Overeducated and underemployed • Hacker News Board

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#11

Post by betterunix » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 5:52 PM UTC

"Overeducated" implies that there is some upper-bound on the appropriate education a person should receive if they have a particular career. It is the sort of elitist, aristocracy-favoring view of the world that we should be trying to discourage.

Of course, when going to college means taking on mountains of inescapable debt, not getting a high-paying job afterwards is problematic. That's why we need to change the way we pay for college education, so that we can have a society of well-educated independent thinkers, rather than one where people start out in life just a millimeter away from indentured servitude.

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#12

Post by zeffr » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 5:53 PM UTC

I think it's a bit more important to look at which degree was obtained, not just that a degree was obtained.

I don't seem to be having any issues here with a CS degree.

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#13

Post by betterunix » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:00 PM UTC

patja wrote: post #5

This reminds me of an EconTalk podcast from about 6 months ago where the assertion was made that college has become an extension of adolescence, as opposed to a direct path to a middle class career. Given that the ability to write and reason well are foundational to success in many careers, I am all for the benefits of a classical liberal arts course of study, but how many psychology and visual arts BA's can the econ…

Education is not just about jobs. The better educated people are, the harder it is to take advantage of them regardless of what sort of job they have. Communities benefit from having educated people living in them -- people who can solve problems, mediate disputes, and organize to improve the community's situation. A democracy requires an educated populace in order to ensure that rights are not violated, that bad laws are repealed, and that an aristocracy cannot hijack the system at everyone's expense (bonus points if you can name a major world power that has that problem).

At the end of the day, that is what this is really about: not having a society ruled by an aristocracy. Public education is meant to ensure that poor people can receive a decent education, to ensure that society does not fall into a pattern where only rich people are educated enough to run the show.

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#14

Post by jeffdavis » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:03 PM UTC

betterunix wrote: post #11

"Overeducated" implies that there is some upper-bound on the appropriate education a person should receive if they have a particular career. It is the sort of elitist, aristocracy-favoring view of the world that we should be trying to discourage. Of course, when going to college means taking on mountains of inescapable debt, not getting a high-paying job afterwards is problematic. That's why we need to change the way…

I would add to that: being a cab driver out of college doesn't mean you are making a career out of it. It's called an "entry-level" job for a reason.

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#15

Post by motters » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:06 PM UTC

The whole concept of overeducation seems foreign to me. Surely people should strive to be as educated as they can or want to be.

The background assumption is that education isn't really about education, and is instead merely about training people for jobs. If people were being trained for work which didn't exist then that would certainly be a problem, but as I understand it that's not really what universities are for.

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#16

Post by muzz » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:09 PM UTC

jeffdavis wrote: post #14

betterunix wrote: post #11

"Overeducated" implies that there is some upper-bound on the appropriate education a person should receive if they have a particular career. It is the sort of elitist, aristocracy-favoring view of the world that we should be trying to discourage. Of course, when going to college means taking on mountains of inescapable debt, not getting a high-paying job afterwards is problematic. That's why we need to change the way…

I would add to that: being a cab driver out of college doesn't mean you are making a career out of it. It's called an "entry-level" job for a reason.

Or a stop-gap job being taken on during a period of massive job destruction (something like 7M jobs were lost from 2007-2010)

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#17

Post by philjohn » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:09 PM UTC

zeffr wrote: post #12

I think it's a bit more important to look at which degree was obtained, not just that a degree was obtained. I don't seem to be having any issues here with a CS degree.

And from where.

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#18

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:09 PM UTC

jeffdavis wrote: post #14

betterunix wrote: post #11

"Overeducated" implies that there is some upper-bound on the appropriate education a person should receive if they have a particular career. It is the sort of elitist, aristocracy-favoring view of the world that we should be trying to discourage. Of course, when going to college means taking on mountains of inescapable debt, not getting a high-paying job afterwards is problematic. That's why we need to change the way…

I would add to that: being a cab driver out of college doesn't mean you are making a career out of it. It's called an "entry-level" job for a reason.

[deleted]

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#19

Post by drcube » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:10 PM UTC

randomdata wrote: post #2

1 in 5 of the general population have a bachelor's degree, so 1 in 7 seems expected, if not on the low side.

Not if the reason people get those degrees is to get better jobs. If the proportion of degree holders is the same across all jobs, why should someone pay tens of thousands in tuition, plus the opportunity cost in lost wages, for that degree?

Re: Overeducated and underemployed

#20

Post by asdfologist » Mon, Jan 28, 2013, 6:14 PM UTC

betterunix wrote: post #11

"Overeducated" implies that there is some upper-bound on the appropriate education a person should receive if they have a particular career. It is the sort of elitist, aristocracy-favoring view of the world that we should be trying to discourage. Of course, when going to college means taking on mountains of inescapable debt, not getting a high-paying job afterwards is problematic. That's why we need to change the way…

You're taking that word way out of context. "Overeducated" here means getting an academic credential where it isn't necessary. There's nothing wrong with learning a lot, but that doesn't mean you need to pay $200K for a college degree.