I agree that an educated populous is closely correlated to a higher standard of living. But in addition to 4 year degrees, STEM based associate degrees, trade, vocational and apprentice programs also lead to higher standards of living compared to those who just have a general studies high school diploma. For instance, a certified welder, electrician or plumber is going to earn more than a person with a 4 year liberal arts degree in say Women's Studies, or any number of other
fluffy social science programs. So IMO, the definition of "educated" needs to be looked at through less elitist eyes by our society. Sometimes we value the wrong things and have a tendency to look down on the "working man".
Our schools are focused on filling colleges, not jobs. Here are some ideas to fix that.
Who Needs College? The Swiss Opt for Vocational School
Is greed
a problem in the U.S. and globally? I think that it is. But that's been the case for a few thousand years and is a function of human nature. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's the biggest problem or the root cause of
all of our problems. But I'm sure that it's up there. The combination of
greed/dishonesty + willful ignorance (otherwise known as stupidity) + laziness probably is the most major contributor to our nation's social problems.
Speaking of greed + stupidity...
A New York Federal Reserve study last year found that a dollar increase in subsidized student loans leads colleges to raise tuition by 58 cents.
Guaranteeing six figure student loans for young people, who haven't taken even
one day of basic financial planning education, is stupid on the part of the government and fuels the greed of colleges. How many kids graduate from high school (or even college) and don't know how to balance a checkbook??? And colleges take advantage of this ignorance. As the above Federal Reserve study shows,
a 1 dollar increase in subsidized student loans leads colleges to raise tuition by 58 cents. "The rise in college tuition over the past several decades has far outpaced the rate of inflation, rising an inflation-adjusted 139% at private nonprofit colleges since 1985, and 222% at their public counterparts." Major universities are (I would say) on par with the Defense Dept. when it comes to waste and financial abuse.
Young people in many states and communities are offered free tuition and books and that allows them the opportunity to complete an associates degree. Where I live, that's been the case for about ten years. They could use this (already)
free educational boost to get an associates or certification, and either go straight to work or transfer to a 4 year school, with their core studies already taken care of. What shocks me in my area is the number of kids who make no attempt to take advantage of any part of this fantastic opportunity. The smart ones do. The not so smart ones don't - and they often begin their long walk on the path to being a social parasite, always looking for a handout, always with a hard luck story.
If we had some sort of national policy, whereby students would be educated in problem solving, critical thinking and logic (and not touchy-feely foolishness and the "teaching to the test" phenomenon that we have now) and be encouraged to think seriously about what meaningful careers they might have a passion for and would be suited for, we would be knocking the cover off the ball.
