tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185881030087155227.post7783656303878158022..comments2024-03-13T02:16:49.661-07:00Comments on Ramen Noodle Nation: The College Degree Glut (Did Our Ancestors Know Something We Don't?)Ramen Noodle Nationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08585445968105871227noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185881030087155227.post-55388184994270097052017-05-17T10:38:21.371-07:002017-05-17T10:38:21.371-07:00Hi, Alex,
Thanks for writing. Sounds like you'...Hi, Alex,<br /><br />Thanks for writing. Sounds like you've been through the wringer, and then some.<br /><br />Lack of decent- or high-paying jobs, of course, is at the heart of the problem -- something that all these tepid and tentative reform efforts I describe don't really address. In today's America, the high-paying jobs that exist (or haven't been outsourced, or shipped abroad) are restricted, more and more, to a fortunate few. The rest are told to suck it up -- "Here's your paper hat and spatula, now get on with it."<br /><br />The other reality, also not widely acknowledged, is colleges don't really act as much of a filter -- a) in terms of who they accept, and b) how they're treated academically. If the majority of students leave with a B average or higher, and apparently don't have to sweat buckets towards getting that precious piece of sheepskin, its value is sorely diminished, as a result.<br /><br />A third issue is the great imbalances of power that exist at nearly all jobs. For myself, I guess, in becoming a writer, I probably fall under scenario #2. But my lasting memory of my jobs, when I worked them, is seeing how those at the top of the newspaper pyramid (such as it was) carried themselves -- they all seemed to wear expensive jewelry and watches, wore top name outfits, and drove battleship-sized cars and trucks (in reserved spaces that were specially set aside for them). <br /><br />Wherever the money in the budget was going, it sure as hell wasn't spent on the troops in the trenches! :-) And that's why I don't miss any of that.<br /><br />Anyway, it's not a new debate, as the picture in this post shows, and there's a lot more debate ahead, I'm sure. Thanks again for writing. --The ReckonerRamen Noodle Nationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08585445968105871227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185881030087155227.post-83454648122119111692017-05-17T10:36:45.678-07:002017-05-17T10:36:45.678-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Ramen Noodle Nationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08585445968105871227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-185881030087155227.post-44352719099424002812017-05-15T15:45:42.670-07:002017-05-15T15:45:42.670-07:00Finally a breath of fresh air.
I worked horrible...Finally a breath of fresh air. <br /><br />I worked horrible near minimum wage jobs to go to college, borrowed what was a lot of money at the time (and it still considerable now) all to eventually make less than the guys out in the warehouse. <br /><br />I'd say college only makes sense in a few scenarios: <br /><br />(1) You're so wealthy that college is a financial slam-dunk, which means you're also wealthy and connected enough that whether you went to college or not doesn't really matter. <br /><br />(2) You love a field so much that you really don't mind the likely prospect of living like a church mouse for the rest of your life, just so you get to do your "thing". <br /><br />(3) A college degree is utterly, absolutely, required for where you're heading in your field AND they'll pay for it. Examples of this are things like being in the military and they foot the bill, or situations that probably don't exist any more where you work for a company and they pay for your degree. <br /><br />Otherwise, stay away! alex carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12458022111793552536noreply@blogger.com