Whats the point of higher education?

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The point is to put as many people in debt as possible.

The schools tell you that the point is to "get an education" and to "become a more well-rounded individual". Your parents will tell you the point is to "get a good job." However, the real point is to milk as much money out of you as possible.

A degree can help. Especially if you learn a skill. Though in the current economic climate (at least in America anyway) it doesn't really matter unless you procure a degree in either the medical field or education. Take me for example. I have an associate of applied science degree in welding technology and I can't find a job. Not in Arkansas anyway. It's mostly because they want welders who have at least two to three years of experience minimum. Also for regular industrial jobs, which you used to be able to get with just a high school diploma, they want you to have two years minimum on the job experience. New gard's can't compete with that since so many already experienced workers are also looking for work.

Also I agree with others who have stated that college tuition is ridiculously high. I paid about $4000 a year just for vocational school. Though I will say this. If you are about to get out of high school and you either a) have enough money saved up and/or b) can get scholarships and grants, then go to college. It's much better than having to look for a job right now.

The whole point of furthering your education should be to learn. If you're not in it to learn, and just to get in to a job or career you'll probably end up jaded at the end of it, unless you live the charmed life that is portrayed in the media with regards to studying and just being seemingly fortunate to get in to the right career immediately.

The sole reason I've been studying is to learn and hopefully find some meaning in it. Unfortunately, my illness has prevented me from excelling. Until that day, I was somehow achieving distinctions. Now, I'm lucky to pass

no use doesnt work out for Aspies

I do agree with the trade route. Uni by far was not the right thing for me even though I finished with a BSc. My (probably NT) brother went with a vocational training and was finished far quicker than I was and actually found a job in the same country as he lived in. (Not that I want to complain, I like my job, but it was... far from where I expected it to be)

I almost agree with you but with one distinction. To me school is not about getting a job but about learning AND getting a career.

To be a the top-class historian, engineer, scientist you probably need school to get there. Most people think that they could have learn everything themselves but it's generally BS (except for some extremely rare minority of people). You need to spend years of learning to really be able to produce to new cool mathematical model, advanced statistical analysis or some modern new mechanical machine that is top-class. It is a different goal to achieve these kinds of things than just wanting a job and get paid. Most physicists for example get a really low pay-check but they work on understanding and solving the mysteries of the universe. They want to do something meaningful rather than just having a typical job and get money.
That is the point of education!

Obviously for some things like business and marketing, real experience is probably much more important than school. So what I said doesn't apply to every career!

in creative fields people can be sucessful without formal education
eg. Einstein, Edison etc
if you have inner talent then rote learning or degrees are not needed
http://photoblog.carnine9.net/wp-conten ... Gates1.png

1. Formal education is just one of the many ways to earn a living...it's just the one with a (subjectively) lower risk. Starting out your own business is a high risk, high reward venture.
2. Both Einstein and Edison had a formal education.
3. Statistically speaking, the most important trait you must have to be the next Gates or Jobs is to be lucky.

Einstein = Physicist = Formal Education
Bill gates was the rare kind of people that was passionate enough to be able to learn deep things without academia. I didn't say that it never happens. It does, but it's rare. Most people can't do it but they pretend that they can. In reality, you'll see these people at 40 years olds working at Walmart. I saw so many people telling me that they didn't need school to learn but it's BS 99% of the time.

Inner talent is irrelevant unless you're a genius and even then it's not that helpful. Honestly, what's important is determination, ambition, creativity and ability to learn by yourself. That's what successful people have. They are loads of talented people and they don't get any further than non-talented people do.

I remember a study inspecting musicians in a school and they saw that the ones who practised their instrument the most in their life (starting when they were kids) were the successful ones. They also saw that the ones with inner talent didn't have any advantage on the long term.

Personally, I'd argue that it's even *more* important for Aspies. IMHO, few things will *directly* improve an Aspie's long-term ability to succeed in NT society more than moderate amounts of pot, alcohol, and the supportive structured friendships associated with greek life on campus. Your degree will get your resume past HR, but knowing how to pretend to be "normal" for an hour or two at a time is what will actually get you *hired*.

In a very real sense, my Big Brother taught me how to pretend to be social. He taught me how to walk normally (swing arms, appropriate gait, proper facial expression, etc), introduced me to A&F, and got me to do the "Fraternity Fridays at the Day Spa" thing (sigh, I miss those... especially the foot massages...) I've regressed a bit since graduation, but I can still put on a good show for an hour or two at a time, even if I do tend to drop the act & "go Aspie" most of the time now.

In other words, college is a complete package, and IMHO it's *urgently* important for Aspies to live on campus. It's basically the only opportunity you're going to get in life to live semi-independently in a group-living environment without the stigma of "being unable to live independently", and be surrounded 24/7 by a buffet of social opportunities in manageable, commitment-free bite-sized pieces that you can take or leave as the mood strikes.

Sadly, it was not the case years ago, but what you are saying is often true today.

Too many people go to college, and the degrees become worthless.
Colleges "sell" education. They will sell you a degree that is worthless.

Colleges are also charging extraordinary amounts today, putting people in hopeless debt.
That wasn't the case even 20 years ago.
And no one in the news media is calling them on it.
If we are going to protest the bankers, why not the colleges?

I keep thinking how wealthy many of them are and ask myself why
people aren't calling on COLLEGES to forgive peoples loans? At least the private ones.

That said, in the right field it's still required, but I'd not pay top dollar private school prices.
Anyone can save money by doing the first 2 years at a community college.
Then transfer if you are doing well, and know exactly where you are going at that point.

Speaking as someone who didn't go to college, what i regret is the missed social experience. I spent those years at the bottom of the corporate rung instead.

I'm doing just fine now, though.

Because they don't have to listen. The students are price takers, pretty much no matter what kind of tuition fees the college demands. There will always be a group of people rich enough to afford the fees, and so the top colleges don't really need to care. They're not going for mass market appeal, after all.

I can think of some stuff for higher education, but I;m now not so sure of it: Access to the huge libraries on campuses; someplace to learn discipline since it's a ton of money I wouldn't just let drain down the sink,so you have to work; and I just plain love learning, and forget about all the other students at a college.