A degree in Event Planning? A Ph.D. in Anthropology?
Look, even going back to the 80s a job was never guaranteed by getting a degree. I knew lots of people going back to school to get a Masters in CIS because they couldn't find work - employers either wanted experience or a Masters. That was 1985. Getting an MBA was a thing in the 90s to secure your employment, even as a software developer.
Then, sometime in the late 90s/2000s people got this idea that getting a college degree would somehow grant them a good-paying job. But too many students weren't able to connect their skills to the needs of the job market. To wit, getting a theater degree was never a good strategy to getting a good-paying job (but a great strategy if you had a passion for theater and understood what you were getting into).
At least someone with a degree in Event Planning ought to be able to start their own business. But a Ph.D. in Anthropology? What kind of job did they think they were going to get?
techpineapple•7mo ago
I remember in college I thought about getting a Geology degree. And of course all of your professors in school are examples of people it worked out for. It’s really hard to get past the romanticism of college, it’s a beautiful thing all of this knowledge you can attain! Geology’s fucking amazing! So is anthropology and all the other, I’ll call them second tier (offense not intended) sciences.
But college needs to be entered with a real sober balance between romanticism (yes you should take geology 101 as a freshman, and maybe even minor it) and pragmatism (actually, you need a job)
I’m not sure if regulation is the answer. I do think it’s somewhat reasonable to say something like you can only get financial aid for one of the top 20 majors by benefit to the country. But yeah, maybe do a business degree in college and your passion on edx afterwards.
And like, per your example, it’s also not intuitive what makes money. Hospitality is probably way more lucrative than most of the sciences.
And it’s interesting how science is romantic in this very mature feeling high level way. An anthropology degree is probably harder than a hospitality degree.
taylodl•7mo ago
I would argue even science is a slog - who's hiring them? At some point, you have to realize you're either working for research or academia and there are very few positions available, and they almost always require a Ph.D.
I know we keep stressing STEM, but the 'S' is tough. Here on HN we're all fully aware that even the 'T' is a tough sell in college these days.
What does that leave college for (BROADLY speaking):
- Engineering (absolutely)
- Medicine (absolutely)
- Law (absolutely)
- Science (absolutely, but better have a backup plan)
- Business (not needed, but helps)
- Technology (not needed, but may help)
As you say, it's great to learn different things in college, but one needs to be mindful as to whether it's the most economical means for learning.
taylodl•7mo ago
Look, even going back to the 80s a job was never guaranteed by getting a degree. I knew lots of people going back to school to get a Masters in CIS because they couldn't find work - employers either wanted experience or a Masters. That was 1985. Getting an MBA was a thing in the 90s to secure your employment, even as a software developer.
Then, sometime in the late 90s/2000s people got this idea that getting a college degree would somehow grant them a good-paying job. But too many students weren't able to connect their skills to the needs of the job market. To wit, getting a theater degree was never a good strategy to getting a good-paying job (but a great strategy if you had a passion for theater and understood what you were getting into).
At least someone with a degree in Event Planning ought to be able to start their own business. But a Ph.D. in Anthropology? What kind of job did they think they were going to get?
techpineapple•7mo ago
But college needs to be entered with a real sober balance between romanticism (yes you should take geology 101 as a freshman, and maybe even minor it) and pragmatism (actually, you need a job)
I’m not sure if regulation is the answer. I do think it’s somewhat reasonable to say something like you can only get financial aid for one of the top 20 majors by benefit to the country. But yeah, maybe do a business degree in college and your passion on edx afterwards.
And like, per your example, it’s also not intuitive what makes money. Hospitality is probably way more lucrative than most of the sciences.
And it’s interesting how science is romantic in this very mature feeling high level way. An anthropology degree is probably harder than a hospitality degree.
taylodl•7mo ago
I know we keep stressing STEM, but the 'S' is tough. Here on HN we're all fully aware that even the 'T' is a tough sell in college these days.
What does that leave college for (BROADLY speaking):
- Engineering (absolutely)
- Medicine (absolutely)
- Law (absolutely)
- Science (absolutely, but better have a backup plan)
- Business (not needed, but helps)
- Technology (not needed, but may help)
As you say, it's great to learn different things in college, but one needs to be mindful as to whether it's the most economical means for learning.