The Job Market and Why College Students actually can’t get jobs
Ms. Weeks actually touched on the real problem with college education and that was the job market. The average student loan debt for 2013 was only $30,000 which is easily payable if you have a job. And in recent times that is a big if. Unemployment without a college degree is 17% and with a degree it is 7%. Not exactly a bright outlook. She also correctly stated that Obama wants more graduates. However, she failed to mention he wants more community colleges to participate in programs (see previous blog on why its more affordable) and he wants people to have majors that are actually needed (in extremely high demand) mainly the STEM fields (Science Technology Engineering and Math). STEM majors have been and will always be in demand the truth of the matter is we are not producing enough of them. STEM majors come out of school making more than most families make in the U.S. (most families make a little less than $50,000 btw). The truth is not everyone is capable of succeeding at a four year college but trade schools and community colleges still offer opportunities to acquire skills that are valuable in industry, yet they are constantly overlooked.
Another reason students can’t get jobs is because there are an increasing number of liberal arts students. Obama recently was in hot water for making fun of an art history majors and he apologized and said that the world needs the liberal arts. However, he was also correct, but countless liberal arts majors are coming out the woodwork saying we need to understand and appreciate the arts. Nonetheless the world doesn’t need that many and it does little to give you for the real world. I can find reason after reason why people say people should study the liberal arts and they are correct we do need an appreciation for the humanity of things, but for the average student studying the liberal arts does little to improve the field they are studying or the student’s readiness for the workforce. The professors of liberal arts and the students who do either promote their field or translate their learnings to the world are rare. It is much more useful to learn the liberal arts as a supplemental than as a whole curriculum. Bella Knox is a woman’s studies major and the same principles apply. She doesn’t need a private school education, a prestigious university, or any of the other trappings that make her tuition absurdly expensive.
Elite families can afford to waste hundreds of thousands sending their daughters to go get a b.s. degree and party in Greece, but for Ms. Weeks whose dream was to live and to school like the other half, that dream drove her to seek funding through porn.
