Tuition-Free College in New York State

[Poopadoop]

The value of an education is not just what you learn; it's in learning HOW to learn.

Nobody hires a college graduate because they think 'oh this person took a course on culture in Papau New Guinea. This will help them manage people and fill out forms.' It's because they know that people who've engaged their brains for 3-4 years in college are quicker to learn than people who spent the same years in their mum's basement playing video games.

[wufwugy]

The value of an education is not just what you learn; it's in learning HOW to learn.

Nobody hires a college graduate because they think 'oh this person took a course on culture in Papau New Guinea. This will help them manage people and fill out forms.' It's because they know that people who've engaged their brains for 3-4 years in college are quicker to learn than people who spent the same years in their mum's basement playing video games.

It's a signal.

One of my favorite economists was writing (or just finished) a book on it. I was extra excited when my favorite econ professor discussed the signalling model of education too.

[Poopadoop]

It's a signal.

One of my favorite economists was writing (or just finished) a book on it. I was extra excited when my favorite econ professor discussed the signalling model of education too.

Don't know what you're talking about here, sorry. What do you mean by 'signal'?

[Savy]

The value of an education is not just what you learn; it's in learning HOW to learn.

Nobody hires a college graduate because they think 'oh this person took a course on culture in Papau New Guinea. This will help them manage people and fill out forms.' It's because they know that people who've engaged their brains for 3-4 years in college are quicker to learn than people who spent the same years in their mum's basement playing video games.

This line of argument only makes me think that university is a complete and utter waste of time and money for most people. Which isn't something I believe.

[wufwugy]

This line of argument only makes me think that university is a complete and utter waste of time and money for most people. Which isn't something I believe.

It believe it is.

[Poopadoop]

And yet you hung around and finished your degree.

[wufwugy]

And yet you hung around and finished your degree.

I would have quit about 70% through but I understood the signaling model and opportunity costs and comparative advantages.


I would probably be much better off today if I didn't live in a culture that pushed college so intently. I'd certainly be happier, making a lot more money, and would probably have a much more developed family life.

[Poopadoop]

Are you planning on continuing your education or what is next for you, if you don't mind me asking.

[wufwugy]

Are you planning on continuing your education or what is next for you, if you don't mind me asking.

I've considered doing a doctorate in economics, but I think my motivations (mixed with my drive) would not make that wise. What I'm getting at is that I want to change what I view to be wrong directions taken by the economic academia, yet I don't have the kind of crazy right-tail distribution drive needed to succeed at that, which would turn my decision into a disaster for sure. Outside of that, unless you want to research or teach, doing a doctorate is probably a very bad idea, and I don't necessarily want to do those.

I'm working now in the roofing industry. The scope of my work is less refined than I would like, but essentially the path forward is a mix of estimating and sales. I use the math and writing I learned in college quite a bit for it, but my experience in the field is sorta backwards. Successful estimators and salespeople are almost never people who come from college, but instead are the brighter ones who started out as roofers. The sorts of skills learned in college are a small portion of what is needed to be successful in the construction industry even if you don't build anything with your own hands. It's almost like I'm learning everything new, and it's in a sort of backwards manner because I don't have the building experience.

There is potential for me to make good money a few years down the road, but as it is right now, I would make markedly more money doing something "easier" like driving semis.

[Jack Sawyer]

I would have quit about 70% through but I understood the signaling model and opportunity costs and comparative advantages.


I would probably be much better off today if I didn't live in a culture that pushed college so intently. I'd certainly be happier, making a lot more money, and would probably have a much more developed family life.

Well, you can move to like the Dominican Republic and be the one-eyed man

[Poopadoop]

I would have quit about 70% through but I understood the signaling model and opportunity costs and comparative advantages.

I don't really get this argument though. If it's all about signalling and nothing is gained from education, wouldn't companies who hired uneducated people save money by getting the same quality workers for a lower price, and wouldn't this make advanced education obsolete for non-specialised courses?

[wufwugy]

I don't really get this argument though. If it's all about signalling and nothing is gained from education, wouldn't companies who hired uneducated people save money by getting the same quality workers for a lower price, and wouldn't this make advanced education obsolete for non-specialised courses?

Smart people don't not go to college anymore.

The success of people who do go to college isn't known to be due to what they learn or if it's because going-to-be-successful people choose to go to college.

The signaling isn't just intelligence, but things like conformity. If you hire from a pool of people who don't go to college, you're hiring from the pool of people who can't do things like sit down and follow orders and do boring stuff for years on end with a smile on their face.

[Poopadoop]

This line of argument only makes me think that university is a complete and utter waste of time and money for most people. Which isn't something I believe.

For some people it probably is because they don't try very hard.