Poll: In a dramatic shift, Americans no longer see four-year college degrees as worth the cost

[Sympthsical]

46. What's your disagreement specifically?

"The academics I know (including my wife) focus intensely on relaying transferable skills that have value in a wide variety of settings… research, source vetting, constructing and supporting an effective argument. Unless you’re going for a professional degree, it almost doesn’t matter what you study. It matters what skills you acquire."

I've taken these classes. They usually fall under writing and research courses that freshman commonly take. If you're advancing to degrees like English and History, you'll probably develop these more deeply.

Now. You've been on the Internet. You've met people. Do you see those skills in use on a daily basis among people with undergraduate degrees? That they vet sources, laterally read, digest context - hell, actually read entire articles past the headlines and maybe three sentences? How many are reading an article and thinking, "Hmm. I don't know if this is true. I should read more articles from varied sources to make sure I fully understand this?" I know where I land on this. Running into people who do that is like encountering a unicorn in the wild.

The problem - again, for the vast majority of degree holders - is that college is easy, disposable content that costs way, way too much money and ultimately isn't necessary for what they end up doing afterward (outside of specific fields). Who fails out of an undergraduate program these days? I'm not talking about dropping out due to financial difficulties, life situation, or changes in wants and goals. I'm talking about failed out because the content is even passingly challenging?

And let me meet you in the middle on this - I don't think it's the professors' fault. I've read article after article and heard from teachers in my own life that they are being passed students from K-12 who do not have the same reading, writing, and math skills they used to. They are pressured by the administration to make their courses easier and to pass as many students as they can. Because the students are paying for a product - the degree - and they need to get what they're paying for.

Hell, just go through this Reddit thread and tell me there isn't a massive problem with the cost vs. benefit college currently represents:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Professors/comments/1hnk08c/is_college_nowadays_easier_or_harder_than_before/

And to meet you in the middle again - it's not just college. Ask people in for-profit hospitals about the endless performance and customer satisfaction evaluations. Sure, we just saved your life, but were we sufficiently acquiescent to the custo . . . er, patient?

This country has a broken psychology because of profit motives.