roderickusher

I don't have anything interesting to say, so I'll just post something I said to my mother recently. She asked me about going to college for a good job.


As far as college goes, most of it is bullshit. I can give a lengthy rant as to why. Basically I believe that the purpose of academic life is for self improvement (the Platonic Ideal), but that is not the purpose of college in the modern world (or at least in the US). College is a business and a business has to sell the idea that if you have a degree, youll get a better job. That is bogus. The primary reason for that is the market determines the jobs which are the most valuable, not the degree. So someone with a BA in poetry isnt going to do shit, and a BA isn't going to mean shit if everyone has a BA (supply/demand). Of course, teaching ends up being the only option for people, and it is a noble profession. Also, if your goal is to make money, you dont need a degree to do that in this system. If you are good at sales (the scum of all professions) then youll never have to go to college or learn a trade, or we can list some no talent people that make millions or get millions (Britney Spears, Anna Nicole Smith); or people who get their wealth from their parents but do not have skills beyond working in Fast Food (Paris Hilton, George W. Bush). Then we can list those with some skill, but are way overpaid (entertainers and athletes). I'm not saying that going to college to get a good job isn't a good and realistic goal, rather you should do something you enjoy that will also get you a good job after college.