The College Conspiracy

reply to post by greeneyedleo


I agree with what you said about taking courses completely unrelated to your major. My first attempt at college was in Political Science and I had to take a number of courses that had nothing to do with it. My second attempt, I took an applied degree in Professional Writing, and every course was related. I wish I had known about this major the first time around.

ETA: Golly, very old thread!

I do not regret my college education.

I learned so much during my college years. Outside of the educational aspects, I got to meet people I wouldn't have met otherwise. They gave me experiences that dared me to even dream of living outside of my hometown. I also learned some useful life skills. I learned how to get along with people who are different from me. I learned how to entertain people in a social setting. I could go on but I think you all get the point.

I want my children to experience college. To be honest, the degree is a bonus.

It depends on one's mindset as to whether anything beneficial comes from college. If one is doing it for a piece of paper (degree) in my opinion they will get less out of it than someone who simply wants to acquire knowledge. I have found that college gave me a chance to see things from many different perspectives, and to learn about subjects that I would otherwise have not been introduced to. I did not go to college to earn more money as that ranks low on my priorities. It cost me a lot, and I am left with significant debt, however I would choose to do it again given the opportunity for the experiences I had along the way.

Originally posted by greeneyedleo

I had to go back to school to learn this stuff. I could not just learn it in a book and expect to get a job....

While I believe much about college is a farce (IE taking classes that have nothing to do with your major and the costs of it)....I still believe it is absolutely necessary if you are wanting a certain career.

I guess society is organized like that, if you need 2 applicants for a given job and you received 75 resume, it is easy for you to start sorting that pile of resume by discarding the one without diploma (make your life easier, may not be the best thing, but save you time).

Obviously the school system (in USA, Canada, most industrialized countries) took a long time to establish itself, with apprenticeship (in the early days) to more formal curriculum, structure, credits ranking, exams, etc.

That system did function well (and still is) for a very long time, but now with the Internet, capacity of tapping thru teacher knowledge from all over the world, etc. a revolution is on the way.

Some subjects are more prone to formal training (Engineering, Physician MD, Law school, etc.) but other subjects (computer, programming, video game, music) are probably learn in a entirely different setting.

How will it evolve, who will pay for what (how does a teacher could built a course, put it on the Internet, answer specific questions, evaluate students and then give some sort of accreditation (pass course with some credit), get paid for it, etc. This need to be worked out (at least on a grand scale).

Anyway, I have good memory of my University period (before personal computer era) (I was literally shape by that experience), but today things have change (the old method won't be toss overnight).

reply to post by o22a6ar


Colleges are a scam and young people are not taught the skills they need to succeed in today's climate nor are they given realistic job prospectus and advice for their future. Some things I always took on face value but you are right. I was watching this video and then reading some of the replies and was astounded. I almost began a thread on it myself but there is already this one. I don't think this video was in existence when the thread was started so kind of new evidence. Really shocking disappointing and frightening. I'd have to give college second thoughts after hearing some of this.

Unfortunately you need a silly piece of paper to be hired for some jobs. I am an autodidact and I know many of the things you study in university in addition to some professional knowledge, but I need a paper to get hired.