
Are PhD Students Irrational? - prostoalex
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/phd-students-irrational/
======
dexwiz
We are currently in the middle of a college bubble. Colleges are slow to
increase professors, and with good reason. Tuition costs have skyrocketed over
the past 3 decades, and attendance rates have steadily climbed. This is mostly
easily attributed to the baby boomer mentality of, "I want my children to have
a better life, and that means a college education." While not necessarily
wrong, it won't continue forever.

The bubble is already started to deflate. There are repeated calls for more
focus on trade-based education. Or self education with online resources, as
dubious as that may be. But this is not the financial industry, and it will
not pop overnight.

Giving a professor tenure is not like hiring an employee. Colleges are locked
into supporting that professor, and their research, for 30+ years.

