I could walk into a college classroom, gain all the knowledge taught and it wouldn't mean anything because I wouldn't have the money to get my certified piece of paper which tells me I paid for college. Just a thought.
of course we can educate ourselves for free. we're paying the system for the piece of paper that says we can get a decent job when we enter "the real world"
To some degree, yes you can educate yourself for free. However, for all the knowledge I've gained from all the books I've read, I would not have gotten half as much from them as I have if I had not had the chance to discuss them with a professor and with other students in a classroom. Certainly, there are different kinds of education, different things each of us wants to learn -- I'm not out there knocking your choices, please learn some respect for those of us who are interested in different subjects than you are. Edit: I forgot to mention, depending on what you want to do with your life -- particularly if you want to work for indigenous people's rights, wildlife conservation, etc. -- the right letters behind your name, like PhD, do quite a bit to help get policy makers to listen to you.
To the thread starter, I once thought like this myself as well. Your opinion is valid, but just slightly bias. You see, college in itself is a wonderful experience to meet all kinds of people, learn how to interact with all kinds of people, prepare you for possible careers, further your understanding and knowledge of wordly issues, and it really opens up doorways for your future. College shows you have the ability to learn. You see, when a company hires you, they really only have three things to judge you on: 1) appearance 2) resume/application 3) the interview therefore, a college degree shows you atleast have the ability to learn. thats the whole point. I do however, agree with you. The world is changing so rapidly, that college will soon be inadequate for ANYTHING besides the piece of paper. Some would say the piece of paper is the only worthwhile of college today as it is. I would disagree. However, as we enter the "Age of Information"....knowledge will soon be so common that it will be hard to see college's properly functioning without radically changing the way they are designed. (Then again, the whole world is going to have to be redesigned soon, with the coming of the new Age....but thats a topic for another day )
I love to learn and i love college. if you have trouble paying for school, try getting a scholarship or financial aid. college is not for everyone, but i believe that a degree is really the only measure that employers have to base your work ethic from. like a personal interview with you or with your former employer can be really subjective, but a college degree is a standard of measurement
