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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]tyler cowen would say your kid is fucked and would be better apprenticing in a garage/mechanic.

While america's commitment to college access is commendable I do wonder if the europeans had the right system all along considering the hollowing out of 'middle-skill undergrad degree holder' jobs.

perhaps the europeans were right all along in making college affordable but restricting entry and then having apprenticeships for non-college track students.

It also probably helps that in european countries the 'college premium' for wages isn't as big of gap so the market signals don't force parents to send all kids to college. [/quote]

This thinking seems upside down to me. It's missing some key context, which is that Europe has less income inequality than the US (for a variety of reasons that would make for a very long digression, so I won't go there). So the European system, which limits access to higher education, isn't building in quite as much income inequality as would happen if the same limits on higher education were implemented here. By contrast, there was an article just today, or maybe yesterday, in the Post citing research about the growing income gap in the US between high school-educated and college educated workers. So in the US, a college education is key for getting a good income, and restricting access to college would reinforce income inequality in this country.

While I like that European governments subsidize their universities more than we do, the limits on access mean that the privileged few are benefiting from these state subsidies.

I don't get your point about the "hollowing out of middle-skill undergrad degree holder jobs." It's true that more jobs require a master's degree these days. But that's no reason to shut people out of getting the prerequisite BA degree.

[/quote]

Pp you quoted. My last point precisely said what you did regarding income inequality. I know that's a huge market signal in this country that tells everyone to go to college even if it might not be he most optimal course of action.

The reason why more jobs ask for masters degrees now a days is precisely because of the flooding of ug degrees. For most jobs it's just a way to reduce the number of applicants to a more manageable level.

Furthermore quality grad degrees are filled with good students from quality ug programs - flooding the ug system with more and more kids for whom college is not the best answer isn't going to increase the quality of grad students.

But yes, until we fix the wage disparity between "college educated" and the trades/blue collar work, parents and kids will do anything to go to college - even if it means crushing financial decisions that more and more might not pay off.[/quote]

Awfully patronizing of you to identify large swaths of kids for whom you think "college isn't a good fit." Bet your own kid isn't in that group. [/quote]

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