Favorite Genre

[Jackarandajam]

There's two things happening in the US here. The first, Millennials were over-sold on a college degree, which didn't work out in the long run for some people and had a spiraling effect on things, like jobs asking for a degree that don't need one with wages that don't justify one. As parents, Millennials aren't pushing college the way it was pushed on them, and college enrollment is expected to decline. The second, the leftist political forces at these colleges has reached a breaking point for many people on the right, which has turned many of them against college, which in turn has pushed colleges even more to the left as they have fewer and fewer right-wing students and staff. But none of that will, for example, hinder their role in research, which happens primarily at the universities which are most equipped to continue thriving, or hinder the role of lawyers, doctors and engineers in the country. It is likely to worsen the teacher shortage, though.




We are, so no more questions, I'll ask everyone to wrap up their thoughts quickly.

I would only add to this that we live in what is the greatest information age in the history of humanity, despite it being so despicably handled (not by anyone in particular).

Higher education, with its astronomical prices and mediocre practical results, seems to be at war with everyone's exponentially increased ability to access information rather than evolving with this change.

I think in a perfect world that (good) teachers should make more than professional athletes, so I understand having to pay professors and staff. I don't have the answers, but in the same way that after the pandemic prices went up and then kinda never went back down and policies still haven't gone back to being as customer-friendly as they were before, higher education seems to be ramping up its gatekeeping in the face of much higher levels of increased access to information in the world.

Basically I think the whole system is archaic in that it is still largely pre-internet in philosophy. Yeah, there are online courses and stuff, but the internet changes more than just how to charge people.

The Great Courses seems to me to be more in line with the future of higher education than phoenix university, if that makes sense.

 

[Jackarandajam]

In conclusion, higher education COULD become the across-the-board standard for any and every job by reducing prices and exponentially raising the number and specificity of subjects.
Imagine if there was a university streaming service. If I want to work in, say, plastic recycling, I look up a course on the subject, sign up, and between a laptop and the TV complete the very specific course in a matter of weeks. I add the education to my resume, apply and get the job. If i show promise, the company then maybe funds my continued education on the subject.
Same with trade schools (you would take your certificate on theory in to work on your practicals) or hobbies or anything else.

Using this system, it would be reasonable for employers to expect to see a course completion on a resume to show that the applicant has genuine interest in pretty much any job, and the applicant wouldn't have had to put their life and financial comfort completely on hold for a huge chunk of time just for a chance to get the position.

Colleges/Universities are still the required standard for being considered educated on a subject, but refuse to educate people the way they need or the way the internet now allows. They wont let go of that control, even though it is common knowledge that much of the information taught (and charged heavily for) is pretty useless for real world application.

 

[Jackarandajam]

Finally, I think space fantasy is a genre that's going to really pop off in the coming years. Wizards and Laser Guns.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I think the main difference in universities comes down to admittance criteria (and money).

In the Netherlands, the system is simply. If you graduate high school, and you've followed the right courses in high school, then you can study at whichever university you want. There are no admittance exams. There is no difference in tuition fees. This makes all universities pretty even.

On the other hand, if you can select students at the gate, then you get a system where one university becomes more prestigious than another. Once you get there, you can ask a higher tuition fee, which in turn makes you more exclusive and desireable. It creates a very different dynamic. And it starts not with rich alumni giving you lots of money. It started with creating an environment which allowed people to become rich alumni in the first place.

Money is probably also one of the driving factors in the desireability of getting a university degree. If you have to pay a lot of money for your degree, then there comes a point where it's simply not worth doing so from an economic perspective. Just getting a job and working 4 years, earning money and getting experience, instead of paying a lot of money then becomes the sensible thing to do.

 

[pmmg]

So...we should take our last shot at the education topic?

Do you think part of why they are dropping in esteem is because they have gone from being places of learning and discovery for their own sake, to places to segregate and perpetuate an elite? Like so many other institutions they have been tainted by the change in focus to money, power and privilege.

Based on the frame you have presented, I don't expect there would be much agreement between us, but the short answer is 'No, I dont think that."

But, I don't know that I can answer the question without becoming 'too political' and drifting it further away from topic. so, I'll just have to pass.

 

[Super Fantasy]

Realistic fantasy, future revolution, future dystopia, future utopia, future technology.