How do you feel about college or universities
 

Do you think they are a waste of time or something everyone should do?

Whats your take on it



I look at it as big business

Many students, especially those who are poor, intuitively know what the schools do for them. They school them to confuse process and substance. Once these become blurred, a new logic is assumed: the more treatment there is, the better are the results; or, escalation leads to success. The pupil is thereby "schooled" to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new. His imagination is "schooled" to accept service in place of value. Medical treatment is mistaken for health care, social work for the improvement of community life, police protection for safety, military poise for national security, the rat race for productive work. Health, learning, dignity, independence, and creative endeavour are defined as little more than the performance of the institutions which claim to serve these ends, and their improvement is made to depend on allocating more resources to the management of hospitals, schools, and other agencies in question.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-illic.htm

I think education is something everyone should do. Whether you do it at an institution like a college or university is another story though.

Education is good, more is better.

I agree, it's a huge business and not much more these days. At least in the US.

If you want a career in a "professional" field such as a doctor or lawyer you need it.

If you want a career in a field more based on thinking than memorization of a million facts you don't need it :)

If you are just out of highschool, have no clue what you want to do and are of average intellegence you need it these days becuase companies want the non-thinking conforming worker drones that colleges crank out (this covers the vast majority of college students)

I considered it a place to learn how to learn. Might sound weird but if you're going to make it, you need to learn and learn quickly. The topics they teach will get outdated within 5-6 years, so its really the ability to handle the skills of learning quickly and I use what I learnt everyday... It also provides a great security should this business fail.
WG

Education is great you are absolutely right. However these days college is not education it is a requirement. Education is just as easily gained through experience and self-education.

Most people go to college becuase they have to, not becuase they want to. When you go becuase you want to learn it's education. When you want to go because mommy and daddy say you have to go or move out then it's 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th grade.

school is great but basically teachers base theirselves upon books. you can therefore skip the middleman and learn by yourself throughout theory and experience. however it sometimes help to have the paper. i say school is great and even if some people bash it it doesnt take away from the fact that its the best learning method (as far as theoryis concerned). add a little experience and your balanced. not for everyone tho

yeah, those history classes really get outdated quick, don't they

something everyone should do if they can, but not 100% necessary..
a good college is more valuable for the implicit qualities, not what is literally taught in class - you will polish yourself off.

I did group project after group project, presentation after presentation. It taught me how to work well with others, deal with hardships and deadlines, and most importantly: how to communicate and act in business situations. It also teaches you how to think. No college graduate will 100% apply what they learned from the classroom into reality, that goes for doctors as well. Everything you learn is taught on the job, in medical school, etc. College though helps you develop your mental, social, communication, and a slew of other skills. Not to mention, if you pick the right school, it will be the best time of your life.

I agree that what you said is the real "value" in college. However you can also compare that to swimming in the kiddy pool :) Jump in the deep end with real situations and you learn faster. At least I do. Granted the consequences are quite different but to each his/her own :)

The importance of school depends on the individual. If you think you need it you better go. If you go into a profession to become a doctor or lawyer you need it obviously.

I went for one year and couldn't wait to get out. I have always been self motivated and a self learner. In fact I love studying and learning, on my own... For as long as I can remember though the most important thing for me was to make money and college does not teach that.

To each his own. But I do agree the education system is one big ass money maker...

The percentage of non-college graduates driving Lamborghinis is very low I bet, compared to all Lamborghini owners :) The amount of non-college graduates driving lamborghinis period is probably miniscule. There are exceptional people, and because they are exceptional - they are the exceptions :) To the majority of people who don't attend college, they will be working in mid to low level jobs their entire lives. There is statistical evidence of this. It's an individuals choice if they want to play the odds.

The problem is everyone goes these days.

When we interview for a tech position 9 out of 10 people we interview went to school for computers becuase... "i heard i could make good money", "it sounded good", "i just picked it", "my mom told me it was a good idea", etc. They waste our time and the time & money of the company who eventually hires them. They have no ability, no real desire or passion for computers or programming they just have a piece of paper which says they know how to. That piece of paper, 9 out of 10 times, is full of shit :)

Actually you would be suprised. Most people driving Lamborghinis are the "exceptional people" (shamless, I know). Seriously tho, most are business owners, athletes, hollywood people, etc. You would be suprised how many don't. Of course I'm sure more do, but I think the % that don't would be higher than you think.

I'm not bashing college at all. It's just become more about business than education in the past 10-20 years as everyone "needs" to go.