I was an econ major. I went to average University in D.C. (for free) My father said take the scholarship instead of going to an Ivy. I thought that was a big mistake - because IVY does have more pull. So I considered my liberal arts education a waste for many years. However, I am in my forties and run my own business. I find myself calling on things and skills I acquired in college all the time now. I basically learned a little bit about a lot of things. And that seems to come in handy when you are in your forties. A little accounting. A little Stats - but understanding the point of stats A little bit of being able to recognize a school of thought or philosophy when in a discussion with a client or potential client. Economics and History come up all the time in my business. My one fortran(sp) programing class - let me be unafraid of HTML - which allowed me to get a website out there and do the seo behind it which makes me a very good living right now... when combined with other skills. I think my liberal arts education was extremely useful and oddly did exactly what it was supposed to do. When I no longer made a living trading, I had to find another way to make a living. Now I did have another degree... but I still can't get over how prepared it made me for my business more than 20 years later.
good for you. unlike most u would have found something useful from whatever courses u took. lots of luck.
That's the unfortunate part. With just a little research and do-it-yourself knowledge, a lot of stuff you'd pay an "expert" to do, you can do just fine. Of course, the idea is to pay them to do it so YOU don't have to in the first place...but when one always cries "I can't afford it!" when they see the cost, then you either need to find a way to afford it, or do it yourself. Again, most are too stupid or ignorant to use that brain of theirs (that they supposedly had enough of to go to college in the first place) to figure it out. Especially since they use the Internet likely to begin with...which can (and usually does) have anything and everything you'd ever want to know. I will admit I used my degree pretty well...not for my actual line of work, but for two things: one, to communicate effectively (since my degree WAS in Communications), and two, to actually THINK critically and ask questions...and learn the answers yourself. It really became easier shortly after college to develop and use this skill.
to those in the thread and on the site who think a college education is a waste of time, then it reveals it was or would be for you. And it was and is painful to read. Most graduates I see are happy they became educated and mentally disciplined. The opposite of "educated" is "ignorant". There is something about learning "how to think" "how to solve problems" "how to expand your horizons" "how to learn" "how to become an expert in a discipline", "how to communicate", "how to learn about the world you live in. About deep understanding and training in sciences and math and language/English and writing and academic pursuits and history and other cultures/countries and a lot of other things that HS students just do not get. A mind, talent and skills are supposed to be developed and expanded. Education is not just about getting a job.
Never mistake schooling for education. Some people are very well schooled but extraordinarily ignorant.
Unfortunately it's perceived to be. "Go to school, get a job." When you think like these kids are these days with that "sudden realization" of none, or a low-paying job, tons of debt, and what they typically have, 4+ years spent in schooling...you feel a bit cheated...if that even comes to the forefront. Helpless & frustration are usually a higher indication first.
the cost of education is high because the government makes loans or guarantees loans. if these didn't exist the price of tuition would collapse overnight. the purpose of a college education is to get a job. an employer requires a college degree from students to show that they possess enough discipline to succeed at a job. since undergraduate college degrees have been watered down in recent years many employers are requiring master degrees.
your claim that college graduates are mentally disciplined and have a "deep understanding " of the sciences and math is dubious at best.
Grass is greener syndrome. I swear, if the perfect country existed, 50% of its residents would still be complaining about it. Most likely, renouncing would just compound her problems.