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The going just got tough for BAs

By caitlinsmythe, 13 May, 2009

"As lower skilled and manual labor jobs decrease in availability, the education held by blue-collar workers is no longer adequate to obtain an ideal job. In order to adapt, these individuals have turned to higher education opportunities.

"This trend has caused a boon in the lower cost, more flexible education alternatives such that today, there are around the same number of people holding bachelor's degrees as there were people who held high school diplomas in 1950."

Is that scary, or what?

I have a lot to say about Bachelor Degrees, not least because I own one, and I know that it's a great tool to learn how to procure knowledge, but not such a great way to establish a career. Has your experience differed?

More and more degrees are giving students a comprehensive education - teaching them how to become lifelong learners - such that a BA is not a means to earning a living in a recession anymore (unless the student in question is incredibly enterprising. I'll never forget at my graduation ceremony sitting next to a girl who was rushing to catch a plane to north Africa to film wild animals for no pay.)

I agree with this article in saying that having the right connections, and staying at university beyond undergraduate level can, for some people, be more valuable than "liberal education".

I spent a lot of time defending my degree while I was pursuing it, and now that I have it, I don't mean to point fingers at my poor BA. But I caution those who pursue Bachelor Degrees because they "think they're an easy choice": I think the going just got tougher.

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