The liberal arts

[Admiral Yi]

You should have went

[Ideologue]

What's determines what is marketable and what isn't?

People getting jobs in their fields shortly after graduation.

At salaries sufficient to repay loans.

I.e., quant.  They don't get it.  They haven't had the training.

[Josquius]

I proposed something similar earlier: remove all government financial aid and loans and loan guarantees for majors that are not immediately marketable.  Let rich kids take humanities.

The trouble with that thinking is that you could have a kid who is destined to be the best historian ever, who would write the most amazing world changing books, but who due to his dad working in a factory is forced to go and become a mediocre engineer.



Its a difficult one.
Its not fair that the rich should have so much more opportunity open to them but at the same time its not fair you have these people studying fun degrees whilst others amongst us toil. I guess what is needed is for employers to wake up and realise that merely having a degree means nothing and anyone is capable of getting one if they have the patience. These degrees should become useless in actual fact, not just in theory, but still have them remain open to anyone....
But....that is still encouraging the would be great to go and pursue something he isn't too interested in.
Its tricky. I guess we need to have more cross-disciplinary stuff at uni. Have things be far more open for students of the hard sciences to take some history classes if it interests them.

[Phillip V]

I proposed something similar earlier: remove all government financial aid and loans and loan guarantees for majors that are not immediately marketable.  Let rich kids take humanities.

The trouble with that thinking is that you could have a kid who is destined to be the best historian ever, who would write the most amazing world changing books, but who due to his dad working in a factory is forced to go and become a mediocre engineer.

If the kid is awesome, he or she will already be published, won awards, attended college-sponsored camps/conferences during high school, etc. Awesome people get recognized and get merit scholarships from a deluge of sources.

Some are even paid/recruited to not go to college and instead start working right away!

[Camerus]

Much weight needs to be given to the humanities.  Have you ever seen the quality of critical thinking of people whose cultures' school systems only emphasize math and science? Yes, the average person's in Amerika may be abysmal too, but on average they're leaps and bounds ahead of math and science-heavy school system graduates.

Besides, people can figure out for themselves what they want to do and what makes sense for them much better than the state can.

Lastly, I respectfully suggest you move on from this "I was screwed by my education" shtick. 

[Phillip V]

Much weight needs to be given to the humanities.  Have you ever seen the quality of critical thinking of people whose cultures' school systems only emphasize math and science? Yes, the average person's in Amerika may be abysmal too, but on average they're leaps and bounds ahead of math and science-heavy school system graduates.

Source?

[CountDeMoney]

Much weight needs to be given to the humanities.  Have you ever seen the quality of critical thinking of people whose cultures' school systems only emphasize math and science? Yes, the average person's in Amerika may be abysmal too, but on average they're leaps and bounds ahead of math and science-heavy school system graduates.

Source?

Reality.

[11B4V]

How was Ide screwed on his education?

[CountDeMoney]

He didn't make partner in PLJ's firm upon graduation.

[Phillip V]

If people do not learn to "think critically" by the end of high school, then that is maybe a lost cause.

[Razgovory]

How was Ide screwed on his education?

He wasn't.  He got a law degree cause he wanted to be like John Edwards.

Ide, did you actually pass the bar or not?

[Razgovory]

If people do not learn to "think critically" by the end of high school, then that is maybe a lost cause.

I haven't thought critically in like 15 years.

[Admiral Yi]

Much weight needs to be given to the humanities.  Have you ever seen the quality of critical thinking of people whose cultures' school systems only emphasize math and science? Yes, the average person's in Amerika may be abysmal too, but on average they're leaps and bounds ahead of math and science-heavy school system graduates.

Agreed.  But as things stand right now that critical thinking ability is not rewarded sufficiently by the market to justify the cost.

And it's debatable whether critical thinking is a skill aquired by humanities majors at *all* schools.

Besides, people can figure out for themselves what they want to do and what makes sense for them much better than the state can.

Clearly not.  The great unwashed masses of high school students in the US have bought into the line that a college degree--any degree--is the ticket to the easy life.


[/quote]

[Eddie Teach]

Ide, imagine a generation growing up without being force fed basic humanities knowledge. Then imagine them raising children. Their children raising more children. Do you think that society has gotten better or worse in the interim?

[Camerus]

Clearly not.  The great unwashed masses of high school students in the US have bought into the line that a college degree--any degree--is the ticket to the easy life.

There are definitely examples of this (indeed, enough examples to warrant serious discussion and thought).  However, I also think this is a pretty recent phenomenon that has really only received significant press coverage in the past few years since the Financial Crisis. 

Obviously it's impossible to tell yet, but I would be surprised if more parents of students approaching college age (and the students themselves) weren't aware of this situation when it comes to choosing post-secondary options than would've been the case, oh, 5-10 years ago, and thus tailor their decisions accordingly.  Heck, I know if I had a kid, I'd try to steer him/her away from studying the humanities at college right now.   

Besides which, the other alternatives of the government steering kids into certain programs are just too unappealing for a democratic society.