1044 sats \ 1 reply \ @anon 29 Jan \ parent \ on: What are some solid alternatives to college/university? Education
Not to shame people, but just to learn the examples of where and how college goes wrong need to be discussed much more. You give some good possible examples. Not completing your degree, picking a degree with little or no direct job market, and switching to an easier degree should all be big red flags to parents. You do not have to have your whole life figured out and planned. You just need a basic approach to get some skills that are in demand in the job market and you can gradually build from there. Parents and the students should constantly ask what are they/I going to be able to do with this degree? Is this going to make my whole life better in the long term or is this just the easy thing to do right now that I'll probably regret later?
write
preview
this territory is moderated
108 sats \ 0 replies \ @Signal312 OP 25 Apr
I got some more examples in the past month. And I'm really not explicitly looking for them, they just came up.
  • Acquaintance and I were talking about kids. His 21 year old son graduated from college and had "apartment issues". I don't know what the details were, but he's now living at home, and apparently is looking for a job only very unenergetically. And doesn't have one.
  • Son of another acquaintance. Graduated from college with a degree in something like veterinary tech. Couldn't find a job, eventually took a job at a fast food place.
  • Son of friend in the neighborhood. Graduated from a name brand college with a dual degree in biology/chemistry. Has been at home with parents now for months. Nothing is happening in terms of a job. He's apparently great to have around, agreeable, does things with the parents as opposed to hanging out in the basement playing video games. But still, not what supposedly people go to college for to do.
I'm actually NOT opposed to kids living at home for a while. And I don't necessarily think that people need to immediately sign up for life for "real" jobs.
However, these are not kids working on passion projects or traveling to interesting places instead of getting a "real" job. They're just hanging out at home with parents, kind of depressed.
reply