Babbling

[westpark]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/11/audit-north-dakota-universit
y-awarded-unearned-degrees/

In that link I posted earlier today it said that the Pentagon spends more in one year on war than ALL 50 STATES do on education, health care, etc COMBINED.

Now imagine with declining state funding -- what this is doing to our public colleges?

[katt_goddess]

Yep, a dean at Dickinson blasted his head off over this. Confetti crime scene. Because of that there may be no further action than the possibility of pulling the diplomas and / or giving the ones affected another chance to earn their diplomas the right way.

College used to mean something, a threshold to being something more than you were born into. Knowledge being the great equalizer and all that. Now if you want a good college, you're only hope is to already be rich because all the 'regular' colleges care about is their stupid athletics programs. Public colleges are turning into little more than expensive for-profit institutions used to prolong adolesense and line the pockets of student loan holders for years and years.

Faced with that, most people in that area are opting to live in their cars in the WalMart parking lot in freezing temps because it's pays more.

[westpark]

I know people who now live with their parents who I went to college with. They're working dollar stores, Walmart, stuff like that.

And they tell me the same thing -- if they could go back -- they would have just gone to trade school or become nurses....its like everybodys trying to become Donald Trump or George Clooney. Nobody wants to be one of the average people in the middle any more.

[valiente16]

If I could redo it I would have gone to a tech school or just learned a trade. Still good enough to get a good job and live decent. College is the new Nigerian scam

[katt_goddess]

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westpark wrote:

I know people who now live with their parents who I went to college with. They're working dollar stores, Walmart, stuff like that.

And they tell me the same thing -- if they could go back -- they would have just gone to trade school or become nurses....its like everybodys trying to become Donald Trump or George Clooney. Nobody wants to be one of the average people in the middle any more.

---

Well, some of these people who expect everything to just land in their laps grew up with idiot parents who told them they were royalty. They have a false sense of entitlement that makes them think scrubbing toilets is beneath them even if they are living in a gutter.

I have a BS in Psychology with emphasis on Abnormal and Intelligence. In my most recent adventures in employment, I've worked my way up from retail cashier to Office Manager and did so with no pretentions of being anything other than average-in-the-middle. I'm not in my field but I'm working at least.

[Josey]

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katt_goddess wrote:

College used to mean something, a threshold to being something more than you were born into. Knowledge being the great equalizer and all that. Now if you want a good college, you're only hope is to already be rich because all the 'regular' colleges care about is their stupid athletics programs. Public colleges are turning into little more than expensive for-profit institutions used to prolong adolesense and line the pockets of student loan holders for years and years.

---

I think our society is dependent on poor education. People who lack critical thinking skills are easier to indoctrinate with propaganda. Let's face it, Colleges are now political battlegrounds in the witchhunt for "liberals" and "socialists." Since they've essentially become businesses instead of institutions, they're largely competing with other universities and colleges for private donations and grants. The donors themselves are becoming more ideologically driven and want drones, not well-rounded citizens.

[Shadowstaarr]

Where can I get one of these quick and easy degrees?

[Josey]

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katt_goddess wrote:

I have a BS in Psychology with emphasis on Abnormal and Intelligence. In my most recent adventures in employment, I've worked my way up from retail cashier to Office Manager and did so with no pretentions of being anything other than average-in-the-middle. I'm not in my field but I'm working at least.

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I guess I'm lucky enough to be working in my field, but it's top heavy with people in their 50s and 60s holding all the upper positions. We essentially have to wait for someone to die in order to advance and many give up before then.

[GiantMegaDoucheX]

You idiots just don't get it.

College is #### expensive...If I'm spending $10,000 a semester; I better #### well get a diploma no matter what I do.

Or, at least that's the attitude so many people seem to have. That's half the problem; The other half of the problem is that, yes, college is very expensive.

If we continue to foster an educational infrastructure accessible only for the rich, then America's future will continue to dwindle as it is now...and the leaders, mathematicians, engineers, and artists will start coming from elsewhere that isn't here.

[katt_goddess]

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Josey wrote:

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I think our society is dependent on poor education. People who lack critical thinking skills are easier to indoctrinate with propaganda. Let's face it, Colleges are now political battlegrounds in the witchhunt for "liberals" and "socialists." Since they've essentially become businesses instead of institutions, they're largely competing with other universities and colleges for private donations and grants. The donors themselves are becoming more ideologically driven and want drones, not well-rounded citizens.

---

I've heard that plenty of times too. Dumb people are easy to dupe. Corporations and political leaders need their sheeples. Trouble is, that's going to backfire in a big way because those same stupid sheeple are going to end up running things eventually and they'll need legions of retards to keep them feeling smart which deteriorates things even further.

And I think the political arguements are crap. I went to a university and never once felt that there was an overpowering bent towards either side of the spectrum. There were conservatives, there were liberals, there were mental-midgets. It was a mix and the only ones who would have a problem with that would have problems anyway. Problems that have long latin pronounciations and thick write-ups in the DSMVII.

As for the whole advancing in the field thing, it's like that everywhere. You end up with a bunch of old out-of-touch farts hanging on to the top spots not because they are still active contributors to that field in any way but because they've got 'seniority' or 'tenure' or whatever other fancy word for 'smeared poligrip into the cracks of every door and window of their vaulted position so no one else can get in' . I don't have a problem with anyone who worked their way there and still does stuff, I just have a problem with those who get into such a spot and then get to coast.

[Astromang]

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GiantMegaDoucheX wrote:

You idiots just don't get it.

College is #### expensive...If I'm spending $10,000 a semester; I better #### well get a diploma no matter what I do.

Or, at least that's the attitude so many people seem to have. That's half the problem; The other half of the problem is that, yes, college is very expensive.

If we continue to foster an educational infrastructure accessible only for the rich, then America's future will continue to dwindle as it is now...and the leaders, mathematicians, engineers, and artists will start coming from elsewhere that isn't here.

---

Uh, college didn't even cost half that per semester for me. Sure, if you want to go to private schools where you're paying for name only please do spend 5 figures a semester.

Also, the obligitory rip on non-real college degrees: "Got a degree in 12th century English Literature and can't find a job. I am the 99%"

[GiantMegaDoucheX]

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Astromang wrote:

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GiantMegaDoucheX wrote:

You idiots just don't get it.

College is #### expensive...If I'm spending $10,000 a semester; I better #### well get a diploma no matter what I do.

Or, at least that's the attitude so many people seem to have. That's half the problem; The other half of the problem is that, yes, college is very expensive.

If we continue to foster an educational infrastructure accessible only for the rich, then America's future will continue to dwindle as it is now...and the leaders, mathematicians, engineers, and artists will start coming from elsewhere that isn't here.

---

Uh, college didn't even cost half that per semester for me. Sure, if you want to go to private schools where you're paying for name only please do spend 5 figures a semester.

Also, the obligitory rip on non-real college degrees: "Got a degree in 12th century English Literature and can't find a job. I am the 99%"

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I was exaggerating a bit; although I did have a friend who went to the Academy of Arts in San Francisco who paid upwards of 8,000 a semester for 2 years before dropping out.

[Astromang]

Well, you can be right, there are colleges that have those tuitions and up per semester. I wouldn't ever go to one of those knowing I couldn't afford it and knowing it would take me years to repay the loans.

[Master-Debater131]

Interesting article but really I think it just points out a whole lot of problems with colleges.

For starters, they are freaking expensive. Its easy to get the money to go to college but its not always easy paying it off.
Which is my second point. If you go spend 40k on college to ear a degree in "communication" or some other total BS degree, don't expect to make a lot of money with it.
If you graduate with a degree with Math, Science, or a Useful Language then the odds of you getting a good job, that pays well, is much higher than someone who went to school for 4 years to learn about communication.

Sorry but thats how the world is.

People aren't going to pay a lot for someone right out of school unless they have real, useful, talents and knowledge. Math, Science, Language. Those are the Big 3. You graduate with a back round in one of those 3, you'll do just fine for yourself.

If you know you cant do any of those three, dont waste your time in college. Go get a Vocational Degree and earn more doing jobs that are "beneath" a person than you would with a communications degree. Welders get paid tons, carpenters, electricians. Jobs like these still have great pay, and usually benefits to.

[Josey]

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Master-Debater131 wrote:
Interesting article but really I think it just points out a whole lot of problems with colleges.

For starters, they are freaking expensive. Its easy to get the money to go to college but its not always easy paying it off.
Which is my second point. If you go spend 40k on college to ear a degree in "communication" or some other total BS degree, don't expect to make a lot of money with it.

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Seriously, you don't see the role communications plays in today's workplace or society?  Can you even bother telling us why a Commnications degree is "BS"? Or is the need to communicate "socialist BS?"

[PiginthecityBlue]

When was the last time a fuedal system was used? lol

[aeternus_flammus]

Communications is common major for athletes...

[Pero8P]

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westpark wrote:

I know people who now live with their parents who I went to college with. They're working dollar stores, Walmart, stuff like that.

And they tell me the same thing -- if they could go back -- they would have just gone to trade school or become nurses....its like everybodys trying to become Donald Trump or George Clooney. Nobody wants to be one of the average people in the middle any more.

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@ your OP: I find it funny for SO many reasons. 1 people are #### about low graduation rates. 2 #### about foreign people taken ar jerbs, but we gotta ship em in to do it because the domestic workforce aint up to it. etc

I gotta quote this though because I know so many people who thought they'd be hot #### when they graduated even though when they were in school thhey did nothing beyond the norm, went to an OK school, and turned down every op to pad their resume with legit ####.

It's anecdotal sure, but i've seen it enough that it serves as an explanation for why so mannyy become dissillusioned with the value of their college. If you're not an engineer or nurse, college is about showing you're smart enough to get a degree, which only puts you on par with everyone else who did it and is out of work.

[Josey]

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aeternus_flammus wrote:
Communications is common major for athletes...

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So?

Actually, the most popular major among athletes is business, though they don't deviate too far from the general student body.

[aeternus_flammus]

The point is that it's an inch wide and a mile long, like the other majors on that list.

[Pero8P]

Did you mean a mile wide and an inch deep? 

[Josey]

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aeternus_flammus wrote:
The point is that it's an inch wide and a mile long, like the other majors on that list.

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Proof?

[KnightStar]

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westpark wrote:

I know people who now live with their parents who I went to college with. They're working dollar stores, Walmart, stuff like that.

And they tell me the same thing -- if they could go back -- they would have just gone to trade school or become nurses....its like everybodys trying to become Donald Trump or George Clooney. Nobody wants to be one of the average people in the middle any more.

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In all truth westpark I knew back in 99 when I was graduating that college had already became a leech of an institution in this country just hungry for as much money as they could gobble up from the people who were silly enough not to realize a trade school give you a better job opportunity than all the money you could spend in college.

Hell here is two examples, I could go to ATI get certified in Autobody Repair in the span of one year and get out at in any garage I walk into making $15 an hour and greater.

Three more years and a Masters Certification test by the ASE I could double that on the hour and even go to create my own garage.

In Ky I personally grew up with a friend whom dropped out of high school, went to Surface Miners class for maybe two months only for maybe 5 days out of the month, started driving a rock truck on a strip job at 15$ an hour, was offered $25 to become a Blasting Technician and didn't like the thought of playing with TNT so he kept driving the rock truck.

Can anyone justify college to me when I can go out and do the above jobs?

I can't to myself.

[Josey]

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KnightStar wrote:

Can anyone justify college to me when I can go out and do the above jobs?

I can't to myself.

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It depends, if it's something you want to do or you're in it exclusively for money, then probably not. But if it's something you want to do and having $100K jobs isn't the highest priority, probably so.

[aeternus_flammus]

...what do want as proof? Here's a degree sheet for communications and the class descriptions.
http://communication.utexas.edu/sites/communication.utexas.edu/fi
les/attachments/catalog-communicati...
http://registrar.utexas.edu/catalogs/ug08-10/ch05/ug08.cr05a.com-
cms.html