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There are different classes in this country, and in others.
One indicator of class is one's view of education. Get it?
The idea that people with degrees higher than a baccalaureate degree are necessarily a higher class, is just not always true. It can be true, but it isn't always. Get it?
To acknowledge that "class" exists in the United States does not make one a snob. It makes them lacking in ignorance. Educated.
Do different races exist i America? Or is everyone the same race?
Different races do exist in the United States. Being aware that there are different races does not make someone a racist. It makes them conscious.
Get it?
You sound sort of snobbish though. As long as you are part of the so-called upper echelon of classes, you don't mind pointing out the class differences that exist.
And we all originated from the same place on earth, so we should be more brotherly towards one another.
college is only necessary for those that wish to pursue a career that requires a college degree. Out of all my childhood friends about 1/4 of us went on to college including myself. While some of those that didn't go to college have done very well, all of us that did go to college have all done well. The two most financially successful childhood friends I have did not go to college. One is a successful contractor/home renovator, and the other sold a machine shop he started in his garage 15 years ago for almost 3 million dollars. Both of these guys are big time hustlers. They have skills that can't be taught, which has allowed them to be really successful without a college education. College isn't for everyone, but neither is working in the trades or owning a business. To each his own I say.........
I think I agree. And again, I think we're getting redundant here, the point is that college is NOT for everyone. The problem is that in some circles there's still tremendous pressure to attend college. Consequently, many college student who don't want to be there go anyway, accumulate massive debt, and either drop out before graduating, or barely make it through with an impractical degree.
College is fine for those who truly want it and understand what their financial commitments might be (if they're borrowing money to go), but it's not for everyone. Someone who doesn't go to collge should not feel any lesser than those of us who did. And just as importantly, those of us who did shouldn't feel inherently better.
I think I agree. And again, I think we're getting redundant here, the point is that college is NOT for everyone. The problem is that in some circles there's still tremendous pressure to attend college. Consequently, many college student who don't want to be there go anyway, accumulate massive debt, and either drop out before graduating, or barely make it through with an impractical degree.
College is fine for those who truly want it and understand what their financial commitments might be (if they're borrowing money to go), but it's not for everyone. Someone who doesn't go to collge should not feel any lesser than those of us who did. And just as importantly, those of us who did shouldn't feel inherently better.
I agree that college isn't for everyone but I'm tired of every major that is not Engineering, Accounting, or Medical being labeled "useless or impractical".
Any major that teaches a student to analyze, think and write well gives good preparation for the real world after college. A lot of people don't realize that there are a whole lot of jobs out there that don't have "labels" on them. My neighbor double majored in anthropology and dance at a small, mid-level school; she is now the head of PR for a Fortune 100 corporation.
Very few jobs require the specific knowledge you learn in college classes; it's more the assimilation of what you learn over the span of time and the cerebral skills you hone.
Not everyone picks a college major due to it's earning potential and widespread employability. Some people follow their passions and don't just pick a major because they can make a lot of money with it.
All that aside, your major does not absolutely dictate what you're going to end up doing with your life anyway. There's been a huge trend lately of med schools accepting people with liberal arts/humanities/social science type majors, because they know how to think more creatively and critically than a typical med school applicant who just majored in biochem because they thought it was the only option for premed. The single most popular major for students that have been accepted into med school recently is philosophy. Philosophy is another one of those "useless" majors though, right?
I mean, even if you have a practical major, you're not necessarily going to get a good job. I know a few unemployed engineers that counted their chickens before they hatched.
There's no need to talk down to others' majors when you don't know what the future will bring.
I hate the arguments that you can learn everything independently and don't need college. In college, you get new prospectives and point of views from your peers. You get criticism on papers you write. This is stuff you can't get by yourself. I could go to the local bookstore and read about something but not having different point of views would really take away from that. You also meet and befriend people from different economic and racial backgrounds and it really opens your mind. I have a hard time beliving that some posters in this thread with degrees have such negative attitudes about college.
I agree with this. And for those who say college students are mostly in their early 20s, etc, the faculty is older and wiser, and you can gain a lot from their perspectives. As far as "reading" on your own (the way people used to learn law), you get no critique of the information that way. How do you know, as a novice, how to evaluate it?
I also agree that there are some people who are very negative about college, on a forum that is supposedly about colleges and universities. Granted, it's not supposed to be one big love-in, and diverging opinions are always good, but holy cow! I've seen some virulent anti-college stuff on here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aboveordinary
I agree that college isn't for everyone but I'm tired of every major that is not Engineering, Accounting, or Medical being labeled "useless or impractical".
Any major that teaches a student to analyze, think and write well gives good preparation for the real world after college. A lot of people don't realize that there are a whole lot of jobs out there that don't have "labels" on them. My neighbor double majored in anthropology and dance at a small, mid-level school; she is now the head of PR for a Fortune 100 corporation.
Very few jobs require the specific knowledge you learn in college classes; it's more the assimilation of what you learn over the span of time and the cerebral skills you hone.
Not everyone picks a college major due to it's earning potential and widespread employability. Some people follow their passions and don't just pick a major because they can make a lot of money with it.
All that aside, your major does not absolutely dictate what you're going to end up doing with your life anyway. There's been a huge trend lately of med schools accepting people with liberal arts/humanities/social science type majors, because they know how to think more creatively and critically than a typical med school applicant who just majored in biochem because they thought it was the only option for premed. The single most popular major for students that have been accepted into med school recently is philosophy. Philosophy is another one of those "useless" majors though, right?
I mean, even if you have a practical major, you're not necessarily going to get a good job. I know a few unemployed engineers that counted their chickens before they hatched.
There's no need to talk down to others' majors when you don't know what the future will bring.
I was with you until the bold. To get into med school, one still has to take many science courses. As long as you fulfill the pre-reqs, you can major in anything. However, that's not b/c med schools value students from the arts and humanities more. It's just an alternative way to go to med school. Many science majors would disagree with you that their majors did not require creativity and critical thinking.
I'd like to see some corroboration for the underlined.
Keep the teal in mind when criticizing science and engineering majors.
Any major that teaches a student to analyze, think and write well gives good preparation for the real world after college. A lot of people don't realize that there are a whole lot of jobs out there that don't have "labels" on them. My neighbor double majored in anthropology and dance at a small, mid-level school; she is now the head of PR for a Fortune 100 corporation
And Bill Gates dropped out of college and went on to head one of the largest companies of all time, and became one of the wealthiest persons of all time. What is your point? Isolated examples are meaningless if they aren't broadly representative.
And as others have noted there are many indications that college grads don't necessarily learn to analyze and think critically. Some majors do require greater analytical and critical thinking skils, but many others simply require route memorization. Again, I hate to admit this but this was the case for about 80% of the classes I had. The only exceptions I can remember were business algebra and elementary statistics for social sciences. In terms of practical, real-world applications I probably learned more in these classes than I did in all my major-specific psychology classes combined.
And Bill Gates dropped out of college and went on to head one of the largest companies of all time, and became one of the wealthiest persons of all time. What is your point? Isolated examples are meaningless if they aren't broadly representative.
And as others have noted there are many indications that college grads don't necessarily learn to analyze and think critically. Some majors do require greater analytical and critical thinking skils, but many others simply require route memorization. Again, I hate to admit this but this was the case for about 80% of the classes I had. The only exceptions I can remember were business algebra and elementary statistics for social sciences. In terms of practical, real-world applications I probably learned more in these classes than I did in all my major-specific psychology classes combined.
500 kids dropped out of the high school about 20 miles from our house and either don't have jobs or are in jail somewhere......probably more than that even....
And Bill Gates dropped out of college and went on to head one of the largest companies of all time, and became one of the wealthiest persons of all time. What is your point? Isolated examples are meaningless if they aren't broadly representative.
And as others have noted there are many indications that college grads don't necessarily learn to analyze and think critically. Some majors do require greater analytical and critical thinking skils, but many others simply require route memorization. Again, I hate to admit this but this was the case for about 80% of the classes I had. The only exceptions I can remember were business algebra and elementary statistics for social sciences. In terms of practical, real-world applications I probably learned more in these classes than I did in all my major-specific psychology classes combined.
But all an outlier does is prove that there are no absolutes including the one in the OP.
I suppose it comes down to being about what you want. If anyone wants to go to college than they absolutely should go, even if they incur debt (though the amount of debt someone SHOULD incur is likely worthy of a couple dozen threads in and of themselves). But just because it is likely a good idea for many people to go to college does not remotely mean a college education is NEEDED by every person. And I am sorry Katiana, that is not particularly directed at you but rather at the OP.
500 kids dropped out of the high school about 20 miles from our house
and either don't have jobs or are in jail somewhere......probably more than that even....
Is that supposed to correlate with or to ANYTHING about the discussion?
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