Is education a good investment right now?

[alphatarget1]

hmmm. This would be a very old school way of thinking. I would argue that for the majority yes they need to get a degree in a very rigid marketable skill but some have passion and determination a arts degree with tech mix can create a very powerful individual. Creativity is an elusive beast and the only way you can be sure someone will survive into the unknown future is to give them that ability to be creative. Unfortunately our schools train the creativity out of people.

I have NO problem with talented people getting art degrees. I just don't like the taxpayer having to bail out some fucking loser who racked up 200k of debt with a worthless music masters degree.

I have a problem with the society pushing anyone and everyone into higher education. Kids think the only way they can succeed in society is to go to college. I think college should be even tougher to get in. Students who fail more than 1 or 2 subjects in his/her first 2 semesters of college should be kicked out and be forced to pay back all their loans.

 

[alphatarget1]

More important than ever, obviously. Just don't go thinking that $80k in debt and a B- in sociology is going to have you working anywhere better than Starbucks. It won't, and you should have known that before getting the degree.

Sounds like funding for subjects like sociology needs to be cut from the university level so less students can major in it. The ones who do should be absolutely passionate about the subject and excel at it. There is no room for mediocrity in college.

 

[Jhhnn]

Y'all just don't get it, do you? We're educating people to hold jobs that our business leaders aren't providing in this country.

Globalization doesn't mean what you think it does- you thought it meant cheap imported goods forever, but it doesn't. That was just the hearts & flowers phase of the relationship- now we get the "Pound the uppity bitch into submission!" part of the deal. Capitalism doesn't need us anymore- they have a new Chinese/ Indian/ Malaysian squeeze, and they only come home drunk when they want somebody to hit, when they need more money to cover their bets, or to convince us to co-sign on her new house.

Get an education? Why? You don't need an education to take a beating. Hell, it's often just a way to make sure you're willing to do so, being deep in debt before ever entering the workforce, having a head full of the right wing version of the American dream & a mighty big nut to crack every month for the rest of your life.

 

[JSt0rm]

I have NO problem with talented people getting art degrees. I just don't like the taxpayer having to bail out some fucking loser who racked up 200k of debt with a worthless music masters degree.

I have a problem with the society pushing anyone and everyone into higher education. Kids think the only way they can succeed in society is to go to college. I think college should be even tougher to get in. Students who fail more than 1 or 2 subjects in his/her first 2 semesters of college should be kicked out and be forced to pay back all their loans.

Talent isnt just there. It has to be unlocked somehow.

 

[Zebo]

Depends...It certainly is not like how it used to be but some fields are kicking ass.

For example, my brother has just a BS, in pharmacy, owns a rural pharmacy in southern Colorado, and nets out about $1000-$1500 a day... he pays his pharmacists $50 an hour and can't find one extra.

I have more education, smarter - could beat him at chess every game, and make less

 

[JSt0rm]

Depends...It certainly is not like how it used to be but some fields are kicking ass.

For example, my brother has just a BS, in pharmacy, owns a rural pharmacy in southern Colorado, and nets out about $1000 a day... he pays his pharmacists $50 an hour and can't find one extra.

Yeah we know medical industry is making a killing. Its half the problem.

 

[Zebo]

Yeah we know medical industry is making a killing. Its half the problem.

No doubt. I've shown in threads before companies moving to low cost Canada and Germany due to employees health care costs here.

Oh and 3/4 of his pay is from.gov medicare/medicaid etc so that can't help our deficit.

I'll be honest, and it's not just sibling rivalry either, but he makes too damn much for what he does..basically a glorified store clerk.

 

[IGBT]

you could major in social/environmental justice scams and rob society and the tax payers.

 

[Jhhnn]

you could major in social/environmental justice scams and rob society and the tax payers.

Nah. We're living in the greatest financial looting spree in history, courtesy of Wall St. Finance accounted for 30% of near record 2010 corporate profits, basically sucking the life out of the middle class & their retirement funds, then sitting on the cash, but you want to blame somebody else?

Figures.

 

[Infohawk]

Depends...It certainly is not like how it used to be but some fields are kicking ass.

For example, my brother has just a BS, in pharmacy, owns a rural pharmacy in southern Colorado, and nets out about $1000-$1500 a day... he pays his pharmacists $50 an hour and can't find one extra.

I have more education, smarter - could beat him at chess every game, and make less

A while back there was a nursing shortage. Lots of people are still going into nursing and there's a glut. The same thing is likely going to happen in pharmacy, especially since automation is making big advances there. A lot of what goes into the next hot job is luck.

Education is wasted on those who think it's merely a means to get a job.

 

[TalonStrike]

Education is a necessary investment if you want a decent job at all.

 

[IGBT]

Nah. We're living in the greatest financial looting spree in history, courtesy of Wall St. Finance accounted for 30% of near record 2010 corporate profits, basically sucking the life out of the middle class & their retirement funds, then sitting on the cash, but you want to blame somebody else?

Figures.

Obama Seeks to Win Back Wall St. Cash
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: June 12, 2011


WASHINGTON — A few weeks before announcing his re-election campaign, President Obama convened two dozen Wall Street executives, many of them longtime donors, in the White House’s Blue Room.

 

[theevilsharpie]

Y'all just don't get it, do you? We're educating people to hold jobs that our business leaders aren't providing in this country.

You assume that the people we're education will never become business leaders.

 

[Doppel]

No doubt. I've shown in threads before companies moving to low cost Canada and Germany due to employees health care costs here.

Oh and 3/4 of his pay is from.gov medicare/medicaid etc so that can't help our deficit.

I'll be honest, and it's not just sibling rivalry either, but he makes too damn much for what he does..basically a glorified store clerk.

I know people like him have a lot of education and they must do more than just fill prescriptions, but a great deal of what they do is only filling prescription. It appears to me that a computer could do much of what they do and probably better. It seems a prime industry that could benefit from automation.

 

[Jhhnn]

You assume that the people we're education will never become business leaders.

How many? U3 is stuck at 9%, U6 at nearly 17%. Regionally, it can be a lot worse. That's not just low skill workers, either, but rather a broad cross section of America.

What are the fabled "Job Creators!" so worshipped on the Right doing about it? Yukking it up at the Country Club & their Bahamanian retreat or their Dubai penthouse, whining about how badly they need another tax cut...

 

[Macamus Prime]

I can not view youtube.com at work.

Education is vital. And, your education should be based on what you want to do with your life. Never study something because it makes money. Or, because you know/heard it will be easy.

So, investing in education is not "good", it is a must.

 

[piasabird]

Dont go into nursing unless you like being on your feet all day long and working double shifts. I think education is a big rip-off. I have taken classes at community colleges and universities and I saw no difference in the quality of education, only the cost!

 

[ShawnD1]

If you have a difficult time listing 5 jobs your major could lead (directly) to, it is probably a waste of money.

This is probably not the best way to think about it. Most of high school is not useful in any job, but is still good to know. In high school we learned that higher frequency light has more ionization potential than low frequency light. I've never had a job where I needed to know that, but it's still good to know because I now know why AM and FM radio waves probably will not give me cancer, but the sun very likely will give me cancer. It also means I respect halogen lights a lot more because I know the plastic shield is there to protect me from UV light, not just to protect the bulb.

It's hard to draw the line and say where public education should stop. Most of the stuff we need for work is learned in elementary school. We learn the 4 basic math functions, how to read, and how to write. Should education stop at grade 6? 9? 12? 2 year vocational? 4 year degree?

 

[nageov3t]

can't access youtube at work, but whether it's worth it or not depends on the person.

in terms of our society, I think we should invest in taking the stigma away from trade schools and stop pressuring all high schoolers to pursue a 4 year college degree regardless of what kind of career they want to pursue.

 

[KlokWyze]

Apprenticeship programs and training while working in the field is far superior to sitting in a classroom, racking up monstrous debt you can't escape, only learning how to theoretically do a job.

There are certain jobs that benefit from the standard secondary school structure... or really have their own version of it. Medical, legal, etc.