Re: Too many College grads?

Janet Puistonen wrote

You seem to be saying that someone who is not from a background of
wealth
and privilege who applies themselves to studying say, history or
philosophy,
is merely a fool aping their "betters."( Isn't it unfortunate that
Frederick
Douglass, for example, strove to expand his intellect, rather than
becoming
something practical, like a blacksmith.)

You put words in my mouth. But you pose an interesting question. When
is a decision to pursue a liberal arts education a foolish one? Let
me propose an answer upon which we may perhaps agree. I'd leave it up
to the person making the decision. I'd say ten or twenty years later
the person having made the decision regrets it, and if offered the
opportunity would choose differently. Then I'd say that was a foolish
decision.

I'm tottering on towards retirement, so I've had many conversations re
these decisions over the years. I haven't tallied the results, but
I'd say that I've heard a great many more complaints from folks who
"Only wish they had known" how impractical their pursuit of,
linguistics, philosophy, history, anthropology, even biology,
chemistry, and math -in the absence of an advanced degree, would turn
out to be. If I weigh those comments against, for instance, those of
my dentist, who wondered if he abandoned his scientific interest
prematurely then I'd say, that regrets about the impracticality of the
liberal education outweigh contrary examples 4 to 1.

And, yes, I've met folks who are well satisfied their undergraduate
liberal arts major, and unhappy pharmacists, and nurses as well.

And even Douglass pursued his political, and philosophical interests
after mastering a trade. He was not a blacksmith, but a journeyman
shipbuilder.


Regards,

R. Carriere

.

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