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A new ‘solution’ to student homelessness: a parking lot where students can sleep safely in their cars (hechingerreport.org)
submitted 11 months ago by to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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[–] 3 points 11 months ago (5 children)

I think it can be. The problem is colleges and student loan businesses pushing the idea that (expensive student-loan available) college is necessary for a job.

Only certain jobs really need a degree, like medical, engineering, aviation, finance, etc. and probably in the arts it could be helpful, but anything that a proficiency that can be demonstrated with a certificate and/or skill like programming, welding, whatever… yeah. Degrees shouldn’t really be a thing.

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  • [–] 6 points 11 months ago (3 children)

    Higher education is necessary. Most kids coming out of high school are incapable of almost anything except basic labor jobs. As our industries get more complex, skilled trained people are more and more necessary.

    Certificates/degrees are incredibly valuable.

    There are base skills everyone learns from an associates degree regardless of the focus.

    Like adult skills. Managing time. Being responsible. Learning how to interact with others professionally. Learning to write better. And some better math skills.

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  • [–] 9 points 11 months ago (2 children)

    Yes, but everything you listed is the kind of crap we should be teaching in high school, and aren't. That's because America has a fascination with transforming our middle and high schools into tiny little prisons and disciplinary systems rather than places where education happens.

    In a theoretical correctly functioning modern society, college absolutely should not be necessary to earn a living except if you wish to enter a specialized field where a significant degree of additional training and accreditation is required in order to, among other things, ensure public safety. If you want to be a doctor or dentist, lawyer, architect, critical infrastructure engineer, etc., then yes. Absolutely, there should be a degree for that.

    No one should be attempting to demand with any kind of straight face that it should be "required" to have a nonspecific bullshit degree to get a job in sales, marketing, retail or even retail management, graphic design, programming, etc. In fact, the vast majority of both white collar and blue collar jobs in reality have absolutely nothing to do with getting a degree other than showing employers that you're Willing To Play The Game.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago*

    I mean yeah I agree. High school is a good place to learn adult skills. But it's not been used for that in a long time.

    I think college or tech school is still incredibly valuable. I think people need more education than k-12.

    If a job can be done by someone with a high school diploma only, it can be done by a machine or a computer.

    Human minds are capable of so much more. I genuinely believe most people are capable of being experts at something. Of being exceptional at something. But they don't get the chance to find out what that is when higher education is unavailable to them.

    I think most people need higher education past high school. It's not just for specializing either.

    It's the skills of self discipline and using tools. Resources.

    Navigating professional interactions. And of course, critical thinking which is something that needs to be fostered for longer periods of time.

    This isn't taught in k-12. It's actually discouraged in k-12.

    Talk to 18 year olds. They are practically babies. They can't do anything. They need more time to develop.

    Also you should question why people like the GOP and heritage foundation really really want to keep people from getting a higher education.

    Dont align yourself with their agenda. There are very good reasons why restricting higher education will make us more easily manipulated and submissive.

    There are reasons why higher education is related to being a socialist and in support of equality. And against fascism. And it's not indoctrination.

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  • [–] 2 points 11 months ago

    I'd argue school has always been prisonlike but it's gotten more overt. It's a complete mess. The Game is rigged so hard that it's not worth playing. I cannot in good faith tell a young person to focus on school work and getting into a good college because it didn't work for me. If I was 14 again I'd coast through high school getting mostly Cs and learn stuff on own time. (Remember kids you gotta do Both, not just The former)

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