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But many will still have student loan debt, won't they? For some it will be a debt they will never get off their backs. For some they won't be able to find a job to make the payments, fall behind, have penalties tacked on while enjoying ever increasing interest rate jumps.
Even for many that do graduate they might end up with a $40k debt being unable to make the $400 monthly payments on that $32k job they got as a social worker while following their passion. Paying $400/month on an income of $32k while paying for rent, a car, insurance etc can be a real problem for some.
Again that is irrelevant.Your statement was that 71% of kids going to college makes a degree worthless. Nothing close to 71% are graduating.
IIRC degree holders haven't changed much in the past few decades at ~30% for undergrads, ~10-15% grads, 2-3% professional.
Right. The 71% number is a direct result of for-profit schools and kids going to college who probably shouldn't be.
Many on here that didn't go to college don't realize that today the quality of student at a tier one school is quite different than those at for profits or tier 3 schools.
This was interesting but there were some things that weren't quite true. Math and Science textbooks can cost $200 each, but no one is saying you have to buy them at the bookstore. My kids shopped around for their books and never paid more then $50 for one. Also, if you make it to the end of this video, the only two suggestions I heard was on-line college and becoming a farmer!
Must watch documentary if you are considering going to college
I watched this last night. The NIA has very high production values for their otherwise free movies, but this was so ridiculously slanted that it was insulting. I actually feel stupid for even sitting through it.
The main message was: "Don't be a fool and go to college, be a farmer instead...AND BUY GOLD!!!!". You would have to be incredibly dumb to actually believe the kid cutting 5 cords of firewood every day has it better than the average college grad.
I gave up after eight minutes. I may not be smart enough to fight the system, but I am smart enough to stop watching something when I can feel myself becoming dumber as each minute passes.
Don't get me wrong, there are some good lessons here. Student loans are not free money and need to be approached carefully. A bachelors degree is not a miracle cure for all ills. New textbooks are a ripoff.
But any worthwhile message in this video is obscured by the layers of stupidity. The NIA pushes their paranoid inflation agenda even when it is not relevant, and the repeated use of misleading statistics for increased dramatic effect degrades the message. For example, they focus on private college tuition.
Nothing wrong with farming, though not everyone can or should do it. But postsecondary education has a role there, too! According to the USDA, about a quarter of farmers have completed a bachelors degree or more, only slightly less than the overall population. And, this figure is on the rise. Also, the BLS reports that "the completion of a 2-year associate degree or a 4-year bachelor's degree at a college of agriculture is becoming increasingly important for farm managers and for farmers and ranchers who expect to make a living at farming." "Postsecondary education in agriculture is important, even for people who were raised on farms" because "modern farming requires making increasingly complex scientific, business, and financial decisions."
I'm going to college and getting a degree in something that I enjoy and that has good job prospects. I am lucky enough to have been born to parents who saved enough to be able to pay for it. Had that life lottery not turned out so well for me, I would have either worked like hell in high school to get scholarships or I would have joined the military and gotten GI Bill benefits.
Going to a mediocre school to get a broad but easy degree financed through student loans is a bad decision, yes.
A College education only has the value you give it. I have no regrets about my college education and am thrilled about the opportunities it gave me. Without it I would not be where I am now. On the other hand I can understand how a person who didn't give it much effort, and did not properly utilize their experience may be upset.
In the real world the value of your college degree depends on what your employer is willing to pay.
Yes, networking is important as is college experiences but at the end of the day it all revolves around what your employer is willing to pay.
Also I think there is one very big aspect of the documentary that is not getting enough attention. Its at the 56 minute mark. Basically its about online education being the future. Here is the fact: they're exactly right. I've seen technology that can completely replace going to college. You can learn faster. You can learn more conveniently. The content is more engaging. It has movies in it to explain material. The material is interactive. The course even adapts to the learner. To top it all off, its 100 times cheaper than traditional college. Higher value for the students. The learning system was like wikipedia and mit ocw combined.
Last edited by killer2021; 05-20-2011 at 05:03 AM..
My dh graduates this month. He's been talking with recruiters and had one interview set up for Tues, which we had to cancel because the pay offered wasn't acceptable. Hopefully, he'll be able to find a job like mine for similar pay sooner rather than later!
Braynwyn, what did you and your DH get a degree in?
In the real world the value of your college degree depends on what your employer is willing to pay.
Yes, networking is important as is college experiences but at the end of the day it all revolves around what your employer is willing to pay.
Also I think there is one very big aspect of the documentary that is not getting enough attention. Its at the 56 minute mark. Basically its about online education being the future. Here is the fact: they're exactly right. I've seen technology that can completely replace going to college. You can learn faster. You can learn more conveniently. The content is more engaging. It has movies in it to explain material. The material is interactive. The course even adapts to the learner. To top it all off, its 100 times cheaper than traditional college. Higher value for the students. The learning system was like wikipedia and mit ocw combined.
Which is why top non profits are getting into online. Those schools are going to keep the same high standards. The current "online" landscape is made up mostly of people that are paying for-profit schools because they can't get into a quality one.
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Must watch documentary if you are considering going to college
