With the rising cost of tuition, I've been thinking of possible solutions. I'm not a supporter of a taxpayer funded system with "free" post secondary education. I don't think we can afford it. People bring up European countries offering it. Those same countries are deeply indebted if not on the verge of bankruptcy. Plus, the quality of education in public system is a disgrace. Breeds mediocrity, bureaucracy, and a one size fits all system that doesn't work.
But what are the alternatives? I really like the Khan Acadamy's approach. A lot of courses could be done this way at the college level, for a lot less money. Universities become places of tutoring and labs and lectures are eliminated in current form.
I do think we need to reevaluate the value of college. I heard the spiel growing up. If you don't go to university, you're doomed to flipping burgers for the rest of your life. The problem is that too many are entering universities and there's next to no demand for a lot of degrees. The universities only make token efforts to help kids find careers after they graduate. You have a whole cohort of kids going unarmed into the real world. Nobody told them how to get a job. They were told a job would just land in their lap. They were told to expect it, and they were failures if it didn't. I graduated university in 2008 and just got my first paid career job this year. I went to community college and did a lot of volunteer work in between to get marketable skills. Nobody helped me. In short, I don't think universities are adequately preparing kids for life. They're just paper factories printing money.
