I spent a lot of time in college....got my bachelor's in 6 years and my master's in 2.
I also taught classes during grad school. My degrees are in a field most people call useless, and rightfully so: English. When it comes to contributing productively to an economy, an English degree does arguably less than all other degrees besides Education and Political Science (zing!).
College is not worth it. Ever. In fact, the problem is in the question. Here's why:
You know how people complain about academics? How it's all a bunch of useless 'mental masturbation?' It's where as you get more advanced degrees you know more about less?
That's the way academia SHOULD be, but at the same time it should be treated as a luxury, not a necessity, or a right.
The idea in America is that you're supposed to go to college so you can get a job, and this has created the cost/benefit analysis of college that should have never come about in the first place.
So, the question 'is college worth it' is wrong if you look at it through an economic lens. The State, however has CREATED this phenomenon by requiring licenses and ridiculous amounts of semester hours to qualify for sitting for tests, etc.
I couldn't get a job after my BA (surprise!) so I went back for my MA. What has changed? Absolutley nothing. Although I have teaching experience teaching college classes I am not qualified to teach at the high school level because I did not go through the Education Department at my University.
My university has a strong background (it was initially a "Teacher's College") and supposedly one of the best Education Departments in the state, but after interacting with all the Education Majors there I was easily lead to the one conclusion: they are stupid.
Anyway, I have a whole 'nother rant on that :/
Back to the point is that college should be treated as a luxury only rich families can afford. Everything that 'prepares you for a job' should be a vocational/technical school. Then, the only departments that would exist at the University would be those like English...
The business of academia is inventing theories about the world. That's it. Whether it be expressed through scientific formulae, art, literary theory or psychological theory, we might be better if, as a society, we separate this idea that college prepares you for a trade.
A much better system would be apprenticeship, but the minimum wage has destroyed that.
So college is never worth it if you're trying to get a monetary return on your investment, look elsewhere. Friends from high school who didn't go to college and went on to be plumbers and electricians can rightfully laugh at all my degrees and my lack of income.
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