NPR: "Are College Degrees a Waste of Money?"
leno...@yahoo.com
Here's the article:
http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i34/34b01701.htm
And here are the responses:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/talk/2008/05/dont_go_to_college.html
My response was at this point (more than 1/2 down):
1:43 AM ET | 05-13-2008
Aside from how much money you want to make and class snobbery, I think
one problem is, we Americans focus so much on the bottom line that
it's become OK to forget everything we learn each year so long as we
get A's. I.e., we should be telling kids "no, you may not keep video
games/TV/computers in your bedroom, because learning to love reading
for hours at a time is more important than anything else. Even if you
don't plan to go to college."
Example: In a Feb. 2005 TIME cover article, it said:
Kohn knows a college counselor hired by parents to help "package"
their child, who had perfect board scores and a wonderful grade-point
average. When it was time to work on the college essay, the counselor
said, "Let's start with a book you read outside of school that really
made a difference in your life." There was a moment of silence. Then
the child responded, "Why would I read a book if I didn't have to?"
(Not to mention that zero love of reading often means zero interest in
serious news stories - or the general world. That's hardly good for
this country's future.)
(End of response.)
Lenona.
Frank
chief engineers, another one owns a company with over 100 engineers and
support staff and just bought a mid rise building in San Francisco near
downtown. Two are lawyers, one owns a law firm, two medical doctors, three
are MBAs, two has their own architecture company, one was the top
entrepreneur in Hawaii, and so on. None collecting welfare or employment,
how can that be a waste of money?
You still could get a great college education in America with little money.
Much has to do with the person, not the schools. Two of smartest guys I know
came from really "shitty" junior high and high schools.
Bob F
" Frank" <nore...@nothome.net> wrote in message
news:_5mdnXSluqRFN7HV...@comcast.com...
And Bill Gates dropped out of college.
leno...@yahoo.com
The point of the original article is that if you don't really WANT a
job or career that demands a college degree, you might want to think
twice. Obviously, those who want to be doctors and lawyers don't have
that choice.
Roald Dahl wrote in "Lucky Break" that he certainly felt that way, too
- that is, he had no desire in that general direction and very much
wanted to travel and have adventures, so he got a job with Shell Oil
and was sent to East Africa, where eventually he got caught up in
WWII. Of course, he was also a good listener in school and a good
reader, or chances are he wouldn't have become the great writer he
was.
Lenona.
Cheapo Groovo
@d1g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>, leno...@yahoo.com says...
No one wnats the truth!
timeOday
Thanks for the link, interesting read!
To be fair, the author is not arguing that college is a waste of money
across the board, only that we're overpaying, and goading too many
marginal students into college even though they're unlikely to recoup
the investment. So it all comes down to the individual.
Tuition rates have been rising so fast for the last couple decades, it
has to peak out somewhere. It's nice to at least see the issue analyzed.
For the record, it wouldn't trade my college education for anything.
I'm just not cut out for real work :)