On the Changing Face of College
Remember the cursive conspiracy? In second grade, we started learning it. By fifth grade, we were convinced the entire world operated in cursive. In high school, no one ever mentioned cursive again. College is like that.
Read this:
http://www.good.is/post/college-is-only-good-for-helping-rich-people-get-richer/
My Comments:
I definitely agree wholeheartedly. I went through and worked at the same time. Sitting in class night after night, primarily because of a familial obligation, learning outdated material was painful. During the day I was forced to independently learn the actual, current techniques. These years instilled in me the need to stay on top of every development in my field lest end up unemployed or miserably-employed with the masses. I read every book on my core skill sets I could get my hands on and still do. I have amassed a teetering library of everything on independent software vending, consulting, marketing, freelancing, complexity economics, network theory and the like. (Thank goodness for the Kindle. I am becoming a fire hazard.) I had wondered if this experience was unique to computer science students. Unfortunately, my experience is echoed in conversations with my more motivated peers in engineering, accounting, finance, marketing and the like. Throughout school, I would read the latest developments in the subject matter and was consistently shocked when the teacher failed to address or even mention it. Upon my departure, I found that employers and professional peers were pleased with my professional skill set and I had an easy way forward. I would engage them on the latest trend in this or that and doors would open. It all seemed so simple but no one taught us this basic skill in college. I watched my peers graduate and their options wane. It was painful to see. I felt like I had kept a secret from them: college is not the path to knowledge. I heard their laments that employers were not hiring. I never mentioned that I wouldn't have hired them either. If you want a stock college graduate, India is churning them out for a song. I kept quiet when I wanted to tell them to read some books, find some experts and strike up an informed conversation. No one likes being told what to do. Unless, of course, it is by a college professor. I'd like to follow the party line and tell my nieces and nephews to study hard and go to college. In reality, I know they would be much better equipped with a hefty Amazon.com budget, as I was.
Also, an important read on the prevalence of cheating and an absolute reality I have witnessed time and again:
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Shadow-Scholar/125329/
Again, kids pick colleges based on enjoying four years of leisure:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/top-colleges-spent-more-o_n_640479.html
If you have some time, this site will probably infuriate you:
http://deltacostproject.org/analyses/delta_reports.asp
The rise of private education is burdening many while helping few. When I say private, think online. They tend to be more expensive and less effective in terms of salary increase. Watch out, these are private corporations who never provide transparent statistics on employment placement, effects on salary, percentage burdened by debt, etc.
If you don't have much time this article is short and to the point:
http://nakedlaw.avvo.com/2010/06/8-reasons-college-tuition-is-the-next-bubble...
In summary,
College is increasingly a publicly-funded private enterprise that rarely educates and primarily provides leisure and leaves "students" debt-laden without an increase in advantage over their peers. This rite of passage is somewhere along the lines of kindergarten. It teaches you to fit in for the next stage in your life.
In response, read more books. Engage with the best in your field. Attend college only if you are aware of the merits/detriments. I doubt any eighteen year old can grasp the effect of their debt load.
