The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
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Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#2Knowing what I know now, if I were Gen Z I would definitely think twice about going to college, unless I was very passionate about a field which required a degree and paid well. I wouldn't go "for the experience". You can bum around in a van on a college campus for free
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#3Quote
Webber next considered the impact of a student’s major. If you choose a business or STEM degree, your chance of winning the college bet goes back up to 3 in 4, even if you’re paying $50,000 a year in tuition and expenses while you’re in college. But if you’re majoring in anything else — arts, humanities or social sciences — your odds turn negative at that price; worse than a coin flip.
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#4Knowing what I know now, if I were Gen Z I would definitely think twice about going to college, unless I was very passionate about a field which required a degree and paid well. I wouldn't go "for the experience". You can bum around in a van on a college campus for free
I would like to bridge year my kiddo in a trade like electrician or plumbing, then have him go to college (I'm assuming he's smart enough to make it worthwhile). But that's over a decade away, who effing knows what things will look like.
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#5From 2010 opinion polls:
> Ninety-six percent of parents who identified as Democrats said they expected their kids to attend college — only to be outdone by Republican parents, 99 percent of whom said they expected their kids to go to college.
This is why, when we talk about student loan debt forgiveness, the condescending people who yell "You made a choice! You signed a contract!" are completely missing the reality. Every adult is pressuring these kids to go to college. Their own parents, their school teachers, potential employers, etc. The kids have been lectured practically from birth that they need to prepare to go to college. It's massive social conditioning, almost a religion.
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#6Knowing what I know now, if I were Gen Z I would definitely think twice about going to college, unless I was very passionate about a field which required a degree and paid well. I wouldn't go "for the experience". You can bum around in a van on a college campus for free
I would like to bridge year my kiddo in a trade like electrician or plumbing, then have him go to college (I'm assuming he's smart enough to make it worthwhile). But that's over a decade away, who effing knows what things will look like.
If I had money, I would purchase an HVAC installation/repair company. I would hire some senior certified folks whose main jobs is to teach/supervise. I then would hire a bunch of high school graduates to five year contracts. My pitch would be I will train you and pay your a fair wage but you promise you will work for me for five years.
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#7Knowing what I know now, if I were Gen Z I would definitely think twice about going to college, unless I was very passionate about a field which required a degree and paid well. I wouldn't go "for the experience". You can bum around in a van on a college campus for free
I would like to bridge year my kiddo in a trade like electrician or plumbing, then have him go to college (I'm assuming he's smart enough to make it worthwhile). But that's over a decade away, who effing knows what things will look like.
If I was 18 again, I'd take a gap year slumming it in Europe or Asia before continuing with career stuff
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#8From 2010 opinion polls: > Ninety-six percent of parents who identified as Democrats said they expected their kids to attend college — only to be outdone by Republican parents, 99 percent of whom said they expected their kids to go to college. This is why, when we talk about student loan debt forgiveness, the condescending people who yell "You made a choice! You signed a contract!" are completely missing the reality.…
Yeah, and they must have some personal responsibility to resist that pressure
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#9One thing I never understood were people who paid money to go to an American university to major in a language like French, German, or Japanese.
Why don’t they just take their 60k a year tuition and spend it living in the country that actually speaks that language?
I’ve seen third or fourth year students majoring in French with worse language abilities than the engineering students who spent a semester on exchange to France or Switzerland.
Some majors are a complete waste of time and money.
Re: The new economics of higher ed make going to college a risky bet
#10From 2010 opinion polls: > Ninety-six percent of parents who identified as Democrats said they expected their kids to attend college — only to be outdone by Republican parents, 99 percent of whom said they expected their kids to go to college. This is why, when we talk about student loan debt forgiveness, the condescending people who yell "You made a choice! You signed a contract!" are completely missing the reality.…
Even if you go to college, you can choose between majoring in something that will give you job opportunities later on, versus a useless boutique major. Or you can choose to go to a state school, versus a private college. (That being said, I think the financial aid/loan practices of universities are predatory; we certainly shouldn't be rewarding the predation with a government bailout, though. Make student loans dischargeable in bankruptcy!)