Last night I stumbled upon a great blog. By Maya Frost, a blog to promo her book The World Is Your Campus. Which is a tentative title, may change.
The story of her family moving to Mexico to create educational opportunities for their four daughters is amazing. Obviously, she and her husband are exceptional parents.
In a global economy, it is important to have learning experiences outside the States. And you can only do that by traveling and mixing with the locals. Also, it is easier pick up another language when you're forced to speak it everyday.
Personally, I hate to travel. I don't even like driving through Brooklyn. I am more of an armchair traveler. My sister was the world traveler in our family. China, France, Korea.
But, if you are like me and do not like to travel, her book will have a lot to offer you non-travelers also.
Visit Maya Frost's blog The World Is Your Campus at http://theworldisyourcampus.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Book Review: No Sucker Left Behind
Last Thur., No Sucker Left Behind by Marc Sheer arrived. Have not finished it yet.
It is packed with information and advice. With a ton of references to support his main theme and points.
He gives you the real story of America's college/university industrial complex. And it is not pretty. It is disgusting how colleges/universities cons young men and women into buying an incredibly expensive product that has low or zero return on investment.
Every high school junior and senior and their parents should read this book. Before they take out any student loans and/or empty out their savings/investments. To pay for college.
Visit the No Sucker Left Behind blog at http://nosuckerleftbehind.blogspot.com/ and learn more about the reality of higher education in America.
It is packed with information and advice. With a ton of references to support his main theme and points.
He gives you the real story of America's college/university industrial complex. And it is not pretty. It is disgusting how colleges/universities cons young men and women into buying an incredibly expensive product that has low or zero return on investment.
Every high school junior and senior and their parents should read this book. Before they take out any student loans and/or empty out their savings/investments. To pay for college.
Visit the No Sucker Left Behind blog at http://nosuckerleftbehind.blogspot.com/ and learn more about the reality of higher education in America.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Correlation Does Not Imply Causation
Reader beware! Take anything you read on Wikipedia or anything on the Web with a pound of salt. All too often the information is dead wrong or incomplete or based on old or 2nd-hand references. There ain't no fact-checkers working 24/7, making sure what you read on the Web is on the up and up.
However, I did take applied statistics at my alma mater, Hunter College, and I've read up on statistics before and after college. So, I think I know what I'm talking about. When I say here that the below Wikipedia entry is correct.
Wikipedia: "Correlation Does Not Imply Causation"
This is a very common logical fallacy. Confusing correlation with causation. Correlation is the relationship between two variables. Causation is when one variable has an effect on another variable. Correlation may suggest a causal relationship between the two variables. Or the seemingly causal relationship may be only coincidental. Statisticians and scientists are always warned to remember that "correlation does not imply causation."
But, what the hell does all this have to do with my campaign against college education?
Too many idiots who don't know what statistics is really all about. They like to cite the U.S. government's statistics that, over a lifetime, a college degree translates into an extra million dollars over a high school graduate's income. See the below link.
About.com: "Lifetime Earnings Soar with Education"
In other words, a college degree = $1 million. More education = more income.
Sounds right. But how about this argument.
Smart kids go to college. Smart kids who have the funds usually go to college. Smart kids usually finish college within four to five years. Smart kids with degrees usually get good jobs. Smart kids with degrees usually earn over a lifetime more than most high school graduates.
Sounds right. Don't you think so? Did the smart kids who finished college earn more than the high school graduates because they were smart or because they had college degrees?
I would argue that the smart kids, the majority, would have earned more than the high school graduates whether they went to college or did not. Smart kids are smart with or without a sheepskin.
I would go far outside the box and say that the smart kids would have earned even more than the high school graduates if they didn't bother with college at all.
Education is part of the puzzle to making the big bucks. But not the biggest component. Sometimes it doesn't count at all.
I'm 100% for learning, but I'm 100% against education. Especially, higher education.
It's a complete waste of time and money. Smart kids are better off learning about the real world. As soon as possible. Because that's where we all have to live in. The real world.
However, I did take applied statistics at my alma mater, Hunter College, and I've read up on statistics before and after college. So, I think I know what I'm talking about. When I say here that the below Wikipedia entry is correct.
Wikipedia: "Correlation Does Not Imply Causation"
This is a very common logical fallacy. Confusing correlation with causation. Correlation is the relationship between two variables. Causation is when one variable has an effect on another variable. Correlation may suggest a causal relationship between the two variables. Or the seemingly causal relationship may be only coincidental. Statisticians and scientists are always warned to remember that "correlation does not imply causation."
But, what the hell does all this have to do with my campaign against college education?
Too many idiots who don't know what statistics is really all about. They like to cite the U.S. government's statistics that, over a lifetime, a college degree translates into an extra million dollars over a high school graduate's income. See the below link.
About.com: "Lifetime Earnings Soar with Education"
In other words, a college degree = $1 million. More education = more income.
Sounds right. But how about this argument.
Smart kids go to college. Smart kids who have the funds usually go to college. Smart kids usually finish college within four to five years. Smart kids with degrees usually get good jobs. Smart kids with degrees usually earn over a lifetime more than most high school graduates.
Sounds right. Don't you think so? Did the smart kids who finished college earn more than the high school graduates because they were smart or because they had college degrees?
I would argue that the smart kids, the majority, would have earned more than the high school graduates whether they went to college or did not. Smart kids are smart with or without a sheepskin.
I would go far outside the box and say that the smart kids would have earned even more than the high school graduates if they didn't bother with college at all.
Education is part of the puzzle to making the big bucks. But not the biggest component. Sometimes it doesn't count at all.
I'm 100% for learning, but I'm 100% against education. Especially, higher education.
It's a complete waste of time and money. Smart kids are better off learning about the real world. As soon as possible. Because that's where we all have to live in. The real world.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
College Lie #1: College Degree = Good Job
This Mon. morning before the start of my shift I was talking to Eddie. One of many Eddies who work at my day job.
Eddie said, "If you have a college degree, you can get a good job."
I said, "Eddie, I'll give you $50 if you can tell me where these good jobs are."
Then I added, "I'll give you a $100 if you can help me get one of these good jobs. Because I really need a good job."
But did Eddie know where these good jobs for college graduates like me were? Of course not.
Because they only exist in an imaginary fantasy world. Where imaginary employers pay top dollar for college graduates. Starting salaries of $50K to $100K a year with full benefits.
Can you say, "Full Benefits?" Boys and girls. Plus dental too.
College Lie #1: A college degree = a good job.
The truth is a college degree, depending on where you went and what you studied, may give you a chance to compete for a good job.
A college degree is part of the puzzle. For most, not even a necessary part of the puzzle. For some careers, a college degree is a must. Of course.
With or without that piece of paper, a thousand and one variables can work for you and work against you when you go on your job hunt. Your looks, your height, your weight, your age, your ethnicity, your gender, your social network, or lack thereof, your clothes, your mental state, your social intelligence, your past work experience, your local economy, the global economy, and on and on.
And lets not forget pure luck. Being in the right place at the right time will always beat some stinking piece of paper. Most degrees are definitely not worth $20K or more in student loans.
To end, I'll happily take an ounce of luck over a pound of sheepskins any day of the year.
Eddie said, "If you have a college degree, you can get a good job."
I said, "Eddie, I'll give you $50 if you can tell me where these good jobs are."
Then I added, "I'll give you a $100 if you can help me get one of these good jobs. Because I really need a good job."
But did Eddie know where these good jobs for college graduates like me were? Of course not.
Because they only exist in an imaginary fantasy world. Where imaginary employers pay top dollar for college graduates. Starting salaries of $50K to $100K a year with full benefits.
Can you say, "Full Benefits?" Boys and girls. Plus dental too.
College Lie #1: A college degree = a good job.
The truth is a college degree, depending on where you went and what you studied, may give you a chance to compete for a good job.
A college degree is part of the puzzle. For most, not even a necessary part of the puzzle. For some careers, a college degree is a must. Of course.
With or without that piece of paper, a thousand and one variables can work for you and work against you when you go on your job hunt. Your looks, your height, your weight, your age, your ethnicity, your gender, your social network, or lack thereof, your clothes, your mental state, your social intelligence, your past work experience, your local economy, the global economy, and on and on.
And lets not forget pure luck. Being in the right place at the right time will always beat some stinking piece of paper. Most degrees are definitely not worth $20K or more in student loans.
To end, I'll happily take an ounce of luck over a pound of sheepskins any day of the year.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Say, "NO!" to College
Under construction. Please, be patient. As I make changes/additions. Thank you.
Published: Mar. 27, 2006.
"Is College Worth It?" by Rich Karlaard
Rightly, he applies hard-nosed financial analysis to that all too expensive college degree.
Updated: Aug. 22, 2008.
"Is College Still Worth the Price?" by Penelope Wang
Great article by a Money magazine senior writer.
Is college still worth the price? I think you know my answer. No.
Definitely no if you have to go into debt. In order to pay for it. I've read and heard too many student loan horror stories. Tens of thousands of youthful lives ruined. A few rare cases of suicide. Student debt drowned, not only their dreams, but also their souls.
Unrealistic dream careers smashed by the cold hard fist of reality. The lies of college realized all too late. After five to six years wasted in an ivory tower. Five or six years which could have been better spent on a real education in the real world.
FYI: The SayNoToCollege.com forum is not by me. A totally independently created online forum. But exactly what I would have wanted in an online forum for anti-college thinkers. College Alternatives, Success Stories, and Student Loans discussion boards.
What can I say? Brilliant minds think alike.
Say, "NO!" to College. No to college degrees, yes to learning.
--Master Hun
Published: Mar. 27, 2006.
"Is College Worth It?" by Rich Karlaard
Rightly, he applies hard-nosed financial analysis to that all too expensive college degree.
Updated: Aug. 22, 2008.
"Is College Still Worth the Price?" by Penelope Wang
Great article by a Money magazine senior writer.
Is college still worth the price? I think you know my answer. No.
Definitely no if you have to go into debt. In order to pay for it. I've read and heard too many student loan horror stories. Tens of thousands of youthful lives ruined. A few rare cases of suicide. Student debt drowned, not only their dreams, but also their souls.
Unrealistic dream careers smashed by the cold hard fist of reality. The lies of college realized all too late. After five to six years wasted in an ivory tower. Five or six years which could have been better spent on a real education in the real world.
FYI: The SayNoToCollege.com forum is not by me. A totally independently created online forum. But exactly what I would have wanted in an online forum for anti-college thinkers. College Alternatives, Success Stories, and Student Loans discussion boards.
What can I say? Brilliant minds think alike.
Say, "NO!" to College. No to college degrees, yes to learning.
--Master Hun
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