A selection of responses to my opinion piece

So, it was an interesting few minutes reading the comments to my op-ed in the Oregonian on the "college dream."

A reader, "Eddy Rock" writes:

That’s odd isn’t this a geology professor talking about social science. Perhaps what he means is that geology degrees are worthless. Or maybe he should become a sociology professor instead. Perhaps then he could better understand the complex nature of political, economic and cultural Norms.
...
A Higher education is paramount to a better future for everyone… or we can all go back living in terror of our shadows and killing small animals with our teeth. Maybe Khe, you should propose programs that help students become more informed about job requirements rather than torching the whole system. Way to slander your own profession there guy!
I think I will take one of your classes since I go to your collage.

Hmmm ... in case "Eddy Rock" reads this:

• As the byline stated, I am not a geology professor, but I work out of the geography department, which is housed in the social sciences division of the university.
• And, yes, I constantly hassle students who seek my advice about the need to do internships, even if unpaid, in order to improve their employment prospects.
• And, yes, looking forward to having you in the classroom.

Another reader, "Rlindsl" writes:

The link between degree level and employment rate is very strong. The BLS reports unemployment for Masters degree holders at 4% while non HS diploma holders is 15%, with a steady correlation for all levels in-between. Of course doing your research and checking your facts to verify expected outcome is part of a planning and management process that you learn in a school of business, so Khe probably doesn't support that kind of approach.

I refer you to this, and this, for starters, which are all based on facts.  I suppose I follow a Keynesian approach: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?"

Reader, "whatgoeson" writes:

If this writer thinks I'm going into debt to have someone lecture me about Plato, when I can access the info online basically for free, well, it's drug test time.

 Nope, my argument was/is that it is a waste to force everybody to read about Plato. 

And then this strange letter to the editor. I suppose the comments in response to the letter address many of the issues there.  It will be interesting, however, to find out how many graduates of the program referred to have been placed--if any, at all--in those wonderful $100,000 jobs the letter-writer refers to, and about the employment and remuneration of the rest of the graduates.