Is College A Conspiracy?

United States
November 13, 2012 6:57pm CST
I just finished watching "Is College A Conspiracy?" and it played on several different thoughts I have had about college. After looking into getting my master's, I am again overwhelmed at the amount of money involved in taking classes, buying textbooks, and miscellaneous fees. I wish that at the end of all this, there was some kind of system set up to ensure that I will get a job in my field that will help me pay for these expenses. I am lucky to have gotten a bachelor's degree through scholarships and some of the money that I was able to save through working. I feel like I have reached a plateau in my field without having a Master's degree. I wish that there was another way. What do you think? Do you think that college is as necessary as we are taught throughout high school? How can the system be reformed to help students become work-ready instead of just being a big business to get their money?
4 responses
@Ella90 (6)
• Xian, China
24 Nov 12
i have been in my postgraduate life several months ,i don't know what should i do,and what can i do .
• United States
24 Nov 12
At least you took the step of getting into postgraduate. Are you thinking of changing programs or taking time off? What is your plan? All the best to you!
@katie0 (5203)
• Japan
15 Nov 12
I'm glad so many brilliant people are outhere to prove we don't need this kind of education to do something in life. It actually shapes people if they are not strong willed as there are many unecessary things we learn in school since we are little. Both people who went to college and those who didn't can make something big in their lives.
• United States
16 Nov 12
I also think that there are a lot of unnecessary topics covered in education. Have you ever heard Sir Ken Robinson talk about Changing Education Paradigms? He talks about how our culture and workplace have changed and our education system hasn't updated yet.
@jazel_juan (15747)
• Philippines
14 Nov 12
i have to agree that college and getting the master's really entails money.. and that is reality. i have been thinking of pursuing it too and i have been saving for it. I feel that somehow college and masters is still important though.. just sad because it is expensive.
• United States
16 Nov 12
Yeah, I still think they are important for a lot of people. What kind of degree would you like to get? Have you looked into any scholarships or fellowships?
• India
14 Nov 12
Hi habibti. I do agree that education has become a profession for many in modern times. But it would be wrong to say that only one side is getting benefited. I have been to many placement interviews. And I realize how important it is to have a degree of higher education. It definitely gives you a competitive edge over others. So I do agree with you partially but I am pretty sure that it is not a trap unless the university you are joining is not a well reputed industry in the market. Anyways have a nice day ... -SuperShames-
• United States
16 Nov 12
Yeah, I agree that education is important. Recently, I had the experience of walking into a place that I wanted to work for, having a great response from everyone there, they looked through my resume and said that they needed me and wanted to hire me on the spot! And then they saw that I didn't have a Master's degree and told me that they weren't allowed to hire me yet due to a policy... I am afraid that some types of academics only make people good for the world of academics, though. I have many friends in PhD. programs who are scared of their job prospects when they graduate. They are in marketable fields like Engineering, Computer Science, etc. and while their peers are moving up in corporations, chances are that they will become college professors. Also, I think that education doesn't need to be as expensive as it is currently. Even some of the top programs do not include placement programs and graduates have trouble getting jobs. If someone is paying that much for training, there had better be some kind of guarantee that they will be able to get a job to pay for it.