A society doesn't just need productive, value adding jobs which fill 100% of the working generations time. A society also needs fine arts, theatre, film because its part of being human. If we were all corporate wage slaves the world would be a terrible place to exist. The system as we have it in Europe is the perfect balance of this, you pay nothing or very little for your higher education and in return you can explore different areas which interest you without having this lingering thought of bankruptcy or financial ruin always in your head. I don't understand the US system at all, it is 100% geared toward profit and leaves no room for the creative, is that really a nice system to live in?
The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
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Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#12A society doesn't just need productive, value adding jobs which fill 100% of the working generations time. A society also needs fine arts, theatre, film because its part of being human. If we were all corporate wage slaves the world would be a terrible place to exist. The system as we have it in Europe is the perfect balance of this, you pay nothing or very little for your higher education and in return you can explo…
US is the prime example of a capitalist ecosystem. I would argue that this is what made US the superpower it is today.
So to do away with it goes against everyone who enjoys the benefits of the system in US. Those who enjoy the benefits are also those in power.
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#13A society doesn't just need productive, value adding jobs which fill 100% of the working generations time. A society also needs fine arts, theatre, film because its part of being human. If we were all corporate wage slaves the world would be a terrible place to exist. The system as we have it in Europe is the perfect balance of this, you pay nothing or very little for your higher education and in return you can explo…
This is 100% my point of view, but nevertheless I must admit that the „creative output“ (movies, music, games, musicals etc) of the US seems so much better than that of the rest of the world…
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#14What counts as an elite masters degree? Perhaps the descriptor should be those that offer immediate compensation benefits.
Elite university. I think education at that level is mostly to form connections and relations within the field. If you are just after education, there would be a lot of alternatives, especially today when the logistics of knowledge are comparably cheap.
There aren't really elite institutions in my country, but my masters was nearly free.
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#15I want to weep at the list of programs in the article: - Journalism - Fine Arts in Film, Theater and Media Studies - Speech pathology A masters degree can run 300k at these top institutions. We have laws against usury, lemon laws, price gouging, ponzi schemes, securities regulations.....etc. How can a society justify allowing young folks spending 300k of money they don't have to get a degree in fine arts ?
Because people are well aware of what they are buying.
Doing a $300K Masters Degree in 'Fine Arts' at Colombia is straight up a Rich Kids Thing. And that's it.
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#16What counts as an elite masters degree? Perhaps the descriptor should be those that offer immediate compensation benefits.
> Recent film program graduates of Columbia University who took out federal student loans had a median debt of $181,000.
> Yet two years after earning their master’s degrees, half of the borrowers were making less than $30,000 a year.
"elite masters degree" - lol. (I think the article is confusing undergrad and grad school fees, since it's hard to believe the typical 2-year film master's degree could cost that much.)
Berklee College of Music (Boston) undergrad costs about the same, with similar earnings. And you have to carry around an instrument to all your gigs.
The worst I've heard is music production grads. Most of the recording studios closed after streaming started (label revenue is down 90%), and some unpaid interns work 5 years for free, before getting a job at 7-11, etc.
Actually some of the programs mentioned in the article, like family therapy, are lucrative if your credentials allow you to open your own office in California since there's a shortage. But that requires ambition. (Banks will loan money to newly-graduated health professionals.)
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#17A society doesn't just need productive, value adding jobs which fill 100% of the working generations time. A society also needs fine arts, theatre, film because its part of being human. If we were all corporate wage slaves the world would be a terrible place to exist. The system as we have it in Europe is the perfect balance of this, you pay nothing or very little for your higher education and in return you can explo…
US is the prime example of a capitalist ecosystem. I would argue that this is what made US the superpower it is today. So to do away with it goes against everyone who enjoys the benefits of the system in US. Those who enjoy the benefits are also those in power.
The US gained its advantage during the 40s-70s, when the government sector was a much larger percentage of the economy. We've been coasting on the efforts of that period and are now losing ground to countries that have their act together.
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#18A society doesn't just need productive, value adding jobs which fill 100% of the working generations time. A society also needs fine arts, theatre, film because its part of being human. If we were all corporate wage slaves the world would be a terrible place to exist. The system as we have it in Europe is the perfect balance of this, you pay nothing or very little for your higher education and in return you can explo…
This is 100% my point of view, but nevertheless I must admit that the „creative output“ (movies, music, games, musicals etc) of the US seems so much better than that of the rest of the world…
I would humbly offer the UK as a counterpoint to all these creative fields and add TV output to the mix. Not to get into a US/UK pissing contest but to highlight the UK has very healthy culture output with a lot of talent.
I'd also suggest "better" and "more dominant" as 2 different things. The latter can be the case through marketing and commercial factors not merit.
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#19https://archive.is/qwuZS
What's that? It opens a page saying "One more step Please complete the security check to access"
Re: The Elite Master’s Degrees That Don’t Pay Off
#20I received my MBA in IT from WGU and couldn't be happier. It cost me a total of $8,000 and was one of the best things I have ever done for my education. This MBA cost me a fraction of what my BS did.