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Is college education worthless? It did surprise me that so many people stand on the point that college education is worthless according to the survey. For me, I still think education is not the matter that can be measured in money, or be considered as an investment. College education is important in one's life for it may not teach us specific skills for making a living, but somehow it does help us on enhancing the overall quality, so that we can have better understanding, learning abilities, etc...after we graduated. Yeah, both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg didn't finish their college study, but don't forget both of them are dropouts of Harvard! They are exceptions, most of us are common people. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [From China Daily] College student's father deems higher education worthless Ling Ling (not her real name) is worried as Sept 7, the last day for her to enroll in a university in Chengdu, Sichuan province, as a first-year student, approaches. "My dad doesn`t want to pay for my university education as he believes the investment in higher education can`t be recouped," the 19-year-old told Chengdu Economic Daily. Ling was born in a small village in northern Sichuan. All her relatives are farmers. Upon completion of their primary school education, her parents started a small business. Five years ago, they moved to Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, with Ling and her younger brother. They have purchased an apartment and a small shop there. "My family isn`t short of money. My father doesn`t want me to pursue university education because he thinks it not worthwhile going to university," Ling said. Her father estimates it will cost a total of 80,000 yuan in tuition fees and living expenses to finish a four-year university education. If his works for four years instead, she can earn at least 80,000 yuan in four years. With that money, she can start a small business. "In my neighborhood, at least 10 university graduates cannot find jobs and stay at home," her father told Chengdu Economic Daily. He said as a primary school graduate, he earned more than many university graduates with his small business. He said his view that attending a university is not worthwhile is not groundless, citing that nearly 7 million students graduated from institutions of higher learning nationwide this year and their employment situation is grim. To persuade her father to support her higher education financially, Ling has pestered him every day for a month. But her efforts have been in vain. After her story spread online at a local news portal, a survey was launched on the website to solicit netizens` opinions. More than 10,000 netizens replied and 71 percent supported her father`s view. About 50 percent thought society was a good university and about 20 percent thought a person could improve himself or herself anywhere. Despite strong opposition from survey respondents, 55 readers of Chengdu Economic Daily said higher education could broaden one`s horizons. They want to help Ling financially since she cannot borrow money from her relatives who share her father`s view.  I leave no trace of wings in the air, but I am glad I have had my flight. ---- Rabindranath Tagore |
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Education: Similarly, are the students there to learn or, as one of the comments pointed out, to party? If the latter, then college - or any level - education is clearly a waste of time. Yes, this is the key point. As for why so many graduates can't find jobs nowadays, besides the reasons of economic slowdown and popularizing higher education, I guess another reason is that too many students in university spend too much time enjoying parties, or something like that, neglect their studies so that they are completely uncompetitive in the job market after their graduation. Many are promoted for their research and developmental advances in and of performance. These often are funded by corporate entities, thus becomes a connection of corporation and university, these avenue are fruitful to the research students, and in some cases the student population whom directly benefit from the research gains, who can become support system operators, some advance in learning the systems adaptions, these are the group who can go on to become decision makers within some of these areas. this however is still promoted and supported by endorsements, except in the cases where individuals undertake their own resource applications and become renown for their achievements. These area of University is of good productivity in what their graduates in these aspects achieve. But they do so by hands on application to real world function.. They may not be skilled in the humane aspects of what it is to lead people, but they are skilled in understanding the systems attributes...and generalized potentials. Many of these people become the unknowns behind the system whom function in support roles. they may confer and consult with the leadership to provide collaborative and even in some cases consultation input. some may rise to become leaders and decision makers through their work and knowledge, but they did not ride the degree to the top, they worked in support system operations and achieved advancements based on contributory performance, and within the process they learn what is a human working environment. . Some push an 'entitlement mentality'.. where many of its graduates have never worked and never understood the cost of milk for a baby, food for a family or the realities of what is involved in the industrial work environments. Some ride on family money to get through, with a trust fund account for their extravagance as well as a family connection for their placement in job positions when they get their paid for certificate of accessibility to positions of entitlement mentality enhancement. I was offered the position to run a guys business operation during a sale to a larger company, he had a guarantee in his contract that he could maintain his business as is, for the first 5 yrs of the sale agreement. He told me, that he previously hired university graduates to do the work, but they came with an entitlement mentality and a status illusions about themselves, that was no conducive to his business model. He said some came with thoughts they'd instantly be able to buy the big home and expensive cars and have a power position, but he said he found out they did not really know anything about what it takes to work with people and the challenges both the business and the people whom work there deal with on a daily basis. he said not only were they making the workforce unstable, that when he got rid of them, he found piles of unfinished work, some that had been untouched and the focus of what mattered was lacking. Unfortunately I was not available to take the offer, because at the time I'd undertaken a position to a program that helped a lot of people during the crisis of the economic challenges facing the communities. good or bad choice on my part, who knows.... I did successfully complete the project and did so with record production. China had an article a couple of years ago, which said Industry had acknowledge that Grade Point Average and Degree did not always translate into productivity or better productivity. More and more elements are learning they cannot place people in decision making positions just because they have a degree in some varied field, ( often unrelated to anything concerning the business), Some have learned they cannot place people in positions because of their (elitist) University affiliation or their claim of title. Sadly, Many people boast claims of various levels of degree, whom have never held a job, and some have never held a job that involved them doing anything which would prepare them for decision making or leadership positions. many with degree's don't want to start at the bottom and learn the business and work their way up, they come with a sense of entitlement based on degree, that they should be placed immediately in a decision making position. Now imagine a Doctor coming out of school and want to become the Chief Surgeon.. or the head surgeon in the Emergency Room.... " would you be willing to go under their knife" ? now many of these people have 8-10-12 years of schooling, but no one is going to put them immediately in charge of the life of human beings, just because they graduated. Now, in general a person spend 4 yrs to get a Bachelor's degree, how many of those classes involve things that have absolutely nothing to do with certain career functions. ? but those classes sure make a lot of mandatory expended money for the University. They do nothing however to prepare the student or a particular field of their choices actual job functions. Some come out and they are more than thrilled to 'quote some historical poets", or tell people who wee the 18th and 19th century musicians, or what culture club they were participating in, and some will even tell you how many introductory 101 classes they took, as if they have become a scholar based on the introductory course to a specific field. I know people who work in various accounting fields, who are very limited in the functional usages of spread sheets capabilities. They can manually figure out how to arrive at their figures, but is that the most efficient method in a technological system based society. Again, it comes down to learning how to learn, and being pro-active to use that ability to develop skills with the technological advanced tools that drive industry, business and systems. Eventually, people will awaken to the methodology and force University to regain the ability to be what it once was. It once focused on training people to be functional in specific fields as a basis of degree. Now, all a person has to do is gain a specified number of course credits and they are awarded a degree. We still have the matter of GPA, where there is a broad mixture of "D" &"C" passing marks, but the degree is being promoted as if these were "A" grade mark students with high proficient level... and that simply is not the case. Even still, education is always worthwhile... it just does not immediately command one to a leadership and decision making position. some are better being placed in system support roles.
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It was posted in an article last week, that many Universities faked their job placement numbers. they claimed people had jobs in various field and industries, just because the person attended a job fair and was on the list as having attended. Coincidentally, I read a post on a forum that a female graduate claimed the same thing, that her college teacher asked her to tell a lie about having a job, for making the better employment data. She was angry about that. Today, 'degree is far too often, promoted as a status game, Many decades ago, people pursued a career by the methods of degree and they worked in the actual and specific field of their study. The same in China. It is caused by popularizing higher education. The frequency of unversity education has been raised, along with the quality has been lowered. All in all, science and technology are the first productivity. Knowledge is the power pushing a nation and human forward. In a country, one can deny university education, ten can deny too. However, if all people don't go to university, then the nation has no hope. Even if one has no chance nor interest to go to university, he /she should find a way to learn by himself, and keep learning, keep improving himself. Learning is not only a process when we are in school, but also throughout our lifetime. I agree to the smart perspective this addresses. It is a wise follow up in your comment also, Even if one has no chance nor interest to go to university, he /she should find a way to learn by himself, and keep learning, keep improving himself. Learning is not only a process when we are in school, but also throughout our lifetime.
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The farmer is right, she can earn as much in the same period but she will still be a farmer's daughter with no education at the end of it. Not necessarily, because she will be learning while she is earning.. it may not gain a paid certification from and established organizations, but she won't be purely uneducated. We have to accept learning by many means, and not only by the sanction of a University Certification.
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HOWEVER, higher education teaches you how to think, how to learn, how to go about something. That is it. but we should never discount OJT, ( On the Job Training), nor should we discount individual time investment in research learning as well as the simple act of doing things with a focused intent and determined efforts. "THINGS CHANGE".... this puts the ability to think and do so with constructive process at the forefront.
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One should not need a degree to give them the assurance they can do something. Learn because one wants to learn... the world is full of people with degree's who have crashed more companies than some with degree's have created. many people who built many things in many lands, did so without a degree. but many of those companies found their demise after being turned over to people with a degree. There are certain field that earned certification of competency is vital and necessary... but the smartest people are always the people who are students of life... they will seek out information, pursue knowledge and understanding and they will put it to work to improve the nature of some aspect of life for others. I know as I've said before, countless people who have degree's and work no where close to what they claim to be their passion which drove them to stick out a course to get certification in a field... Then they become to forget it and use it simply as a 'get a job certificate"... There are many field where levels of learning is a basic before one is let loose to engage some function that directly impacts the life of others. I work with many people who claim degree's but many can't make decisions, because they were groomed in a system that taught them well how to play to the 'name status' within the circle they pursue. Education is good, people should get as much of it as they can, and once they get it, they should pursue more, because learning how to learn... is beneficial. I don't think anyone should waste their money spending 100's of thousands of dollars for a degree.. but as we see at many of those schools the connections are established long before that child ever goes to that school, in some situation the payment to the school only become a means of paying the dues to gain accessibility based on the alumni connections of family name legacy. Today, I think people would benefit themselves to learn a craft, a trade or pursue some skill enhancing programs... because the degee delusion of trying to make everyone think they will sit behind a desk and make decision is the grandest delusion pushed by the business model of University. if a University was honest about the value of learning, they would be in support of Tech schools, vocational programs, and skill and craft programs.. but Universities want money... and they will slam anything and they do heavy lobbying to corral some corporations to hire the people the University has sold their degree to. It was posted in an article last week, that many Universities faked their job placement numbers. they claimed people had jobs in various field and industries, just because the person attended a job fair and was on the list as having attended. Remember that Steve Jobs and Bill Gates made it because, they "networked with other creative and skill developing people'... they had an idea and found like minded people and they shared their ideas and information and knowledge with each other and they used it to develop their individual idea... Many people today, will hire people simply because they may have attended the same university, that is more about networking, than it is about the actual competency of the individual above others in a competitive pursuit for a job. Some people are more than happy to tell you what their degree is, rather than to simply discuss a subject or perform a function. many many people in many places have created many things, and a great many never set foot in a University. If University was the only answer, then Professors would run the world... But many of them are struggling with some of the same issues as everyone else. Today, 'degree is far too often, promoted as a status game, Many decades ago, people pursued a career by the methods of degree and they worked in the actual and specific field of their study. there was a time before University went into an all out hunt for money and more money, that community colleges provided AA degree's which actually taught people a usable skill. But the University down played that, by up promoting the Bachelor and Master Degree.. I personally don't see why anyone would get a Master Degree just from going to school, without ever having worked in that specific field. but it's a sell-able title. We have a great deal of clone scripting, which many times results to multiple 10's of thousands of people given degrees, who never result to create or improve upon anything. they become system programmed to follow fixed instructions. Some don't have the mind to interpret policy as being something that is written for interpretation, they try and follow it to the letter, because that is how they were trained. Some people go to school and become professor worshipers, rather than independent thinkers. Some people may need the structure of University, Others may not thrive well under the structure of University. Warren Buffet said it best, when he said his son does not have a degree, but his son found many other means to learn... and he respect his choice of doing so. Last year many of the tech giants, were looking for people who were independent thinkers, they did not want nor were they seeking groomed clone thinkers from University. Imagine if Bil Gates had stayed in school, he probably would have had professors still telling him what would not work, and we'd probably still be waiting on Desktop computing. FED-X, was created by a guy, whom the professors told him, his idea and plan would never in a lifetime work... Yet, today FED-X can get you a package as quick or in some cases and some places quicker than any other organization in the world. Young people must first be taught to believe in themselves, explore their mind, pursue their ideas and communicate with others who like to share in exploring techniques, trying varying methods and applications of their processes and gathering as much information about their aims as possible. Learning how to learn, is as much and in some case more important than what one learns, because there are many people with a lot of statical data, but they don't know how to make it functional and usable to develop and create something or support something to perform effectively and efficiently. If one wants to go to University, by all means go, and by all means learn, but those who can't go to university for what ever reason, pursue to learn as much as you can by the available means and seek out other means to gather and learn more.
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