Sadly, in many fields–particularly the humanities–PhDs are a dime a dozen. And for every PhD out there–hoping for a tenure-track slot–there are scores of people languishing in ABD (All But Dissertation) hell. And while this is not just the humanities–it is also in the hard sciences as well–it is worth noting: much of the incentive for graduate studies beyond the Master’s degree level is dissipating fast.
Don’t take my word for it: Rebecca Schuman, writing a piece for Slate, echoes this from a first-person perspective.
wow.
i wonder how long it will take for society, in general, to see the ‘college degree’ for what it actually is rather than worshiping it and driving their children to measure their worth subconsciously by valuing the degree over the person, their personal gifts & talents & abilities … and what God desires them to do? degrees are not bad. making them what they’re not is bad.
my high school freshman is thinking about living at home, working, taking online classes in areas that will help her (though she doesn’t know the exact direction yet) and saving money to get her own home. i try to give my kids all the info – good and bad, to help them make their choices. there is no set limit on how long my girls live with us as long as they’re working and contributing (this is open for re-evaluation as they enter their late 20’s if that becomes an issue). but at 13 and 15, they know they always have a place to live … and they know they’re getting a job. they know they can NOT take out any kind of loan for education. they know they must work and pay for it as they go. they know that a college degree may not be the best route for them to use their gifts and talents and reach their goals.
my goal is to keep public education from killing all natural desire to love learning and self-educating.
the WHOLE public school system is built around going to college. even from kindergarten on they have ‘college weeks’ where the kids study colleges and encourage their kids to wear college clothes.
i balance that at home … probably a bit on the cynical side … but definitely on the reality side. i give my kids the facts and tell them they get to choose what they want to believe. they always get to choose between the lie and the truth – but they know the consequences of each before choosing.