Re:What's rising faster than health care? College costs
by stretchwithme on Tuesday August 16, 2011 @01:37PM
(#2892112)
There's no one deciding whether investing in a particular degree for a particular student makes sense. Which is what would normally happen if you go to the bank and ask for money.
There's a reason we aren't graduating enough people in the difficult high-value fields like engineering. Its financially too easy to take an easy, low-value degree. And young people don't have a good understanding of how things work out in the long run.
So societally we are, once again, sending people down very bad roads paved with good intentions.
We have a mistaken belief that every good thing can and should be subsidized. But in doing so we destroy the decision-making process that normally would weigh the costs and benefits.
The result is decisions that more frequently don't make sense for individuals or society.
There's a reason we aren't graduating enough people in the difficult high-value fields like engineering. Its financially too easy to take an easy, low-value degree. And young people don't have a good understanding of how things work out in the long run.
So societally we are, once again, sending people down very bad roads paved with good intentions.
We have a mistaken belief that every good thing can and should be subsidized. But in doing so we destroy the decision-making process that normally would weigh the costs and benefits.
The result is decisions that more frequently don't make sense for individuals or society.