College! College?

Submitted by Chris on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 13:16

From CNN Time (by way of Boots and Sabers):

Marty Nemko, a career and education expert who has taught at U.C. Berkeley's Graduate School of Education, contends that the overflow in degree holders is the result of many weaker students attending colleges when other options may have served them better. "There is tremendous pressure to push kids through," he says, adding that as a result, too many students who aren't skilled become degree holders, promoting a perception among employers that higher education doesn't work. "That piece of paper no longer means very much, and employers know that," says Nemko. "Everybody's got it, so it's watered down."

Basically, they're saying that a college degree isn't worth what it used to be. It sure costs more now. At least we can look to our politicians, such as those in Pittsburgh, for a solution to this overabundance of college degrees. Tax the college students! Oh, wait, I'm already being taxed because I'm paying for my own learning. Add more taxes!

If this is true about the devaluation of college (and it is), what does it mean about a high school diploma? Is it possible to keep the quality up when it is required of everyone? No, I'm not advocating schools for the rich and not the poor.

Odin's picture

?

Submitted by Odin (not verified) on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 22:46.

They only just realized this? Grin

Chris's picture

Another Quote

Submitted by Chris on Thu, 12/10/2009 - 22:55.

The article also said this:

For many Americans today, a trip through college is considered as much of a birthright as a driver's license.

What is sad is how many of these students are getting degrees because it will "help them get a job." What about making their own jobs?

Abi's picture

Yeah, really.

Submitted by Abi (not verified) on Fri, 12/11/2009 - 15:12.

I can understand the logic behind requiring college degrees for some jobs, like doctors or microbiologists. But so many other jobs are much better learned hands-on. My field, graphic design, is one where a portfolio speaks much louder than a degree. I'm increasingly thankful that I don't have a huge bundle of college debt to pay off - why pay to have someone teach me what I could learn more quickly on my own? Tongue

Lisa's picture

Expectations

Submitted by Lisa (not verified) on Fri, 12/11/2009 - 15:24.

Here is quite a lengthy quote form a book that I'm currently reading called The Myth of Maturity by Terri Apter. Even though the sub-title says What Teenagers Need from Parents To Become Adults, it is a book about what she calls "Threshholders" ages 18-24 years.

"Expectations for college have risen in some respects and fallen in others. More people expect to complete college, and people expect it to do more for them. The current cultural obsession with perfection, with total fulfilment, affect young people choosing courses.
Over the past decade, colleges have extended options for students. A growing trend in liberal arts colleges is to allow students to form their own curriculum. Even math and science majors have enormous freedom in the arrangement courses. The active role a college student is now expected to take in constructing (not merely choosing) a major increases the decision exponentially. It is somewhat like asking an employee of a new firm to write her or his own job description for a job that will be the starting point of a career. High expectations for interesting courses stall young people as they search for the perfect academic package. They then battle with the anxiety of making the perfect choice. Their logic is: "Given I can do anything, what would be the best possible thing to do? I can't waste my time with anything less."
At the same time, young people expect less from college than did their parents and grandparents. In the past, higher education was a passport to a secure, well-paid job. Times have changed since the days that a college or a course or a degree was a ticket, either a meal ticket ("At least I'll be able to earn a living")or a fast-track ticket ("A law school graduate from this place will enter the best firms"). Now a college degree is just one of many qualifications an employer will consider. Even graduates from the best universities have to stand up to stiff competition in the job market. Even the most highly trained professionals can be unemployed or stuck in unrewarding positions. The job market, even with educational qualifications, is competitive and changeable. To a parent this means: "You should study something useful." To a thresholder this means: "Nothing's a sure meal ticket, so I might as well please myself."

I agree with what you posted too. What a mess our society is in.

Chris's picture

Threshholders

Submitted by Chris on Fri, 12/11/2009 - 16:46.

The active role a college student is now expected to take in constructing (not merely choosing) a major increases the decision exponentially. It is somewhat like asking an employee of a new firm to write her or his own job description for a job that will be the starting point of a career.

That sounds like good old-fashioned experience for those with a goal in mind.

There are businesses that partially operate on this model. Google used to (still does?) have a policy where employees take one day per work week to work on a project of personal interest to them. That's where a lot of the Google projects you hear about (and see) come from. Obviously not all of those projects see the light of day.

Yay! I'm almost not a threshholder anymore!