Internet education vs "Formal" education

[Brodaviing]

Howdy folks,

 

During one of the many hours that me and countless other youthlings are forced to waste in public schools, I was able to take philosophy classes. Before I get into it, let me give you just a little more information about schooling over here. Since I do not live in the states,(I live in the Netherlands) the public school system here works like this (in a nutshell): 

age 4-12 -> Primary school

age 12-17 -> Middle school (middle school varies from 4 to 6 years depending on education)

 

To get to the point: I had a discussion with my fellow students on getting a higher education after middle school. 

 

Personally I do not believe Higher education in it's current state is a worthy investment. 

If more than half of higher education students drop out in their first year, the entry requirements are way too easy on letting people in. I had also taken part in a participation day for the History Teacher education. There was a flag of the soviet union in the teachers' room, along with clear anti-right wing statements on the wall. There clearly was a political bias as I expected there to be.

Thanks to the Internet, I can access way more information and certainly more political views than I would probably get at High Schools. Seeing as my past 14 years of Public schooling have not thaught me anything about life, economy and surviving in a free market, I find it hard to believe that a higher education will. Also: who wants all this student debt.

Because attending school is mandatory until the age of 18 and most folks finish public schooling at age 17, everyone is basically forced into higher education.

 

I have learned more about the economy in 10 hours on the internet then over 2 years of economics class did. I finally have knowledge on how to increase my economic worth. Why would I enslave myself with debt and waste another 4 years of my life when I can find all of the knowledge, for FREE, on the internet. Is higher education worth the thousands of Euro's? No, I don't think so. Higher education has failed to compete against the internet. Their legacy depends on government influence and public ignorance.

 

Of course I was ridiculed for my stance, neither my fellow student nor the teacher was able to bring up an argument besides "The only way to survive in this economy is with a diploma". This argument is, of course, ridiculous. If a piece of paper is the only thing that defines whether or not you'll be successful, then truly the world needs some fixing.

 

 

I would really like to hear your thoughts on this. Has higher education lost it's value?

[Anuojat]

Relevant to this methinks:

 

[Blake Carrington]

What made the universities of old such intellectual powerhouses was their huge libraries and access to knowledge which wasn't readily available elsewhere.

 

Now you get access to the biggest library in human history for $20 a month.

 

Unless your chosen profession outright requires a liscence obtained through college, it's a waste of time and money.

[Reggio]

Totally agreeing with both prior posts. In my country, college is free, and I tried studying physics for three years. The teachers imo were conditioning the students to become sophisticated calculators. None of critical thinking in the education plan.

 

Now, if you are really really invested in something, university is sensible if you: get there, find out what you need to learn, then analyze which courses really bring you forward and skip all classes with incompetent teachers (which apparently are a lot). Learn at home and know where you are going. - For this kind of thinking, I would recommend to work before studying. Just a year or two, to learn the drill, feel responsible, have the time plan established and not get sidetracked by vices... I at least would do it that way now.

 

In short: University can still guide you in what to learn about a field, but not so much anymore in how.

[Romulox]

The typical student debt load is getting quite ridiculous, and kids graduating high school are not given even the slightest indication as to what the impact on their future might be.  Not to say that it isn't worth it in some circumstances, but here are a few questions that may be useful, assuming you were to pursue an economics degree in a university:

 

- Are you willing to bet tens of thousands of euros that an economics degree will actually land you a job in the field of economics?  Although it seems you like economics in theory, are you willing to bet that sum of money that you will enjoy economics in real-world practice?

 

- Assuming you get a job relevant to economics, if you find out being an economist in the real world isn't what you imagined or were told in school, would you be financially able to switch to a lower paying but more enjoyable career outside of your area of study while still paying off your debt?  Will you have a broad enough skillset and enough experience relevant to the real world to be able to switch to another career?

 

- If you are planning to have a family, would you be able to financially support a stay at home parent and one or more children on one income while paying off your student debt?  Would you be able to save money in advance to prepare for this stage of your life?

 

- If you have a family, and you decide to be a stay at home parent, will your degree have any value if you are out of the workforce for several years and decide to go back to work when the kids are grown?

 

In addition to what Stefan has to say, check out the School Sucks podcast; especially this one which I just listened to today that discusses, among other things, apprenticeship programs.  40 Alternatives to College by James Altucher is a short read that could spark some ideas for you as well. 

[Brodaviing]

Thank you all so much for the advice.

[Rventurelli]

The typical student debt load is getting quite ridiculous, and kids graduating high school are not given even the slightest indication as to what the impact on their future might be.  Not to say that it isn't worth it in some circumstances, but here are a few questions that may be useful, assuming you were to pursue an economics degree in a university:

 

- Are you willing to bet tens of thousands of euros that an economics degree will actually land you a job in the field of economics?  Although it seems you like economics in theory, are you willing to bet that sum of money that you will enjoy economics in real-world practice?

 

- Assuming you get a job relevant to economics, if you find out being an economist in the real world isn't what you imagined or were told in school, would you be financially able to switch to a lower paying but more enjoyable career outside of your area of study while still paying off your debt?  Will you have a broad enough skillset and enough experience relevant to the real world to be able to switch to another career?

 

- If you are planning to have a family, would you be able to financially support a stay at home parent and one or more children on one income while paying off your student debt?  Would you be able to save money in advance to prepare for this stage of your life?

 

- If you have a family, and you decide to be a stay at home parent, will your degree have any value if you are out of the workforce for several years and decide to go back to work when the kids are grown?

 

In addition to what Stefan has to say, check out the School Sucks podcast; especially this one which I just listened to today that discusses, among other things, apprenticeship programs.  40 Alternatives to College by James Altucher is a short read that could spark some ideas for you as well. 

Take into consideration as well, that most of the people with degrees in economics do not work as economists. Most of them become managers, sometimes in banks, sometimes in the local McDonald's. It is an area that to really work in the field you need at least a Master's degree.