commentaries

Chuck - start flunking them - they'll catch on.

Take more credits, and then your work suffers. Take fewer credits, and then get told you aren't making sufficient academic progress. I'm going full time and not working at all, and it's still hard. I can't imagine what it would be like to work full time as well (and have a family to take care of), as many of my fellow students do. I do agree that not everyone should go to college, at least not right away. I did that and it was a disaster (got homesick and partied all the time-guess how that turned out). At the same time, we need to recognize that a high school diploma simply isn't enough to do anything more than guarantee a lifetime of working, at best, just above minimum wage. Not good enough for America in the 21st century. We can and have to do better.

College was a right of passage for me more than anything else. In my chosen profession, we had "weed-out" classes to take out the dummies and then "do you understand this" classes that taught the basics and originations for my trade but little applicable lessons for my actual career. And then of course we had the mandatory "humanities" classes that were worthless but I'm sure paid the salary of a professor who might be a stripper otherwise. Things could sure be more efficient with more mentoring and internships in the real world.

College is a scam. You spend thousands of dollars, borrow thousands of dollars... graduate. And still work a minimum wage job... and pay off the debt of going to school for the rest of your life while having zero return on "investment". Pointless...

College can be a reality unto itself. I'm not convinced that the education I got gave me something useful beyond what I had going into it. I think I got more out of K-12 that applied directly to life and the real world than I did in college. Most of what you're put thru in college is BS. The problem is that you don't realize it until you get out.

Everybody has a different experience, but I learned a lot in college that has served me well in my career. For one thing, I learned how to write. I also read interesting things that I never would have read on my own--history, philosophy, literature, social sciences. And I learned how to speak and understand a foreign language--something that has definitely come in handy. I also made friends and contacts I still keep in touch with many years later. At the end of the day, I don't think I would have become the same adult person I am if I hadn't invested a lot time and energy into college when I was younger. College certainly didn't teach me everything I needed to know (some things just have to be learned the hard way out in the world by yourself), but it gave me certain advantages that paid off in the long run.

I do not understand what the problem is here! We are discussing people who are in the prime of their lives - they have more energy and enthusiasm than any other age group. When I was in college in the 1970's, I took 20-22 semester credits, worked 25 hours a week, and played varsity sports every season (varsity sports meant 5 days of 2-3 hours of practice each day and playing in competition on Saturday and Sunday - and, in women's sports in those days, we bought our uniforms and equipment and were given $5 per day for meals). I also officiated 3 sports at the national varsity level. And I graduated with some very large student loans. And some of us who graduated during a recession, we were quite happy to get whatever jobs we could get. I did not whine and complain about the amount of hours I worked, studied, went to classes, played varsity sports, and officiated varsity sports. It never occurred to me that this was not a reasonable workload. Nor did other women who had similar workloads, student responsibilities, and activities. The author of this article is pandering to some very spoiled kids, whose parents have given them way too much and expected far too little. Instead of feeling sorry for these kids, the author, parents, and other adults should tell these kids that the path to successful, productive jobs and a higher than average income is to work hard, stretch their abilities, and quit complaining and whining. Parents and adults need to set reasonable expectations for these kids - and not tolerate unrealistic expectations. If the kids don't want to invest hard work and effort, then they should aspire to mindless, boring jobs and low pay with no expectations of advancement, working at fast food restaurants, hotel housekeeping, etc. As a society, we do not owe them an easy path to high-paying successful jobs with little effort expended to get there.

First of all, kleindropper, learning about the cultural heritage of humanity is not "a waste." People who know literature and the arts enrich their lives. People who know history can avoid being suckers for political propagandists.

If all you care about is a job, go to trade school or community college.

Second, I agree that our college and university system is a mess, with three or four times as many administrators as when I was a student forty years ago but fewer full-time professors. I got out of academia because the only jobs available in my field were either part-time adjunct positions or one- to two-year appointments in little towns in the middle of nowhere. And don't get me started on the fancy building projects...

I graduated high school with the luxury of having an employer that recognized my skills and paid for my skills. I worked as an auto mechanic making $18/hr living at home with my parents in the late 90's. After high school I went to the technical college, or what some would like to call the community college. Two years spent at the technical college gave me a degree and credits that were transferable to a four year college. During my time at the technical college it was truly a blur - I was either working or going to class and doing coursework with the goal of transferring and paying for the last two years at another university. Once I transferred to the university I did not work, but did have the time to reflect on my past three years (including high school) and what I wanted from the future - That reflection was about 10 years ago, but was instrumental in allowing me to establish my own business. I received a lot of flak for going to technical college because many perceive it as beneath them or where the "other kids go" However, it was truly cost effective and allowed me to establish myself after graduation with no debt. In my opinion, if I graduated with debt I would not have been able to take the risks necessary to establish my own company. Simply writing off education because of costs may not be acceptable, but following the path through higher education like sheep is not an excuse!

A liberal education shold always be looked at in the positive. The humanities teach us of human experience. Not only the triumps but the failures in human existence. "these were the best of times and the worst of times" paraphrasing Dickens. There is more to life than pursuing economic goals. I appreciate the humanities and the volume of reading that was required. In modern times, the economy isn't everything, its the only thing, To paraphrase a coach who spoke of winning. Maybe that's whats wrong with the world today. I went thru the MNSCU system while working full time and regret making the loans. I didn't need the loans. I should have been grateful for just sitting in my room with enough to fill my life with just learning. This is what this time in college is for. Be grateful for our many opportunites and forget the world outside of academics for awhile. Learn all you can. In the end, you'll be a much more rounded, informed, contributor to the world around you then you could ever appreciate than if you only think about how much money you can make. To the education system and its people who cared, thank you.