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Post by tory on Jul 21, 2023 6:49:07 GMT
I think if the cost of a degree (when they were free) was revealed to the tax payer, there would have been much more opprobrium about students who essentially dicked about and did fuck all.
If that system was about today, I'd place a tax burden on students who had less than 80% attendance in lectures and got a 2:2 or less. I went to study at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in Bloomsbury to do Russian and History. I lasted six months. I found Russian very difficult, yet in all honesty, did not have the commitment or the discipline for University life. I did a distance learning Classics degree when I was 40 and because I didn't have the distractions that hinder learning, I was fully committed and got a First with special merit (Over 90% in all courses).
I suggest to students at school that unless they are going to do a Masters or higher and their subject has a specific outcome (Law), they should consider a vocational path and an apprenticeship.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Jul 21, 2023 8:57:11 GMT
You're basically describing a gravy train though. Essentially a subsidised piss up for young people to arse about. I mean, yeah, I'm sure it was fun and I had some of that fun too but with hindsight do you not think it's a bit of a joke? I mean what should higher education be about? What's the point? Well I suppose my general point was that the main reasons for going to university don't typically have much to do with gaining qualifications, but are more to do with enjoying yourself. And if you want something more solid, then 'broadening your horizons' is probably apt. And yeah, it might look like arsing around, that's probably fair enough. But back then, at least, we weren't really a burden on tax-paying citizens. We were just delaying the onset of responsibilities. Why wouldn't you? Of course. Why wouldn't a young person want a piece of that particular pie? It just seems like decadence to me these days tbh lol. We can talk about "broadening your horizons" but how many of us really do? It's like that cliche about "travel broadening the mind" but then I think back to meeting Australian backpackers in Laos and all they had interest in was booze and sex. It didn't broaden their minds that's for sure. It was just a substitute for a holiday in Surfer's paradise. The truth is only a small group of people, at that age at least, are particularly academically minded and interested in actual study which is really a job in itself. I mean how many students are basically last minute types who try and cram everything in at the end? It just seems like the whole culture is out of whack and the incentives and standards are screwed so the students are too.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2023 13:00:55 GMT
It would be interesting if every country did a clean out of useless knowledge taught in degrees etc. For example, i learned how to add numbers in binary (easy snowflakes i mean the computer language) and hexadecimal and shit. I never once used that in any of my work in computers. Learning the history of your chosen topic you want to learn about is nice, but is it really needed? I'm sure other subjects teach redundant stuff like that as well.
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Post by DayoRemix on Jul 21, 2023 13:13:30 GMT
Some of the attitudes towards academia and intellectual pursuit on this thread are actually shocking (And sadly misguided).I had a seriously snarky response typed up, but chose to refrain and avoid the scrum..
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Post by oh oooh on Jul 21, 2023 13:14:47 GMT
get it said!
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Post by Half Machine Lipschitz on Jul 21, 2023 13:15:03 GMT
I think we can all agree that the world would be a much better place if only the wealthy were educated, and the rest of us only had rudimentary skills and esotericism was completely eradicated. Everything would be so much simpler.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2023 13:18:56 GMT
Some of the attitudes towards academia and intellectual pursuit on this thread are actually shocking (And sadly misguided).I had a seriously snarky response typed up, but chose to refrain and avoid the scrum..
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Post by fearlessfreap on Jul 21, 2023 13:23:01 GMT
There's a ton of material taught in US high schools that would never be used in real life, much of it is political, and how to make a budget or do your taxes isn't. Also, it's discouraging to read a report written 100 years ago by a 17 year old and compare it with one written from the past 40 years or so. High school papers looked like doctoral theses, and now they look like they were done by illiterates. (I include myself in the latter, by the way.) Of course, having to write like an academic isn't really needed outside of academia.
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Post by Charlie O. on Jul 21, 2023 13:28:24 GMT
Also, it's discouraging to read a report written 100 years ago by a 17 year old and compare it with one written from the past 40 years or so. High school papers looked like doctoral theses, and now they look like they were done by illiterates. (I include myself in the latter, by the way.) Of course, having to write like an academic isn't really needed outside of academia. Not so long ago I came across some of my old high school papers. I couldn’t believe I’d ever been able to write so well! (And no, I didn’t plagiarize.)
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Jul 21, 2023 13:42:37 GMT
There's a ton of material taught in US high schools that would never be used in real life, much of it is political, and how to make a budget or do your taxes isn't. Also, it's discouraging to read a report written 100 years ago by a 17 year old and compare it with one written from the past 40 years or so. High school papers looked like doctoral theses, and now they look like they were done by illiterates. (I include myself in the latter, by the way.) Of course, having to write like an academic isn't really needed outside of academia. Yes! The dumbing down is really obvious. I remember seeing something that was taught in US schools around the 1910's or 20s and it was an introduction to opera lol. It had the synopsis, slightly edited and censored for children mind so Die Walkure wouldn't mention the incest but regardless it was aimed at trying to get kids into opera. There was an expectation that this was a normal route for children to take you know? You'd never get that in US education circles these days.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2023 13:46:11 GMT
Another reason to maybe try and skip college and learn on the job. For certain subjects!!!!
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Jul 21, 2023 13:50:13 GMT
Men are waking up and turning away. Women are still pursuing the college dream.
Expect more chaos.
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Post by Half Machine Lipschitz on Jul 21, 2023 14:11:00 GMT
Men are waking up and turning away. Women are still pursuing the college dream. Expect more chaos. Yeah, men are waking up. If by waking up you mean the government is pleading for skilled tradespeople now that they've kicked anyone with any practical use out of your country.
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Post by Reactionary Rage on Jul 21, 2023 14:30:14 GMT
Men are waking up and turning away. Women are still pursuing the college dream. Expect more chaos. Yeah, men are waking up. If by waking up you mean the government is pleading for skilled tradespeople now that they've kicked anyone with any practical use out of your country. We have a need for foreign tradesman because we have pushed so many into higher education over the last few decades and ignored vocational apprenticeships that we need to import foreigners to do jobs Brits should be doing. We have failed too many young men in this regard sadly.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2023 12:59:06 GMT
If you want job security in the face of AI in the future, get a trade. Not all trades are safe from AI and automation but there's just something that a r'bot can do.
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