... from a teacher at open university, apparently.
I'm sure I'm biased as a college drop out myself, but I've never been impressed by abstract ('learn how to help society!', etc) type reasons to go to college.
Understanding what you read on the news, being able to communicate clearly and effectively, and being able to spot bullshit and faulty arguments when you see it - great reasons to go to college.
But 90% of people won't be using what they learn to "improve their community" and whatnot, not unless they're specifically going to school to learn that.
Understanding what you read on the news, being able to communicate clearly and effectively, and being able to spot bullshit and faulty arguments when you see it - great reasons to go to college.
It's a pity, then, that these skills aren't very well taught in university (at least on the humanities side). Indeed, if you do a course on, say, Foucault or Derrida then you'll need to unlearn how to spot bullshit and faulty arguments if you want to pass the course since a final essay which says "Derrida in this book says a whole bunch of vague bullshit that doesn't make any real sense" will get low marks.
Interestingly, I don't think spotting bullshit or faulty arguments is that difficult a skill -- relatively uneducated people can easily spot a BS argument when it's used to argue for something they don't want to believe. The really hard part is developing the discipline to be able to spot a BS argument even when it's arguing for something you do want to believe.
I don't think this skill is very well taught, either.
I'm sure I'm biased as a college drop out myself, but I've never been impressed by abstract ('learn how to help society!', etc) type reasons to go to college.