Got to agree with David on this one especially the part about 10 years from now. I went to college at the ripe old age of 18 to become a Presbyterian minister. Ended up majoring in history and getting a teaching certificate and taught for 4 1/2 years. Became a 1099 yearbook rep for 23 years and have been in yearbook sales management for the last 10. Not sure how anyone could have told me what my job prospects were on entering college or declaring a major. "A good liberal arts education can prepare you for all kinds of different things."

There have been a few posts with examples of people with a liberal arts education being able to thrive in the "real world" in careers not necessarily directly related to their degree.
No question,that does happen.
Thing is,from talking to people around here who have or whose kids have,liberal arts degrees,it seems to be more of the exception then the rule.

On a completely different aspect of this topic.
There was a very good article in the N.Y. Times last Sunday (sorry can't link it) on the hard times students and faculty at Valparaiso Law School in Indiana are having.

+1

I don't think anyone is arguing that you cannot be successful with a liberal arts degree. We could tell story after story about people who have succeeded in fields completely unrelated to their degree... Reasons for this? I think as many have mentioned developing critical-thinking and writing skills is something vastly important in many different occupations.

I think the problem with these degrees is more their "floor" than their "ceiling." Does an Engineering degree guarantee you a good job? No, but I would argue the "floor" is much higher than the "floor" for a degree in Ceramics.

We'll always have "winners and losers" with any degree... The big difference from years ago is that you paid a lot of money (and very likely took on debt) to get that degree in Ceramics.

I don't disagree there is more to college than "getting an occupation" but it's hard for me to justify that "qualitative" value when the cost of getting that education is going to put many young people in a very less than ideal financial situation.

...

And I'll continue to beat this dead horse... Eliminating student fees for athletics does not address the problem of students graduating with huge amounts of debt and a degree that does not generate a financial return to justify that debt.
I cannot began to comprehend the vast structural changes our higher education system would need to undergo to address that.

Naive and sincere question: Does anyone here know if the cost of a college degree has exceeded the cost of inflation less the decrease in the state subsidy over the last 30 years requiring the person pursuing the degree to pick up the tab for the state subsidy?

This is one of the topics the committee I chair at FDU has discussed.

There's no question the tuition costs have outpaced inflation.
A big part of the reason seem to be more "layers" of Administration.

Allan,here are just a few specific examples of family and friends:
All the examples are people doing these jobs,because they couldn't get a job directly related to their degree:

Criminal Justice: Paralegal

Music (Guitar Performance):Selling Instruments,Giving lessons on the side

Psychology : Furniture Salesman

Psychology :Payroll Clerk,ADP

Art :Selling Rosetta Stone

Business: Field Rep. for True Green (door to door sales)

Business : Realtor

Business :Day Trader (Didn't know they were still around)

Sports Management: I have worked in retail management, law and now finance. Having a college education, no matter what the major, can take you in a lot of different directions. In my experience, people just want to see that you are educated and can comprehend things and think critically. What is says on the piece of framed paper hanging on your wall is irrelevant.

Allan,if you want I can go through of all of that in excruciating detail,but I don't think most of posters here are that interested.

Suffice to say,all of the people I referenced said they feel they were sold a "bill of goods" by the colleges they went to as it pertained to the "usefulness" of their degree,relative to getting a job related to their degree.

The morning after graduating OU I volunteered Army. A month after returning from Korea I was starting work at General Electric in New York. Sitting in a cubicle across the aisle from me was Don. He was a decade or so older than I and I soon learned that he had been with GE for several years. I was surprised that he was my equal on the org chart. I didn't have to ask why; Don was forthcoming. Simply put, he said, he hadn't completed his degree, and GE had told him that absent that degree his career would be stunted.

Why did GE make that decision about a man who was certifiably intelligent and skilled? Answer: It saw earning a degree as evidence of willingness to see through to the end something started. Or, in military parlance, to complete the mission.

From that learning I saw what I continue to see as the chief benefit of earning a degree - any degree: It opens doors that otherwise would remain closed.

Yes, other factors, including individual choices, affect career advancement. But first you gotta get through the door.

Well said Mike.

Allen,my question is whether, when a student declares a major,the university has a responsibility to tell them the opportunities available to them ,directly related to that degree.

I think they do.