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Originally posted by Southflorida-law:

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Originally posted by JALLEN:
Townhall.com
Kurt Schlichter
March 22, 2018

“Higher education” is terrible.

.....Today, academia’s product is largely garbage – gender studies, twisted history, and pointless sociology spin-offs like communications and political science.

Is this guy being ironic? According to his linkedin page he received a BA from University of California SD in.....Communications and Political Science......Maybe I have the wrong Kurt Schlichter?

State Bar of California says he is a grad of UCSD and Loyola Law School, admitted in December, 1994.

Townhall.com says:

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Kurt Schlichter (Twitter: @KurtSchlichter) was personally recruited to write conservative commentary by Andrew Breitbart. He is a successful Los Angeles trial lawyer, a veteran with a masters in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College, and a former stand-up comic.

Kurt is the author of the novels Indian Country and People’s Republic.

Kurt has been published in the New York Post, Washington Examiner, Los Angeles Times, Washington Times and elsewhere. He has also been a guest on Fox News, the Hugh Hewitt Show, the Dennis Miller Show, the John Phillips Show, the Tony Katz Show, the Greg Garrison Show, Geraldo, The Snark Factor, the Derek Hunter Show, and the WMAL Morning Show with Larry O’Connor, among others. He appears weekly on Cam and Company on NRA News.

Kurt rose to the rank of colonel (Infantry), commanded a cavalry recon squadron, and served in Desert Storm and Kosovo as well as multiple disaster operations. He lives in the South Bay area of Los Angeles where his hobbies include red meat and red wine.

Personally, I think the usefulness of a college degree is that it just opens doors. Employers won’t even consider you if you don’t have one.

I’ll be the first to admit that upbringing/work ethic/character/personality are much, much more important than any degree.

We all know “smart” people who are idiots. We all know people with little educational experience that can teach everything their is to know about life.

The only use a college degree is to get your foot into the door. It’s up to you to do the rest. As I’ve stated previously, I’ve had career type jobs that have no bearing on what I took in college. It just got me in front of the right people so they could check that one box off.

I honestly don’t remember anything I learned in college. The things I remember most are my experiences, and the learning I did on my own.

Not talking about the insane expense. Is college useful, yes.

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Originally posted by RAMIUS:
Ha! I couldn’t imagine the difficulties I’d have if I didn’t have a college degree. I feel sorry for the poor shlubs that don’t have one.

Well, you don't have to feel sorry for this poor shlub. This poor shlub retired last July with a home nearly paid for; two new-ish vehicles in the driveway, one paid for in cash; lifestyle unchanged from when he worked full-time, and investments that, so far, continue to gain--despite using some of it to supplement social security.

Meanwhile this poor shlub sees people on-line all the time whining about the college debt they cannot possibly pay off by the time they retire--if ever, and about the jobs in the fields for which their education prepared them being non-existent.

I think there is no right answer for everyone. But I especially think that the mantra that I was raised on of "You have to go to a good school to get a good degree so you can have a good life" is utter bullshit.

I have no degree. In fact I have zero college credits and have never stepped foot into a college class. I make six figures a year. I got my technical training in the Marine Corps as a radio repairman, found a job in electronics at a company after I got out making 33k a year and 17 years later I've turned that into what I make today through hard work alone. I am not special or particularly smart and I am not certainly not lucky. Anyone that started in the job that I did at that company had the ability to do what I did. Almost all of them had at least an associates degree and most had bachelors. They just didn't. I volunteered to learn new products and stay late and travel and work long hours and come in weekends. They didn't. So when the time for promotions or layoffs came the most valuable guy always won. I just happened to be that guy.

What I tell my kids is simply that they need to work hard now in order to give them as many options as possible. If they decide to go to a traditional 4 year university they they will be able to get into a good one if they work hard now. If they choose to join the military they can qualify for any job they want. And if they want to go to ditch digging school or be an infantry guy then I will be as proud of them as I will be if they are doctors or lawyers. As long as they chose the job and didn't have it forced upon them because they didn't work hard enough.

By poor schlub, I mean people who would actually benefit from a college degree and the doors it will open. I’ll make it even by addressing the poor schlubs who graduate with a non bullshit degree, yet can’t find a job.

Ensigmatic, I’m also guessing you’re not in your 20s...

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Originally posted by JALLEN:

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Originally posted by signewt:
"Sure, college isn’t for everyone, but I life is hard enough without a degree. During my life, I’ve switched through several careers, all made easier by the college degrees I have."

agree;

and largely agree with JAllen, as we seem to share the same year of college graduation;

I was fortunate the $ costs were modest enough my 3 part time jobs were (barely) adequate to pay for the experience, along with a couple of grants, uh....'scholarships'....

And those classes I took were essential, not for a direct trade/job/qualification of essential skills.

I had part time jobs, played in a dance band, took a full load of classes every semester, played in the Longhorn Band, and was a drilling Navy Reservist. I think I went on 3 or 4 dates those 4 years. Finance was not only my major, but my constant worry and challenge.

It wasn’t the degree, particularly, or wouldn’t have been, without the skills and discipline behind it. The degree was the shorthand assurance that I had accomplished something valuable, worthwhile, not merely able to check that box on the form.

I had finished 11 years of active duty army and several years of working with IBM as a customer engineer and 2 years of that as the only maintenance support for an Air Force commo site in Germany.

I spent my entire college career (under grad and Master's programs) working full time while carrying a full time credit load. IBM work week was at least 50 hours, often 60-70.

The same year I started college, we decided to acquire a second house, which was only rough framed when we bought it. For 4 years our work week was:

My 50-60 IBM workload
12 credit hour college workload
2 hours travel starting midnite Friday to get to that new house we were building
about 8-10 hours a day building house
another 6+ hours a day doing homework
Sunday night 2 hour drive back home, another couple to study for Monday classes, and whatever time was left for sleeping.

I have some trouble feeling real sorry for young people today who cannot seem to handle nothing other than attending classes at some university or other.

And, when one considers that so many of the "graduates" today seem to have majored in something about the level of underwater basket weaving.

When I graduated college in 2002 age 49, I applied at a local municipal utility authority. The job I applied for was a water treatment plant operator. The Executive Director who interviewed me asked why, with a college degree would I want to run a water plant. I told him I don't but want to get my foot in the door. Six months later I was in the Engineering department. No one in the company ever made the jump from field worker to management. The degree got me in.

I know a lot of smart people that don't have degrees in anything except hard work and experience

I know a lot of really mentally challenged people that have degrees

I think the comment that a degree was merely a screening tool is probably pretty accurate these days

I bet this guy wishes he went to college and actually learned what he was doing:


The co-designer of the deadly Kansas waterslide that decapitated a 10-year-old boy was arrested late Monday at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

John Schooley, 72, was detained after arriving on a flight from China, the U.S. Marshals Service announced. He was charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 41 years in prison.

Schooley, who was indicted by a grand jury in Kansas last month, also faces charges of aggravated battery and aggravated endangerment of a child.

Caleb Schwab, the son of Kansas state Rep. Scott Schwab, a Republican, died at Schlitterbahn Waterparks and Resorts two years ago while riding the 17-foot slide called Varruckt, which is German for “insane.” The raft he was riding went airborne and hit an overhead loop.

Three men connected with the Texas-based waterpark and its park in Kansas City, Kan., have been indicted by a Kansas grand jury.

Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeffrey Henry, 62, was also charged with reckless second-degree murder, along with Henry & Sons Construction Co., which is described as the private construction company of Schlitterbahn.

They also were charged with 17 other felonies tied to injuries other riders sustained on the giant slide.

The indictment accuses Henry of making a "spur of the moment" decision to build the ride. It also said he and Schooley lacked technical or engineering expertise in amusement park rides.

The indictment claims Schooley was responsible for doing "the math" that went into the slide's design and signed an operations manual claiming the ride met all American Society for Testing and Materials standards. But the indictment listed a dozen instances in which the design violated those standards and claimed Schooley lacked the technical expertise to properly design a complex amusement ride such as Verruckt.

The indictment said Schooley admitted: "If we actually knew how to do this, and it could be done that easily, it wouldn't be that spectacular."

The same grand jury also indicted the Kansas City park and Tyler Austin Miles, its former operations manager, on 20 felony charges. The charges includes a single count of involuntary manslaughter in Schwab's death. Miles has been released on $50,000 bond, according to one of his attorneys, Tricia Bath.

According to the indictments, Henry decided in 2012 to build the world's tallest waterslide to impress the producers of a Travel Channel show. Henry's desire to "rush the project" caused the company to "skip fundamental steps in the design process."

“Not a single engineer was directly involved in Verruckt's dynamic engineering or slide path design," the indictment said.

The indictment said that in 2014, when there were news reports emerging about airborne rafts, a company spokesperson "discredited" them and Henry and his designer began "secretly testing at night to avoid scrutiny."

The indictment listed 13 injuries during the 182 days the ride was in operation, including two concussions. In one of those cases, a 15-year-old girl went temporarily blind.

The Schwab family reached settlements of nearly $20 million with Schlitterbahn and various companies associated with the design and construction of the waterslide. The two women who rode on the same raft with Caleb suffered serious injuries and settled claims with Schlitterbahn for an undisclosed amount.


link

It honestly depends on the person. I spend 7 years at my college and wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I met my wife there, my core group of friends, figured out what I wanted to do with my life, and learned two languages I definitely wouldn't have otherwise. I studied twice in Germany and once in HK and have friends for life from both of those that I visit when I can.

I paid my entire college loan off 3 years after I graduated and I paid for everything myself, minus grants from my state.

I will admit I was a minority being a conservative on campus and most of my friends were liberal going through it. On a positive note, we can at least discuss beliefs/views without being assholes.

I am with Mike Rowe and his perspective on college.

I understand the push on kids of my generation (80's-born kids) was over-bearingly "you HAVE to go to college to be ANYTHING." and now that colleges are most notable for "brainwashing" and being of one intolerant political mindset, there's a big pushback to NOT go to college.

Why can't we just have a happy medium. "Pick a career you want, and do the required schooling for it."

whether that's a carpenter, welder, electrician, plumber, doctor, lawyer, teacher, writer, etc.

That's what I tell and will continue to tell people, my kids, my students, etc. Find out what you want to do, and work toward it.

The biggest thing I get though is that young kids don't know what they want to do. I was 26 before I knew what I wanted to do occupationally. So If you don't know what you want to do, then go somewhere that will help you find out - job fairs, career seminars, or *gasp* college! take some classes, do some learning, etc.

What happened to the desire to teach kids to have an open mind and let them figure shit out for themselves? because all this generational "you mUST go to college" now to this "Dont go to college" bullshit flipflopping cant be great either.

as for debt, that's a whole different and equally important but subjective discussion that comes along with what the kid wants to do/pursue.

If a student goes to college to party, and get a worthless, unmarketable degree, it's spot on.

If a student goes to college to study, and gets a worthwhile, marketable degree, it's bullshit.

The problem is, for a lot of really worthwhile, good earning careers, a college degree is the cost of entry.

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Originally posted by Elk Hunter:

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An ARMY of vice-presidents, senior administrative assistants, deputy depart chair, Dean of Student Diversity, Assistant to the President of the Institute on so-forth, etc. along with salaries that are north of $85,000 a year.

This is a complete bulls eye! ...

Not to quibble, but if you are talking of colleges in CA, you can double that amount.

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Originally posted by Ryanp225:The public school system makes all of the kids believe that you MUST get at minimum a bachelors degree.

The high school system today is just an "in loco parentis" baby-sitting industry, where kids are advanced through social promotion rather than based on any knowledge they accrue. "Graduates" are functionally illiterate and practically unemployable. "Go to college" they say, to keep the reality of adult life at bay a few more years. Hey, Obama wanted these cupcakes to be under their parents' umbrellas until they were 26. Small wonder, eh?

There is a kid working part-time at the store where I work part-time. He is 21-ish and is moving to California in two months. He wants to be a musician and a movie star!

He has all the personality of a shrub and spends every moment not working with customers viewing anime videos on the company's point-of-sale computer (which is a violation of company policy, but I digress). I'd say his chances of living his dream are slim and none.

And Slim is walking out the door.

My degree that I worked and paid for out of pocket has me in the position I have now.

I would be making half of what I do without it, even with the 35 years experience.

When I first got out of school, I had to buy experience with low pay and long hours at multiple jobs. Took about 10 years to start seeing better compensation.

15 years in education at a soul killing job gave me the experience to triple my salary back in the corporate world.

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“Not a single engineer was directly involved in Verruckt's dynamic engineering or slide path design," the indictment said.

Can't help but wonder what local code & zoning license & inspection process steps were somehow overlooked, along with the list of indictments by the parties already named.

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Originally posted by fpuhan:...The high school system today is just an "in loco parentis" baby-sitting industry, where kids are advanced through social promotion rather than based on any knowledge they accrue. "Graduates" are functionally illiterate and practically unemployable. "Go to college" they say, to keep the reality of adult life at bay a few more years....

Maybe a slight drift, reading your comment made me think of the Hogg fellow re the recent shooting. He had something like a 4.0+ gpa, but scored low on the SAT, did not get accepted into any of the UC colleges. That would seem to fit. His HS education was filled with warm fuzzies, but not much brain conditioning.

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Originally posted by BBMW:
If a student goes to college to party, and get a worthless, unmarketable degree, it's spot on.

If a student goes to college to study, and gets a worthwhile, marketable degree, it's bullshit.

It’s not as binary as this. There are plenty of capable, talented individuals in your second category who barely break even on college.

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Originally posted by Scoutmaster:

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Originally posted by fpuhan:...The high school system today is just an "in loco parentis" baby-sitting industry, where kids are advanced through social promotion rather than based on any knowledge they accrue. "Graduates" are functionally illiterate and practically unemployable. "Go to college" they say, to keep the reality of adult life at bay a few more years....

Maybe a slight drift, reading your comment made me think of the Hogg fellow re the recent shooting. He had something like a 4.0+ gpa, but scored low on the SAT, did not get accepted into any of the UC colleges. That would seem to fit. His HS education was filled with warm fuzzies, but not much brain conditioning.

He scored 1270 on his SAT (math/verbal). Is that low to you?

As usual, there is no general rule about college... Some people shouldn't go and never recoup their money. Some people absolutely should go but do not. Some people make a lot of money without a degree. Plenty of other degree holders are vastly underachieving in the workplace.

There are plenty of jobs that can be performed without a degree. But there are a whole lot of jobs that you can not get if you don't have a degree, and a specific one, at that. So it comes down to "what do you want to do?" If you want to be an architect, engineer, doctor, lawyer, banker, accountant, etc., then you need a degree. Or two.

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Originally posted by YellowJacket:...He scored 1270 on his SAT (math/verbal). Is that low to you?...

Reportedly, it wasn't high enough to get into any UC schools where he applied.

As I commented earlier, my son got close to a 4.0 GPA in high school. IIRC he got all A's, but a B in his "leadership" class. He was a class officer, but was an Eagle Scout and used leadership principles he learned in BSA, which offended the teacher, who punished him on his report card. He got into a good 4 year college, mentioned that HS did nothing to prepare him to think/perform on a college level.

In contrast, I know those in my hard nosed high school who took the CLEP exam and in one day got full college credit for 48 hours, all of the general ed classes, started college as sophomores.