
Hello May I Assist You in Taking on a Lifetime of Debt? - justboxing
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/opinion/sunday/cost-college-financial-aid.html
======
teslabox
If young people learned useful skills in their elementary and primary school
years, college wouldn’t be such a rat race. The only reform that can make
college more affordable is to make it unnecessary for the vast majority of
occupations.

College programs are what you make of them. Some people make good use of their
college programs. I learned a few useful things, but mostly felt trapped.

~~~
lovich
College programs aren't being made required in the modern economy because you
learn useful things in them. How many jobs in the US actually require that you
know things learned in your major?

They are being made required because they are a free filter for hiring
departments in companies. Between that and a combination of the facts that
most hiring departments seem too understaffed or lazy to actually try and vet
candidates, and that if a dud is hired you can use "But they had a college
degree" as a defense, you get situations where companies are requiring you to
have a college degree just to work in a call center at 12/hr

------
vfulco2
Finally people are waking up to what I have been telling friends and family.
If you don't say "no" to the financial heroin dealers, you will become a
slave.

~~~
radiantswirl
What is "financial heroin" in this analogy? Student debt?

~~~
justboxing
Not OP, but I think "financial heroin" in this context is any kind of loan or
debt, being advertised and sold like a fancy product.

Ex: At Apple stores, the associates tell you This new iPhone X is just 33$ a
month, and then I ask them "But it's 1000$ though, so I'll be paying 33$ /
month for 3 years?" and they say "Yes."

Also credit cards are advertized so much but every credit card charge that you
incur swiping the plastic is a loan you take from the company for the amount
you are charging on the card. Lot of people don't realize this..

