Occupy Wall Street

[*winter*]

Originally Posted by DTD Alum

The interesting thing about the college/American Dream argument is that I think it's becoming clear to many that a college education (in general) is no longer an automatic key to success...instead in seems like it is now certain majors at certain colleges OR a master's that will guarantee success. College degrees are just so saturated amongst the population that it seems like just about everybody has one (although I know that's not the case), so I think to be really impressive both the school and the major now need to be impressive, not just the degree in and of itself.

I graduated from a school currently in the top 25 according to US News, and those of my pledge brothers/friends who graduated with majors that have practical applications (business, engineering mostly) are all successfully employed in great jobs (despite the market). Those that had majors that have less practical application (liberal arts types mostly) are really, really struggling despite their top 25 degree...one struggled for so long that he is currently coaching high school sports as his only source of income. My major began as history and I eventually switched it to business, and although I probably would have enjoyed my classes in the history major more, I am infinitely glad I switched...I was lucky enough to get more or less my dream job out of college, and I know I would be incredibly hard pressed to find adequate employment had my major been history.

It's to the point that somebody I know who is just beginning college was told by their parents that they would only be paying for their education if they have a practical major...this person is free to double major with a more liberal arts degree if they choose, but they have to have a major with immediate practical application. I can't say I blame them. I'm not agreeing with the state of things, I just think that for those beginning college the question of major practicality should be heavily thought about.

The thing that does bug me about these protests (and as we've discussed there is not really a cohesive message amongst the protestors and supporters, so this is a message that is admittedly not shared by all) is that there seems to be an underlying current of "the 1% was fed with a silver spoon, etc." While my family could only be called upper middle class, I went to school with several incredibly wealthy kids that were easily in that "1%". So many of them completely blew it, and so many of them that are doing an average job with their careers are not progressing despite their connection with the "1%". The ones who are wildly successful worked their asses off and made huge sacrifices for their careers. Sure, they had connections that others didn't that helped them, but they still worked damn hard for their current success. Many other people also had those connections and were not able to work hard and/or smart enough to utilize them correctly. To act like the majority of those with power and wealth were just handed it is fundamentally and reprehensibly incorrect. Like I said, not all protestors share this opinion and it's not a central message of these protests, but it seems to be an underlying current amongst some and I just do not agree with it.

I agree, esp with the bolded. It's time for all of us in this country to start making repsonsible financial decisions. And a college degree isn't always one of them, unfortunately. If I do become a teacher, I want to instill that in the students' heads- don't just "go to college" but really think about what it is you want to do, and find a way to do it without incurring a ridiculous amount of debt you'll have little chance of paying off in under 30 years!