No context at all since useless degrees are a drag on the “positive externalities”.
Student loans
- Thread starter msstate7
- Start date
No context at all since useless degrees are a drag on the “positive externalities”.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
I'm ok with severing subsidies to higher education as long as it is part of a deal. Sever all transfers from those with college degrees to those without. Of course this will still leave unimpaired the ability of those without college degrees to enjoy all the other wonderful positive externalities (notably technological spillovers) associated with being part of a country with a well-educated population. I am not so heartless as to want to deprive them of that.
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chop2chip
Well-known member
I personally benefitted from higher education. I’d recommend if someone asked me and they were serious about pursuing a career.
The problem with higher education is that it’s marketed to everyone as the silver bullet for a successful life. If you are going to college to join a fraternity and party for 3 years with the plan of figuring your life out later, you might as well ask for shackles on orientation date.
chop2chip
Well-known member
I wonder who built the homes the college degrees sleep in.
How about we create ROIs for all degrees and only provide student loans for useful ones?
But we know you wouldn’t support that because that would make half of funding to college disappear over night.
He doesn’t care about those people.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
There are students who are pissing away their parents' (or someone's) money. I've actually come to have an appreciation for those students. They provide a roundabout (and undoubtedly inefficient) subsidy to the other students. "Full freighters" is the term. Of course, in some cases they are pissing away taxpayers money. That I think schools have a responsibility to avoid by being careful about who they admit. But I will say it is still worth taking chances on students from disadvantaged backgrounds, even while acknowledging and understanding that a higher proportion of them will wash out.
acesfull86
Well-known member
...such as?
Gotta admit, without knowing all the details, the basic outline of this deal has me intrigued.
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chop2chip
Well-known member
Universities could do this themselves through price discrimination policies. If Spanish degrees aren’t as valuable as a computer science degree, then they shouldn’t cost as much.
Another fine alternative.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
That would be the hard working blue collar construction workers of America.
You may be relieved to be informed that they were paid for their labor.
chop2chip
Well-known member
It’s not secret that “full freighters” provide ample revenue streams to support bloated administrations.
I wonder how many positive externalities these full freighters provide society.
You’re asking everyone to pay your people for no labor related activities though.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
The ROI of a class on art history or Russian poetry is pretty high. I don't mind if the computer science department in some convoluted way provides subsidies to those departments. It is to the benefit of computer science students to have their horizons broadened. Sorry for the elitist take.
chop2chip
Well-known member
We should all be fine with society paying blue collar workers money to learn Latin. Positive externalities
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
As I said it is an inefficient way to subsidize the educational system. But we can't stop their parents (or grandparents) from funding them. None of us are gonna refuse such generosity from a stranger.
nsacpi
Expects Yuge Games
I live five minutes from a pretty good art museum. I see people from all walks of life enjoying the same exhibits I do. Sorry for the egalitarian take. Art is for everyone. Even construction workers and computer programmers.
