Obviously, that is a loaded question. I can assure you that all of the people who have dedicated their lives, professions, and livelihood to education will and should give you an emotional “YES”! But what of the rest of us that worked hard in high school to get good enough grades to get into a top notch university? What about the parents and students who pay something south of $100,000 to get a four degree with absolutely no promise of a job afterward? And lastly, what about the 60 credits you are required to take, called electives to augment the 60 credits of your major so as to give you a well rounded education? When is the last time you used “The Planets, Stars and Universe” in your new job as an accountant?
You need to go to the Business Office
I have always held that there are two parts of the university environment. There is the education part, the one we all understand whereby college professors teach classes, do research, and publish papers. This is the part where crotchety old people who don’t work in the real world, essentially inculcate young heads of mush with the important facts they will need to succeed in the real world.
Then, there is the business side. The side that heats the buildings, advertises the university, pays the professors, and ensures that you take a philosophy class, even though you are an engineering major to make sure that the philosophy majors (both of them) have a funded program. It is also the unit that will not allow you to matriculate credits, or transfer credits from another university until and unless you complete 60 of their, much better credits!!! Why? Because there is no GED of college degrees, which means they can. There is no fair and open competition between universities short of their sports teams. They can force you to pay for 60 more credits even if you already have 90 from Yale! Their job? To generate revenue….lots of revenue.
What is the half life of a degree?
So, what is the half life of a college degree? I mean, is it true that four after you’ve graduated, you forget or don’t use half of what you learned while there? I would suggest it is much worse. The kids I interview for jobs will use almost none of it. Zero. The math, the English, the history they use on the job they already learned in high school. Yes, high school. They do not polish their writing or math skills in college. They do polish their partying skills, while draining family bank accounts. They do not learn more about computers while there. Even their freshly minted MBA is all but useless in the real world. It might worth something if they work on Wall St, but not on Main St. A degree, especially an graduate degree is more of a differentiator than something to get you in the door. I even know of several huge corporations that only accept MBA’s from certain universities, making yours worthless. Nice, huh?
So, I ask you? Why can a plumber learn plumbing in a trade school in two years or less without electives? How can a computer repair tech repair computers without first mastering Chinese History? Why is it that a CPA must first have a four year degree which includes 12 hours of French? Because there are French majors, Chinese history majors, and other majors along with their professors and other support personnel that need work. And, university faculty and administrators are arrogant. Picture in your mind some of the worst professors and administrators representing the university and you will see what I mean.
I am sure this will all change someday when universities price themselves out of the middle class, which is very soon. But until then, picture your worst professor with a stranglehold on education, because until he lets go, we are all studying Poetry.
If you have any doubts about attending a university without a career plan, check into plumbing.
Let me know what you think.
Mike
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