For-Profit Higher Education Crackdown

[JustWinBaby]

(09-07-2016, 11:21 AM)fredtoast Wrote: Not sure what your point is here, but I don't think you understand what I was trying to say.


We need a better system to get people educated.  Paying for a full college degree is outrageous.  We need more "trade schools".  And I don't mean just low level trades.  You should be able to learn to be an accountant without having to pay for required electives that have nothing to do with accounting.

I mostly agree.  Although I think you can get a two-year Associate's degree in Accounting.  The problem is businesses have a rather high bias to 4-yr degrees.  I suppose that still leads to better jobs and opportunities than working at McD's, but free college education is never going to level the playing field.

And the reality is, the best companies will still recruit from the best schools, which have plenty of financial aid and scholarships for the best students.  I don't see anything wrong with that - everybody doesn't deserve a chance to play in the NFL, you have to earn the opportunity.

I think the problem, like you mention, is lack of trade schools, entry-level and advanced.  There doesn't seem to be a shortage of college degrees for accounting and other business jobs.  There definitely seems to be a shortage of qualified skilled trades.

I'd also like to see "practical" electives that provide a real return on the course cost.  Forget that a basic investment/finance (and probably economics) courses should be required - no college graduate should be incapable of understanding a mortgage, basic taxes, or fundamental principles of investing.  Now, I can read a books on philosophy if I want to enrich myself, but maybe I should have the option of taking a course in home plumbing if I choose.  I think there's limited ROI to a 100 level course in philosophy, but the others mentioned are valuable life skills that would save/make one thousands of dollars throughout their life.