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Grad school is (or has been for the last decade or two) the new bachelor's degree.

Modern education doesn't do much for me. It seems like a lot of folks with business degrees are working at jobs such as a 'sales associate' at places like Eddie Bauer on the mall.

Sure... there are still REAL schools that teach engineering but 90% of the degrees I see appear to be 'feel good' educations that don't have a chance of paying the bills... much less having the ability of paying off the attached student loans.

Yes.... college is the new high school but still doesn't promote common sense. I'd venture a guess that most college grads can't even balance a checkbook!

I know, I know.... what's a checkbook?

I think it depends on the major. I was a math major, and it seemed far more intense and serious than majors like history or "American studies." Are you in college to get *a* degree of any kind, or in a major that has real potential? Not to mention that many high schools are complete **** shows right now anyway. If college is the new high school, what is high school?

Regarding graduation rates... You are *supposed* to graduate. Yes, its possible to fail or quit, but still, you are there to graduate. Seeing posted rates has no effect on me, i don't care if other people don't graduate.

What? Now we're criticizing efforts to increase graduation rates?

The pressure to do that is coming from legislators who broadly speaking accept the overall perspective on higher ed embodied in this thread. Colleges are advertising graduation rates because people who see college the way most of you guys do are pushing it.

A war of all against all, I guess.

LJV wrote:Today's engineering degrees seem to produce people even less capable of engineering (or even learning on the job post school to engineer) anything than in the past. Most are more qualified and interested in "engineering sales."

"Descriptive geometry, what's that? Let me check my smartphone..."

Trig functions?? Slide rule?? Logarithms?? What in the hell are those things?

Ain't nuttin' wrong with being a sales engineer as long as you start by being a REAL engineer.

Back in the day, we weren't even allowed to use templates to draw geometric shapes... much less use CAD software on a computer. I remember that my first four-function calculator that had trig functions on it cost over $200!

Sittin' here, jest a' gigglin'...

I saw this topic about an hour ago, came back a minute or so ago and it is the usual suspects expressing their usual opinions in their usual way..

You guys are so easily trolled...

Jeff "Big hook and worm" Benedict

bloke wrote: - This viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53197 is a far better troll.

Huh. I didn't read that as a troll at all. I thought it was a guy who in all seriousness has $20k burning a hole in his pocket and is in all seriousness about to make an expensive and embarrassing mistake.

bloke wrote:

The Big Ben wrote:Sittin' here, jest a' gigglin'...

I saw this topic about an hour ago, came back a minute or so ago and it is the usual suspects expressing their usual opinions in their usual way..

You guys are so easily trolled...

Jeff "Big hook and worm" Benedict

- Notice my first post...' admitted troll-awareness right there.
- ' then received a p.m. from o.p. indicating that the thread is not a troll.
- Methinks Eggs' "above-the-fray" types of comments are part of the stir that trolls seek to create.
- Trolls (besides popcorn) can also draw out some trvth.
- This viewtopic.php?f=2&t=53197 is a far better troll.

It's just that some of you guys are so... predictable.

bloke wrote: After 90% is taken off the top (plus "administrative costs"), 5% of the *lotto dough goes towards "Hope Scholarships".
- Tons of folks (fulla "Hope") warm seats in kolijez.

I love the "Hope" scholarship/lottery. I never bought a single lottery ticket, and never will, but it helped put both my kids through college. They both have great careers with excellent futures making double or triple what I do, and not yet 40 yrs old. I'm laughing all the way to the bank. If a kid applies himself and works his butt off there is "Hope". By the way, in Georgia, 30% of the lottery proceeds wind up in education, either "HOPE" or pre-K. That amounted to almost $700,000,000 for "HOPE" last year. I love it. Costs me nothing cause I don't play.

bort wrote:If college is the new high school, what is high school?

A sense of decency prevents my attempt at answering your question. In most cases, it isn't pretty.

bloke wrote:Your kids may well make triple what you make, but they'll be very lucky indeed if their paper dollars will be worth 1/10 of what yours today are worth... Plus, they'll owe their "share" (assuming a stable population...and no interest accrued on the $116T: about $400K per individual family member) of the c. $116T.

Joe, You might need to move to another country where your prospects might be better. It would of course have to have an up and coming musical instrument industry and be wide open to new capital and investment. China?...............................no wait, they are communist aren't they?

bloke wrote:I would tend to wonder how many baccalaureate candidates can pass a General Educational Development test. That having been put forth, I would tend to wonder how much General Educational Development tests have been degraded since they were first developed.

I would have to guess it's been watered down a lot. Let's just say I'm verrrry close to someone who passed the thing at age 23 after only finishing the 8th grade.