Baked into the discussion of student debt is the idea that the function of education is to prepare someone to work, that it is a ticket for the ride of employment. This is a dangerously toxic notion that deserves no respect. Education is learning, literally anything.
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The role of education is to have enlightened, informed people, so their decisions, their values, and their relationships will be comprehensively informed by more facts and ideas, broader philosophy and comprehension. It makes society better when people are educated,
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This idea that you spend money on an education as a cover charge to a career should be laughed out of the room. Most people don't work professionally in their field of study, but their studies helped form and complete them as people, and that is actually a better use of them.
Does a butcher need a degree? Fuck yes. Classics, physics, painting, dance, pick one. I absolutely want a broadly-educated population, with every house a little study group and every person an expert in some ridiculous arcane specialty. Yes, yes, please let us have that world.
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Spent 4.5 years on an engineering degree. Now drive a fire engine (when not training the next generation of firefighters).
Life is funny like that...
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Thank you. The exposure to the diversity of people, thought is the education
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So much this. I’m a pro musician with a degree in Swedish. No obvious link, but I KNOW my time at uni (the education and the life experience) made me the person I am now.
(Caveat: I did this when UK uni education was free. Not sure I’d take on the debt now… which is sad.)
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I am old and lucky enough to have a free, arcane degree from one of the worlds best universities. The value: as a trump card when people brag about their education. "Maths, Cambridge" beats almost any hand. Awesome three years of my life, too.
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I started liking these posts and then looked up and noticed it was the Shellac dude. Always admired you, you're a legend, glad you're also a good person.
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If you are taking out a loan and using college to enlighten yourself then that’s on you and no form of financial support should be given. If you choose not to use that education to excel on a career path then don’t go whining that you can’t pay it back.
Still in debt for an MFA degree, not that ANY art job was ever going to pay a living wage. I tried, but never a possibility.
I do not regret grad school, don't get me wrong.