Mike Rowe; telling all kids they need college is bad advice

Advice

I don't know, it's hard to argue against a liberal arts degree. It pretty much universally pulls people out of poverty.

Surely it's bad advice to go into a great deal of debt for a liberal arts degree, or a business degree for that matter. But the problem is that good jobs for which you don't need a degree have been disappearing for well over a generation--and this is one big reason why the price of education has gone up so fast!

He's completely right. Not everyone needs or should go to college. You can make a damn good living as an electrician, welder, or plumber. You also get a 4 year head start in the workforce.

We are not better off as a country because we have a bunch of pseudo-intellectuals with philosophy degrees and $100K in student debt.

That said, I hold 2 degrees and do not regret my decision to go to college. I just realize that college isn't for everyone. Especially, the marginal student who got pushed through the public school system.

I've always admired Mike Rowe.

He's completely right in this regard.

He's absolutely right. Learning and applying yourself to a skilled trade like carpentry, plumbing, welding, concrete finishing, etc will almost always pay well and certainly far better than a BA in literature or music.

I agree with you. I don't know why so much focus is put on a degree. Yes, completing a degree is evidence of some self discipline and good work ethics, but the graduate still has to be trained at the same price as the one with work experience, maybe even at a higher price.

The problem is that we have lost sight of the original purpose of the liberal arts degree. It was never meant to get anyone a job. Originally, it was meant to sharpen the knowledge and skills of children of nobility to make them better rulers. Over time, it morphed into a general education to broaden perspectives, teach verbal and analytical skills, etc, etc. I wouldn't trade my liberal arts degree for anything, but I never expected it to get me a job. Getting a job was on me; my liberal arts degree was simply supposed to not only make me better at that job, but to make me a generally more well rounded, more educated individual. It has done both tasks admirably.

quote:

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I truly believe lots of kids go to college because they have no clue what they want to do, are stressed about the job market and they use college as a way to postpone having to make a decision about the future.

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That was once the reason many people joined the military, for some reason today they would rather accumulate $100K in debt while trying to find their true purpose in life.