
In today’s economy, a full year at Harvard costs more than the purchase price of a car. And, four years of Harvard would amount to $240,000. However, like one of the articles stated above, a freshman entering Harvard in 2011 would be paying more at least $10,000 for their senior year.
Everything has become more expensive, and there’s no end in sight.
To paraphrase Ford, as I did in another post, Education is, more or less, bunk. I got a college education, but I felt very cheated in the many fees and the idiocy of much of my experience. I felt like the school tried to nickel and dime me to death with various charges and requirements. Their student budget was an insane joke. The president of the school got a free, I believe it was a Lexus, at the time and a free house to live in. The textbooks were such a ripoff, many of us looked for used ones or went online (which back then was very new and not well-developed). Textbook manufacturers hated used books and paid you to send them the first 50 pages torn out of a used textbook to insure it fell out of use.
I don’t think education would be so expensive if the gov’t hadn’t nosed its way in and started pushing free money for everyone. Were it harder to pay for school, and if fewer people were being pushed to go, perhaps education would be more affordable and we would have fewer idiots in our halls of higher education. The fact that we have increasing numbers of buffoons in each Freshman class who need remedial education in every subject is a bad sign.
Perhaps Education is the next bubble that will pop? For years, people have said education was diminishing in value as more people graduated with useless BAs in pointless majors-and it just seemed to accelerate. The costs have gone up while the value has gone down. Eventually, folks won’t be able to afford it or find it useful to attend and admissions will necessarily fall, probably very quickly, leaving schools holding big, over-developed campuses with big, empty dorms, lots of underutilized professors, and lots of debt. Then what?
I went to college back in ’08. Went for small business management. I only went for two semesters did not finish, but managed to rack up $8000 in debt. I feel very fortunate that all that I did. I know people that have liberl arts majors spent over $100,000 and are now the proud deli manager at the local grocery store. I used to date a woman who was convinced by her councellor that she could be a forensic anthropoligist like CSI type of job, straight out of college. Now shes a great bartender. Look, I have no problem with people studying for what they enjoy, but I no longer think that the govt. should give out loans for poetry, english lit, or any other useless degree. It should only be for science and technology or business related fields. Anything else this day and age is a waste of money. Im already pretty savvy in business so for me my degree was a complete waste of time. Im just going to buy peachtree and quickbooks and learn accounting on my own. They have classes for entreprenural ideas. Hey if you got it you got it. Nobody can teach sucess or good ideas for business.
I also hate how many small strange colleges are popping up left and right. All the advertising and focus on making ti quick and easy.
Beware of some of those little “independent” universities, like DeVry, University of Phoenix, etc.
Back during my working days *sigh*.. my employer made it a point to reject any application that stated that said applicant was a graduate of Collins College. He (hiring manager) didn’t think Collins College had a respectable arts and graphics curriculum. They rush them through, teach them the basics in a few months, and crank out diplomas. Basically, a diploma mill.
First make sure that the degree you are going to school for will earn you enough to live. Don’t get an expensive hobby. Why does a public school teacher need a PhD? Sounds like a waste of time and money when you should get to work as soon as possiable to start paying off the debt. If you can’t figure that one out maybe they sould not be teaching our children.
I think it’s even worse if the teacher got a degree in education or teaching or whatever because they know less than nothing. Sure, they studied how to teach-but what do they know? Give me a former anything and have them teach. Soldiers, psychiatrists, lawyers, policemen, etc would all make better teachers with a shake-and-bake teaching degree than some nitwit fresh out of school with a degree in teaching. At least these folks have done something. Plus, you might get some wisdom in the classroom so that the next time a kid says his teacher is cute or wets himself or hugs his little friend or draws a gun in class they don’t have to have him arrested and pepper sprayed.
Remember…those who can’t do, teach!
The education bubble is the new financial/real estate bubble. Students that take out loans in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for college are essentially taking out a loan for $150,000 house without purchasing an actual house. It seems like the right thing to do, but bailing out the students only proves that irresponsible behavior will be upheld, which in turn creates even more risky behavior.
The best thing for potential college students graduating from high school would be to learn a trade such as carpentry, welding or wood lathing and then allow the education bubble to burst. The bursting of the education, much like any other bubble, is inevitable. When the bubble does burst, expect colleges to lay off no less that seventy percent of their students and faculty. The higher education system would then correct itself by eliminating teacher tenure, unnecessary construction projects, which include athletics and dormitories, and excessive teacher salaries and redundant classes.
Adapting our education system to a free market would be the best solution. Much in the same way that college kids can but Phones, computers and LCD TVs is to not allow the Federal government to subsidize the purchasing of college tuition. This is why technology gets cheaper with time, because the government does not buy these things for the consumer. If I can buy a LCD TV today for $200, and it cost $1500 five years ago, then why can’t I do the same for college courses and tuition?
I agree with you about the trades. There are lots of folks who are getting useless educations for jobs that no longer exist who might be better served learning a useful trade. As a wannabe blacksmith, I see folks all the time who are interested in learning manual skills they can use for themselves. I know one guy who dropped out of school, apprenticed himself to German chefs, and now runs a 1 star restaurant in Frankfurt. He’s practically famous over there.
In the 1950s, my dad went to college on the GI Bill in Florida. (I think it was Florida State.) At that point, he stated the school had gone bankrupt several times and they weren’t too picky about students or teachers. Interestingly, with Florida’s large retirement population, they got some of the nation’s best professors once they retired. He got a great education for nothing. Perhaps your tradesmen have a chance at a great education once that bubble bursts?
I agree that colleges should be reformed, and that they should be used for training workers. I don’t think there should be diplomas in liberal arts majors. Many of these majors can’t be translated into career training and skills.
One thing that is driving up the cost of tuition at our universities besides government subsidies is athletics. You never hear anyone complain about it becuase Americans love their basketball and football, but where does that money come from? The truth is that most of the money that goes to fund college atletics comes from tuition, and with theever great push to expand atletics the cost of college is only going to go up.
The figure heads at the NCAA are probably licking their lips and smiling with glee as the federal government offers to subsidize even more student loans because it means more money in their coffers. Tell me, in a time of economic stagantion, does a football, or any other sport, need a coach that earns a yearly salary of two to ten million? The answer is no.
http://www.thea-blast.org/sports/2011/01/20/the-business-that-is-college-football/
I must say that I agree with you. I graduated from college in 1974 and my education cost about
$8,000.00 for four years.Today,are students really learning anything?The courses are not challenging in most cases.There seems to be more emphasis on sports than anything else.These
sports programs are pushing up tuition cost.
Tuition in 2011 is $8,000 a SEMESTER. And that’s if you are lucky.
Michael-I could be wrong on this but isn’t college free or almost free in other many other first world countries? They look at it as a investment in the long term. On the other hand many people come to our colleges from other countries. Do you know?
In Australia the cost per subject ranges between $600 and $2,400 per subject. Most degrees require 24 subjects. If you pay the subject cost upfront you will receive a 25% discount. Any lump sum payments made after completion get a 15% discount. You can study for up to 7 years (the length of a medical degree) and the govt. will allow you to defer payment of debt until you are in a job earning over $24k. The rate of interest your debt accrues AFTER completion is the rate of inflation.
Don’t want to pay for your teaching / medical / dentistry degree – sign up for 5 years country service.
Don’t want to pay for your engineering / maths degree most construction and mining companies will pay it off for you in return for service.
Got an arts degree – you’re probably ******* out of luck and will have to pay for it yourself.
Why subsidize an education in a field of no demand? “Oh I’m not good at math and the government pays for math and science”. “I’m good at art and I want a subsidized degree in it”.
Potential employers need to attempt to predict their employment skill needs. For the last several decades they fed off the laid off with skills. If the US did a 180 degree turn in policy and really facilitated US manufacturing in a decade the supply of tradesmen would be unavailable.
The Australian government subsidises all degrees at the same level as a matter of equity.
In the end who can really predict which skills will be required and which won’t. Our country has had a large shortage of skilled tradies and graduates. But when the boom ends, who knows.
It isn’t much of an investment if the twit getting the loan or free education or whatever blows it on comparative literature or underwater basket weaving. Only productive, useful, vital skills are worth supporting and promoting.
I don’t think gov’t has any business supporting education. It’s not their responsibility and it’s a waste of money. Plus, it cheapens the value of the degree for those who actually do earn them to have the government making it easier for more and more people to get them. There’s no value in making education common-otherwise the value of the degree is diminished in the first place. That’s part of why they seem so pointless now. I’ve heard for years the bachelors degree is the new high school degree. Schools are even accepting retards now and bilking them out of money for several years of the “college experience.” At the end, they give them a certificate of attendance, or something. What’s the point of that? Education as a feel-good?
Guido,
My original comment was to Gary’s question about what happens in a country other than the US.
The difference between Oz and the US comes down to a population of 22mil vs 350mil. And we are a younger nation that has many shortages of skilled professionals, for us the question is more whould we increase skilled migration or provide education and skills for our children. At the moment we are doing both.
We have a continuing shortage of university/college places for students. To date we have around 49 public universities and 1 privately owned one. So in our system around 50% of high school finishers will not academically qualify for uni. A further 10% – 15% wont apply.
I suspect that in the US you have a system of trade colleges – here trade apprentices study 2 days a week and work 3 to 4 days a week until they gain their qualifications. If the apprentice is a lug nut they will have little chance of completing the practical side to get their accreditation.
Whether or not our government should set aside places for underwater basket weaving…
I understand, that collegesports is an american tradition.
I think it would lower the college dept quiet a bit, if colleges would not have to pay for choaches, Basketballcourts, Footballfields and so on.
European Countries have no high class college sports. Sport, except if you study to be a sport teacher is a private enterprice.
Young Sporttalents are trained in the clubs of the leagues for excample soccerteams or national sport assocations or clubs comparable to the YMCA.
I think colleges tuition would go down with out all these sports.
colleges shoul be for what they are meaned to be strikt education.
You have a good point Melissa.
How much do college sports coaches get paid, compared to college graduates? I mean.. look at the controversy over Joe Paterno. He is not a physicist or biologist or brain surgeon. He WAS the coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team. Don’t know what he’s doing now. I guess decorating his Christmas tree.
Perspective, perspective…….
Paterno produced nothing of value, just like the parasites in DC.
This article hits home for me especially, as I used to do the college grind. I did a two year stint in a business (read I don’t have a clue what to take as a major and I want to sleep through school) program, hoping to grab a Bachelors of Science, this was back in ’08 right before the stuff hit the fan. I was shocked to find out that college was actually EASIER than high school, at least at the private college I was attending.
Fast forward and I had a massive change of heart about my life, future and goals so I decided to drop-out. Thankfully I had left school with no debt, as I used some of an inheritance to pay it off, a real blessing in this horror-show of student loans. A nervous breakdown later I had left my job and basically I’m starting over from square one.
Anyway, what I want to say is that since I’ve left the educational system, I’ve learned more about the world and myself than ever before. The internet and the public library are an amazing tool for research and knowledge. Right now I’m studying some old masters of philosophy like Plato as well as reading some Carl Jung and Nietzsche and getting my feet wet on history. I’m not trying to brag or sound smart, because I’m not, what I want to say is that you and you alone can do a great job of teaching yourself.
A year ago this time I had no clue about the world or history that’s led up to the mess we’re in. I got a taste for knowing how badly I was being forked over, and I guess that lit the spark to wanting to know more. You don’t need an overpaid professor to teach you what you want to know, seek it out yourself! Like Socrates of old, be humble in your quest for knowledge, know that you know more than others but be prepared to know little in things you don’t know.
I’m not trying to damn college as it has (had?) it’s merits, especially in the science and medical fields. If you really want to LEARN you don’t need a stupid piece of paper, you need an OPEN MIND. It’s unfortunate that in our society obsessed with expertology, we favor those who can parrot what’s written in manuals rather than interpenetrate the manuals themselves.
Good for you! I always found I learned more from my own private time and personal pursuits. I’m studying blacksmithing now and I love it. I read, travel, do new things and I know more as a result than I ever learned in college. Most of that experience was a waste of time. I always believed the only real value in it was to get your ticket punched so you could move up the ladder further and make a better income.
Keep in mind, our founding fathers had little, if any, formal education-they taught themselves, for the most part, and got the rest as apprentices and assistants to others.
I’ll never forget hearing from an old welding teacher about how his first boss/mentor, who came up as an old school apprentice welder that he shouldn’t waste so much time “ciphering” when they got a new welding job. In this instance, the young, educated welder was working out how to do a circular piece on a job and told his boss he was figuring pi. The old timer told him, “Heck, to do a circle, all you need to know is it’s 3 (pinches fingers together) and jest’ a little bit more.”
No formal education, but those old timers are usually pretty smart. I had a guy show me how old timer carpenters figured out how to make arched doorways and windows. Their method was mathematically precise, yet K.I.S.S. simple, just using chalk and a single board.
I also have a friend who is in a historical organization trying to examine and understand how the old timers built wooden boats 100 years ago. Upon examining a 100 year old specimen, they found where the keel arcs up to become the bow, two pieces of wood are joined together in a cut that is impossible to make with today’s equipment. When he questioned naval architects, no one could figure out how they made these cuts and joined the wood! It is a skill that was used as recently as 1900, yet it might as well have been buried with King Tut.
Education is, more or less, bunk.
These days, it’s easier than ever before to get knowledge. You can even buy/download college courses on tape and listen to experts from every field lecturing on everything from literature to history to physics. You get the all the info of a classroom lecture without any of the hassles. Heck, you can turn your commute into a chance to learn something useful.
Thanks for the kind words!
I’ve always felt that ancient knowledge and know-how is more life saving than anything some tenured know-it-all could teach.
And you’re absolutely correct about using the internet to download knowledge. You can even find lectures right on Youtube!
I agree that college is nothing more than a resume buffer. Americans still hold these lofty ideals about college still teaching lofty Victorian ideals and turning out noble scholars.
It’s all bunk, maybe 40 years ago it was, but today it’s big business as usual.
Learn Chinese! Learn robotics!
Another excellent article.
I was very blessed, as I managed to get through by B.A. and M.A. with about $56K over the course of seven years (4 for the B.A. and 3 for the M.A.), but I never once had to take out a loan. Like many people, I have not been able to find a job in my field and I currently work two jobs, at about 45-50 hours a week, and make only about $18K a year, all the while supporting a wife and two children. My wife, chidren, and I live with our parents because if we did not, we would be completely destitute.
I known many people who have taken out college loans, and I can definitively say they are evil. The interest on them never goes away, and continues to build while making it impossible to pay the principal. Many friends and persons I know are in serious debt which they will likely never pay off, since they have basically taken a house mortgage for a college degree.
I am not against college education, as the one I received was excellent and did me much good. I do caution most people because college is not a guarantee of a job. In the classical liberal arts model, college was meant to teach somebody how to think for themselves, not what to think, and it certainly was not used for career training, which is what it has become today. Yet even the classical liberal arts model is conditional upon people wishing to educate themselves by reading and discussion, not by intoxicating themselves from Thursday afternoon through Sunday evening.
I would like to get a PhD someday for my field of study, but that will have to wait because I cannot mathematically afford it. It is foolish to wager one’s future upon a wholly unpredictable outcome, especially in times like now with the economic and social instability. Unfortunately, many people have done and are willing to continue to do this.
Besides, there are better investments to make now that will have much longer term benefits. The ones which come to my mind are Silver or Gold, good farming land, and possibly stock in oil, gas, or mining companies if one enjoys the stock market.
DAMN! That sucks for that teacher that went to school for a decade, been paying for a decade, and still owes more than she borrowed!!!
She should’ve done like me, dropped out, worked crappy jobs, lived at home, invested every dollar she could in silver coins and gold mining stocks and she’d have a 6 figure net worth, and I’m just getting started.
America is a slave colony. It’s owned by Globalist bankers who start all the wars, run the govt at every level, and use their MSM Propaganda mouthpiece to LIE to you about almost EVERYTHING! You’re just a debt/tax slave to your Imperial Fascist Masters. You have no rights, only what they tell you can or cannot do.
“Hey kiddies, keep spending that money in college. Get that degree as an MBA. You can have a job at Wal-Mart. You can become a cashier or a clerk.”—Gerald Celente
I am a software engineering student. When I was looking at colleges, I chose Drexel University because the co-operative education program was appealing to me.
In part due to my lack of research, I was unaware that Drexel’s cost was exceedingly high. I was caught up in the idea of going off to college and blah blah blah. Next thing I know, I’m a fourth year student staring down what’s going to be about $100,000 in debt for my BS in SE.
It’s hard for me to say that it hasn’t been worth it. Working in co-operative education has netted me a fantastic job which has already offered me a post-graduating position with a respectable salary. I’ve made three amazing friends that I can’t imagine life without now.
As much as it sucks to be a slave to student debt interest for the rest of my life, I think that my experience at the university has been worth it. At least, now anyway. I’m sure a few years down the line I’ll be bitching about it :p
I guess they say better late than never. However, this expose should have been done back in 2002. Now with studen loan debt topping over 1 trillion dollars, In order for this debt to ever be paid off, I say these newest suckers of the government teat had better start some serious burger flipping and fry burning……..
I remember my dad telling me years ago “College helped prepare me to think.”
This is what is needed, critical thinking abilities.
it is exactly the type of gift which is discouraged in our country.
And, it is the very gift which needs to be opened by everyone of us, whether college educated or not.
Don Levit
“College helped prepare me to think.”
Yes that was the original purpose of college/university. These college are a dime a dozen churning out graduates who know how to pass exams not necessarily to think critically.
I’m currently enrolled in college right now, and a lot of these statistics have nothing to do with the quality of education. I mean, yes, financially that’s all correct (and terrible). But the fact of the matter is that these days ANYONE can get a “college degree”. Does that mean that they received a bachelor’s degree or associates? Did they graduate at the absolute bottom of their class? Are they happy? It doesn’t matter whether or not a man or woman goes to college, gets a degree and then does nothing with it. To me, the American Dream is no longer having a degree from the finest university and getting a job that pays well, but the Dream for me is to be happy doing whatever it is that I end up doing. I’m NOT saying that this applies to everyone, because I’m not that naive to think that everyone is happy, but I would bet my life that a lot of the people included in these statistics are perfectly happy and wouldn’t have their lives any other way. Does this make them a failure, just because they’re not doing something “better” with their degree? No, and the fact that we consider them failures is another example of how messed up our culture is.
The National Inflation Association has an excellent video on this very topic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VpZtX32sKVE
Yes, college and university education in 2011 is a huge scam in many respects. In addition to the costs, time invested, blah, blah… you have to balance passion with realism. I mean… your passion may be to become an astronomer or archeologist, you may have dreamed of doing that when you were a child. But is there really a demand for those professions in today’s economy? And when you graduate, can you pay the loans off or feed your family by searching for new planets or digging up ancient civilizations?
Go to a trade school instead, or a community college. Education comes from a desire and passion to learn, not from a marble column building. Abraham Lincoln became a lawyer, by studying by candle light in a one room log cabin.
Study hard in elementary school. Study hard in high school. Get good grades, and advice from your guidance counselor. Pick a good university. Study hard, graduate, get a good job at a respectable corporation. Work 30 years, save a nice portion of your earnings. Retire, get your gold watch, and play golf, bingo and shuffleboard, hug and cuddle your grandkids in your remaining years.
Well… it worked in 1973. But the game has changed…
Did all those things…
Learned Chinese, and have a law degree. Massive amount of debt. Still have no job in my field. Six months out of law school.
I don’t think it’s the majors people study. It’s how much they research on that major. I’ve met business and science majors who are jobless yet art majors who hold good jobs due to finding alternative routes to their field. The arts does not necessarily lead to being a starving artist. Digital design, advertising, etc. Same with English lit. As a former English major myself, I hold a job as a publisher (btw…NO debt for me). The alarming attitude the general public having towards education shows. I’m sorry, but I don’t think education is a waste of time. What is a waste of time is the debt and ridiculous amount of money students have to pay. It’s unfortunate, but there are jobs now that you need a degree, which I think you don’t.
college shuld be free
no, it should be expensive as hell with no gov’t backed loans. It should be so hard to get, that when you do attain a degree, it is a sign of excellence.
Just look at a British or European college in comparison to ours. They are extremely tough and graduating from one with a degree means a great deal more than it does in the States.
In Eastern Europe, where my wife is from, under Communism, you didn’t need to go to high school. It was optional, since you only needed a trade or just went straight to work. High school was tough and not everyone went or graduated. The Communists even made education seem like a waste of time. Graduating from High School was a real accomplishment, while higher education was even more unusual. But when the Wall came down, everything changed-folks who wasted time getting an education were suddenly in high demand and the folks who took the easy route suddenly started to suffer.
Some of those percentage stats look like they were pulled out of a donkey’s ass.
I have to wonder why someone with a PhD is teaching public school with no other source of income.
Who would you hire first?
A college educated janitor?
Or a high school educated plumber?
Just curious…..
old school plumber!!!AT LEAST HE’S HUMBLE
Hey, you’re thinking! Hee!
The plumber who was taught by his plumber dad, grandfather and his plumber friends – or even a plumbing trade school! – who learned the trade “from the ground up”, is far more valuable than the plumber who was taught by the local football coach, at My State University in front of 300 other plumber students.
This is the most ridiculous article I have ever read. If I follow your logic you are saying something similar to: Don’t take the medicine that the doctor prescribes because it is expensive and you have no idea if it will cure you and eventually you are going to die anyway. You never mention that learning is not a means to and end and that it can also be an enriching and personally gratifying experience for some that may want to learn for the sake of gaining knowledge. The fault is squarely with students who invest little and expect a lot. This has much more to do with the impatience of the new generation, their sense of entitlement and lack of commitment to anything other that requires hard work.
i think it’s crazy my school was 33 grand this year and next year it’s going to be 34 grand. the tuition for my school has increased my a thousand dollars every year fro the last 3 years. but a person has to choose to take advantage of their education. but sadly it’s a lot of debt and depending on the degree chosen it can be very difficult to find a job. A good paying job at that.
From the sampling of these comments I’d say that most people don’t understand that college education is more about being a well-rounded, cultured citizen than it is getting a job. You may well — and should — get a better job if you’re well educated, but if your academic ambition is limited to learning one area of technology, or whatever, to the exclusion of all others, you’re going to miss the boat.
I disagree, College does not make you a better or more cultured citizen, it’s the punch-card to get your foot into a job field.
In the past it was what you’re talking about, teaching students ideals of philosophy, culture, language etc., classical Western education. Today it’s a big business promising big money jobs for quick and easy degrees.
I can easily see how people would still hold this old notion of what college is, it’s a myth that’s spread among the msm, high schools, wealthy etc. If you want to become educated or a more well-rounded person, teach yourself.
i am in college now. people to think what they are going to go for. People need to take time it see if college is for them. College isn’t bad thing. also there are some great minors that can help a person get a job. People need to think what can the do with this when i am done. High school push college to much. At 18 it is not a good idea to decide what you want to do with your life.
need to*
I wish writers would confirm sources before trusting them entirely. #20 is inaccurate, for instance. The study actually says that 50% of seniors reported that they did not take a class requiring 20+ pages of writing in their junior year. (Go read it yourself.)
Not to mention, most of the arguments given, whether be true, do not support the conclusion that colleges are scams. #16-23, for instance, reveal that students are lazier than ever. #24-35 reveal that economy is bad. How is this the colleges’ fault?
Most of you have no idea how corrupt and dangerous academia truly is. Just as there are no more statesmen in politics (except Ron Paul) there are no more intellectuals in academia. Were there ever true intellectuals in America? Gore Vidal, perhaps, but he never actually gave away the secrets of his class. If you are not a globalist (code word) you will not be publishing anything anywhere. In fact, you may end up like me on a terrorist watch list and barred from employment. Now, the fascist dictatorship wants to muder us. The government is Al CIA-duh. The government is the terrorist. And all universities are part of the government. If you are not under surveillance it is because you are too stupid to be a threat.
Are you some sort of Communist? You seem to think that the world owes you a free education.
“If I can buy a LCD TV today for $200, and it cost $1500 five years ago, then why can’t I do the same for college courses and tuition?”
Um…you’ve never heard of Moore’s Law have you? (Hint, it’s not that kind of a law, and it’s not directly applicable to college tuition!)
I blogged about this: http://jewelryassemblychicks.blogspot.com/2011/10/kids-are-actually-sort-of-alright-and.html
I never believed in the college system of today, unless you are going to be a surgeon or engineer. I told my son, instead of going to school for a degree in film making, fill the car with your belongings and drive to Hollywood. Get a job as a gopher and work your way through the system. In 4 years time, you will be a camera operator, script writer, director. Take the money instead and use it to pay rent and find an entry level job in the film business. It would be worth so much more…..
This will be the next finacial meltdown. I can’t believe people go to college to be an english major or a teacher (like we need more?) . Then they get out, move back home and go deeper into debt, won’t go out and take any job, because they feel they should be walking into a management or executive position. O! The entitlement! I am surrounded by young adults that lament about jobs “beneath them”, their parents rubbing their sorry little heads, telling them, “Do what ever makes you happy” Like they would know, as they are being coddled at home, never being able to take steps on their own because their parents are footing the bill for their cars, insurance, food and cell phones. Sure, sure, you can’t find whatever job you went to school for and can’t afford to own your own place but how about this? Go be a cashier, barrista & waiter, pay your parents rent and phone bill in the meantime. Go find 5 roommates and get an apartment to share. Be a part of society, then work your way up. Just like everybody else did before you, whether you have an ivy league education or a community college degree, you have to go out there and do what you can. You’re young and able! Just do it already! And for that, you really don’t need college. Learn by experience, help people, contribute. Stop the talk and do the damn walk already….
Dan Beucke, Top Income Tax Rate: How’s 83% Sound? Bloomberg BusinessWeek, December 9, 2011. Three of the world’s top experts on the incomes of the ultra rich estimate how high taxes on the rich could go without any adverse economic impact.
The world needs to tax the rich hard and spread the wealth!
Gary2
PLease ************** stop with the idea of taxing the rich. You say it in every blog entery. I’m sorry you are poor and struggeling. We all are. I would like to Tax the hell out the rich, but what would that really accomplish? The Ultra rich like Bill Gates do provide jobs for people, taxing him would accomplish what? What needs to happen is 1. having a, I know its funny thought, responsible government which does not waist money, 2. People who are willing to get to work, There are those who abuse the system and taxing the rich would only encourage them to continue to abuse the system……I could go on forever, but the continued comments about taxing the rich will not fix the problems we as a nation or world community are facing.
You speak of spreading the wealth, but at what point do people do what is necessary to earn a living? I know that comment is not going to be popular and I’m okay with it. I’ve worked my way out of poverty and educated myself. I am currently working on my Master’s and struggle, but I’ll be D@mned to take a handout from anyone.
I work hard for what I have and I’ll be damned if I am willing to part with it to spread the wealth.
Please don’t misunderstand I have problems with how things are going and believe there needs to be a change, but a Socialistic idea does not work. History has shown us this.
I apologise if I have offended anyone, but there are other ways to “fix” the problem.
Count yourself lucky for not having gone into farming. The odds would have been stacked against you even more.
From one who took the gamble
Werner Bock
Am I the only one who notices that none of the “35 facts” provide any evidence that support the claim that college education is a money making scam?
I am not sure that you read the same article that I wrote.
Michael
Back in 1986-87, I had c. $8000 in student loans. I got tired of repaying them, soooooo……
I just dumped them and quit paying.
****** it.
And guess what, that worked. Now, if all those holding such loans now did the same, that would fix it quick.
The rules have changed since 1987. You cannot dump your student loans now. You cannot get rid of them by filing bankruptcy.
Today, if you want to avoid paying your student loans, you need to go find a place off the grid in Montana or Idaho and not leave financial footprints anywhere.
I agree that our education system is broken – but I have a bone to pick with #23 about the four-year graduation rate for those who began college in 2001. Based on my own experience (I was a sophomore at the time), many, MANY kids dropped out for a semester or more after the horror of 9/11. I don’t think that 2001 is a fair picture of this particular statistic given the circumstances… Not to mention that it’s slightly out of date now. Surely the statistic for a more current year is available?
I think people should just make up that they have a degree. There are many companies who will fabricate education records etc for a small fee.
As many posters said that a college degree was not worth it why not go the easy route?
There are also companies who will fabricate references for you, job histories etc.
If wall street can cheat why can’t the rest of us?
Here here!
Gary2,
I’m sorry but I don’t want that type of society. One that pormotes lies, deceat, and cons. We have too much of this already in society and look at what it produces. I’m sorry but it feels like you want a free ride and others to do for you. How SAD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFAULZvqcTU
“we dont have education, we have inspiration and if i was educated i’ll be a damn foo”
Watch this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpZtX32sKVE
After seeing it, on one in their right minds will even think of going. This is all part of the NWO: to make people dumbed down and in debt forever. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Bilderbergs is either sitting on some college board or is commanding the Presidents of major colleges and universities.
A message to the NWO: we have a better chance of making a million dollars by selling home-grown organic veggies (laws against it be damned) than going to your money scam colleges or accepting jobs you produced!
I have 2 degrees. Work in security for Uncle Sam. Pull down about 85K a year. But I have been going to trade school part time for 10 years increasing my skill set with skills that I can use after we stop fighting the fake war on terror and drugs. Trade jobs are hurting for skilled workers. Google it.
JJ The Fed
Scam is WHY the FEDS made you have to PAY THEM UNDER “ANY” CIRCUMSTANCE; ie declare bankruptcy, income tax refunds etc. All IN ON IT TOGETHER. DEBT SLAVES …every LAST one of us who DIDNT have a rich daddy to pay the tuition!
Gold Sachs, Chase, Bank of America dont RUN our govt, they ARE our govt. WAKE UP!
Times have certainly changed and my sympathy is with all students and parents who find themselves in serious financial debt. I have four degrees, including a doctorate, am a retired community college administrator, and place strong value on education for both developing a well-rounded person and getting a job. That said, we Americans have been duped into believing that all people should have a college education (presumably a bachelor’s degree at least), and that simply isn’t true. And we are victims of a number of phenomena that contribute to the demise of American education (and, to some extent, that WE have created.)
The facts presented in the article are startling, but they certainly aren’t the whole story. There are a number of factors that have led to this situation, and I’ll list only a few:
1) As a poster above has implied, mass education has led, over several decades, to a “dumbing down” of the entire educational system in America. Observe the number of schools in America which cannot meet federal and state standards on testing. For that matter, examine why testing standards were implemented in the first place: too many students were graduating with below-par skills in the 3 R’s, as well as knowledge about their own country’s history and way of governing, as one reason. If you question why so many college courses seem so elementary, look at the extreme number of students entering ANY higher education institution who have to take 1 or more remedial courses in reading, writing, and math–even the top academic institutions. Perhaps this is a major reason why so few graduate in four years or at all.
2) Beginning in the ’60s, the implementation of civil rights legislation which has ultimately led to “entitlement” to passing students, regardless of actual academic performance, on to the next level. I’m NOT saying that this legislation was wrong, by any means, but there has been a great deal of negative fall-out from these programs that the average American citizen seems unaware of. Having taught and worked in both the public school system and the community college system, I can bear witness to the many students and parents I’ve had to deal with, who complained about their children receiving F’s for plagiarism or other cheating, for not turning in work, for poor quality work, for having to do too much homework (such as writing papers, since I was once an English teacher), etc. I have been asked by parents and students (in public school, in community college, and in graduate school classes I taught) to give outrageously special considerations (or ignore the problem) to students on the basis of 1)socioeconomic standing, 2)personal problems, 3)being out of school for a long time, 4)race, and 5) disability, just to name a few. For example, I have been asked repeatedly to allow students required to take a remedial reading course to have the test administered orally because they had a mild learning disability (not because they were sight-impaired); in other words, they read below 5th-grade (yes!!) level and were wanting to get a college education!! I have been asked to give extra credit points for just coming to class. My grandson was allowed to pass a math course he was failing by getting extra credit points for bringing in soap bars for the poor. We live in an excuse-driven world.
In addition, these various legislative programs have put extreme financial burden on the educational system to provide for the various needs of students. Disability legislation is just one example. Again, I am NOT against such legislation, just pointing out that the American public is generally not aware of these costs for schools and institutions.
3) In general, there has been a certain “snobbish” attitude toward trade school education, with parents and even guidance counselors ushering kids with lower skills toward these schools and the more academic students toward universities. Yet some of the best jobs available (such as nursing, computer support, electrical repair, aviation technician, plumbing, welding, and construction) require higher levels of skill and end up in good-paying jobs. We Americans need to change our attitudes about what constitutes an educated person. The cost of attending public technical schools, community colleges, and trade schools is FAR less than attending a public or private university.
4) We have such intricate “due process” laws in this country that it is extremely painful and cumbersome and costly to fire a teacher or professor for poor performance (or other reasons), and administrators at all levels shy away from doing so. In most universities, performance evaluation is based less on actual teaching ability and results than on other “proof” of productivity. I understand the necessity of such protections, but they have become extreme–and we also live in a very litigious society. These lawsuits cost the American educational system and create a financial burden.
5) Parents and students have placed increasing emphasis on students enjoying all the benefits of home and all the benefits of protective legislation. I don’t have figures to support my claim, but it doesn’t take a person with a degree to understand the costs of dorms, lounges, athletics, tutors, special programs, equipment, etc. and how those costs contribute to the rising costs of education.
6)Generally speaking, neither parents nor students take the time to educate themselves about the costs of education or to prepare financially for the expenses of that education. How many parents with what would be considered good or very good incomes have actually saved for their children’s educations, but live in very nice homes, drive new cars, have boats or RV’s, take expensive vacations, wear the latest fashions, have nice jewelry, etc? How many are willing to sacrifice some of these things along the way to save toward their kids’ futures? How many students are willing to work their way through college, as I did? How many work hard in high school to make good grades, participate in activities, broaden their skills and interests so that they qualify for scholarships? How many parents expect or require that their kids stay focused on doing well in high school so that their college years will be easier academically and financially?
7) In the last few decades, there has been a growing emphasis on “immediacy.” We want to be financially successful immediately after college graduation; we want fine houses, new cars, the latest fashions, status jobs, etc. immediately. We don’t seem to be teaching our kids the notion that it takes time to build toward these things, and it takes effort or work, and this effort has to start early in life.
There are many other factors as well, but I’m presenting a negative view that bothers me and I’ll stop listing them. I went to great universities and learned how to be independent, how to study and learn, how to analyze and think for myself, how to enjoy other cultures and ideas, how to work toward a goal. I was exposed to some really great teachers, who were demanding in their requirements and tough in their evaluations (and I had to study my butt off, even while I worked to pay for some of my expenses). I earned a good education that provided the basis for a great career and life (but certainly not one without hardships). I made great friends, enjoyed the social activities, and thrived on the bull sessions. I am saddened by the fact that so many students who are missing out on all that, for whatever reason.
You grew up in a different era, where college was cheap and a degree actually meant something because not as many had it. The college system now has been hijacked by the bankers to make new debt slaves for the NWO – it’s really that simple. They can’t get the Gen Y’ers in houses, so they had to find another viable option.
Those are very valid points you make, but let’s not forget that colleges in present times (public state schools included) have turned into general pyramid schemes which send false statistics and promote worthless degrees in their curriculum to naive families – hoping they will jump the bandwagon for another 40k. They are not so innocent.
You generally seem to be defending the college system – understandably so. You were a professor. You’re pension and future life comes from it. It’s human nature.
A reason why you see so many “dumbed down” students in colleges is because financial aid is now available to every damn person in the world, ghetto and poverty-stricken kids included (who have 5th grade reading levels). They are told, afterall, that you must go to college to have a decent life. But don’t generalize that notion around the nation to all colleges. There are plenty of Harvard graduates with 100+k in debt – without jobs or underemployed at Pizza Hut. BTW, the entrance requirements for Harvard and other Ivys are much more difficult than they were 30 years ago.
People need to be aware what they get into with college, but most are indoctrinated from K-12 that it is the next stage in life – the norm. The college system simply plays along with the game, of course, because they make money from it. They work hard to make sure students and their families don’t know the dirty details behind the game.
To All Reading This:
I have a Bachelor’s degree and have one of the *************-paying jobs with the State you can imagine — b/c I got it later in life, okay.
But here is what I think is REALLY needed in my opinion, except, of course, for the scientific jobs that require meticulous classroom attendance:
(1) Disband all trade schools that cannot back up job claims and salaries with graduates who have gotten jobs within the past year — make them file truth-in-advertising claims, such as the court reporter schools that steal people’s money and have no job statistics to back them up;
(2) Raise the salaries of college professors;
(3) Outsource ALL college administrative jobs, (community college and state colleges), as many of these administrators get by on “Community College Lifetime Teaching Credentials” or other outdated credentials, and these people have little more than a degree in “Education,” “Sociology,” or “Psychology,” yet make upwards of $250,000 per year with lifetime public employee retirement system benefits that drain our economy;
(4) Simplify the legal language of college loans and standard civil litigation in our country to unravel the legal vagueness(es) that require too much time and money spent in interpretation — thus creating a morass of support personnel such as lawyers and judges at exorbitant additional salaries, time and expense;
(5) Offer high tax incentives to all state and public universities that offer non-critical classes online and require verification passwords and security questions so that students cannot cheat on their assignments — ask Mark Zuckerberg or Reid Hoffman (Linked In) for help. Such classes should include: Psychology; Sociology; English composition; all liberal arts courses; all education courses.
Core technical courses such as science courses, pharmacology, mathematics, engineering, trade courses such as graphic arts, auto mechanics and air craft technician, etc should require physical classroom attendance, with science and technical curriculum courses requiring mandatory weekly class presence to pass the course(s).
Again, huge tax breaks and financial incentives to all colleges that can do this — fire all useless high-paid Ph.D. or Master’s degree personnel in education and psychology — at an annual cost of $245,000 per year or better plus pension costs and see what happens.
Thank you for listening.
A word for the teacher in the story, there is a way to take a break from making those payments and save money. Most teachers find that they need to “refresh” by taking classes during the summer when they are off. I know one who does this every year without fail. their education. As long as she is in school no payment is required.She now has a masters and is working on a Phd.
All those “Yes we can/Yes we have no bananas” chanters et chanteuses – how you enjoying your socialist nightmare now? Enjoying paying your socialist professors so they can have the summers off and retire at age 53 (when you won’t EVER be able to retire?)
I spent eight years at university, two grad degrees, and basically wasted just about all of that time, not to mention money.
There is a place for education, but if there is anyone out there who actually thinks a degree in art history, queer studies, women’s studies, ad nauseam (think that woman who was in the news complaining about her $100k loan, after graduating from NYU with a degree in Women’s Studies!)is something useful, well, you’ve been duped.
Part of the dumbing down has to do with the constant flow of entertainment via social networking and acquiring the latest gadgets with the most features. It saddens me how the head of every other driver who just stopped at a red light immediately tilts down to “their God” forsaken cell phone. What a joke. At least a circus doesn’t pretend to be something else.
Ola! Endoftheamericandream,
This might be off topic, however, No Profile Comment
Cheerio
In America: governments, businesses, individuals are now buried under a mountain of debt. A mountain of debt that will never be repaid.
Who will borrow when they can’t make the payments on the debt that they have already? The math alone calls for a system reset, a debt jubilee.
Investors are already losing… in a rigged monetary casino that rewards usury, speculation, and currency manipulation while looting main street.
There is a moral principle that debts should be honored. That is, debts between businesses that buy and sell real products, not bundled ponzi schemes, debts between individuals, between friends and businesses that know each other to be rational and moral, debts based on investments where there is a rational expectation of return.
There is also a moral principle that unjust debts should be cancelled, and usury legislated against. Debts that are ‘odious’, debts based on fraud, debts to dictators, debts arranged by oligarchs without the consent of the general population (the 99 percent who have been left out of the equation), debts based upon compound interest upon compound interest, that should have been written off long ago, the debts need to be cancelled in a general jubilee. Think outside the box. It’s time for a jubilee.
As an unemployed American citizen natural science Ph.D., I agree that today’s college education is a likely pathway to lifelong indentured servitude. The article has not mentioned that visa holders are given preference for employment. Massive loopholes were designed into the work visa programs such as H-1B and OPT that allow employers to hire a foreign national for a small fraction of what they would pay for a comparably qualified American citizen. Look at my website link for documentation about how employers systematically exclude American citizens from employment. The video is excerpts from a series of 2007 YouTube videos prepared by Cohen & Grigsby, a Pittsburgh, PA-based immigration law firm. This massive scam started in 1976 when the Association of American Universities hired U.S. Representative Joshua Eilberg to pass the Eilberg Amendment. The Eilberg Amendment allowed colleges and universities to import unlimited numbers of college professors and researchers. The private sector cited the Eilberg Amendment as a precedent for creating the analogous H-1B Visa in 1990. Greedy employers such as Microsoft were able to procure 3 employer-friendly changes to the H-1B Visa law between 1995 and 2000. Learn more from my 2007 investigative article The Greedy Gates Immigration Gambit. Recently, the OPT (Optional Professional Training) extension to the J-1 visa was opened up to unlimited numbers of foreign college graduates in many fields. The employer sets the wages for these visa holders. I believe that all of these legislative changes involved corruption and should be rolled back. Learn more at NumbersUSA