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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, by all means let's all get degrees that yield the highest salary possible without any culture or education.  No wonder we are all so miserable.  Who do you think is going to teach your kids in high school? Who will run the museums? Who will you buy a car from?  Get off your high horse and figure out now to make education (in any field) morse affordable instead of bashing the thinkers of the society.  [/quote]
I agree in an idealistic sort of way that it ought to be different.  Show me a petition that says teachers should be paid more and I'll sign it, but we both know that's not going to help anything.  I think the key is being smart about choices.  For example, teachers don't need to go to GW to be teachers.  Same with nursing.  If DC wanted to do either of those things then DC would be doing 2 years at junior college and then transferring into Mason on in-state tuition and finishing out with no debt.  If DC #2 is a mediocre student, but seems to have his father's knack for fixing things then DC is going to look hard at becoming a master electrician instead of "giving college a try" and coming out with no degree and saddled with debt.  He may also look at the military since that may be the best of both worlds as far as cultivating skill in a trade and also giving him the option for a debt free education should he decide later that working on submarines isn't his thing.[/quote]

I am the one you are responding to.  We don't disagree on much.  I completely agree that college is not for everyone.  It can actually make talented people feel lesser than (meaning they could be a lot happier in a field that doesn't require all that work to get a degree).  I am just not in favor for mocking people who choose to get a LA degree even if their earning potential is not great.  We should embrace the thinkers, the artists, the historians just as much as we embrace the money makers.  I'm just seeing a cultural shift towards money making that is not healthy.  [/quote]

PP here.  I agree that we seem to be on generally the same page and I also agree that we need thinkers, social scientists, artists, etc.  I think part of the problem is that everything has gotten so ridiculously expensive that people choosing those degrees and occupations really need to go into it with their eyes open to the reality of the post-graduation landscape.  You simply can't go to GW and then become a junior high art teacher.  You will end up paying on student loans until you retire and will never be able to actually "retire" or own a home in this area.  It's a sad, sad state of affairs, but I'm not sure that anybody has the answers on what we ought to be doing about it.
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I agree that people should be smart about where they go. I went to a small, relatively unknown school because they gave me a full ride instead of Georgetown where I would have been in huge debt.  I did however graduate with a BA in liberal arts and will never regret it.  The answer is more affordable education.  It simply doesn't cost $55,000/year to educate a freshman at GW.  It's inflated and ridiculous. [/quote]

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