I had a pretty indistinct upper-middle class upbringing: there was always food on the table, I got most of what I wanted; I never thought about finances, that we had too much money or too little. At Stuyvesant High School, they groom impressionable young kids to become Wall Street lackies, doctors, engineers, and grown-up rich kids. It seemed pretty clear that if you followed a six-point algorithmic agenda, you would enjoy monetary success in the future, and, by being kept busy with an inundation of schoolwork, there was no time to question any of it. So when I went to college during America's economic heyday, I was presented with a few choices. In my senior year, I could take three more classes and finish a computer science major, take four more classes and finish an economics major, or take three classes and finish an English major. I figured I could do either of the first two and make good money when I was done or I could do the latter and still do all right. How that Bill Clinton economy tricked me! Little did I know the economic boom would die and now I sort of muddle along middlingly in the current economic clime. Alas! It occurs to me that had I grown up in a lower/lower-middle class upbringing, I might have kept a more careful eye on the monetary bottom line of my college decisions because of an omnipresent awareness of financial prudence and responsibility. Maybe there is a swap of the lower-middle class and upper-middle class during a time of economic shrinkage directly following a time of economic prosperity.
Well! I blame all the commencement speakers who say "Do what your heart tells you." Bastards! Commencement speakers are that point one percent that defied odds to achieve success. That's why they're commencement speakers. Clearly they are not statisticians or jilted romantics: they don't know that the heart mostly leads you astray.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Bill Clinton made me poor!
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3 comments:
Speaking from experience, lower-income kids are also stupid enough to become English majors and think the financial thing will work itself out later.
Universities will teach you whatever you want to know, indiscriminately. I do feel that there should be more emphasis on career services.... focusing more on the practical aspects (i.e. bread and butter) of education.
Students are trained to be students, but it is often in retrospect when the realities of the world are experienced when some of the more practical aspects of education are understood, such as employability and the size of the paycheck. Unfortunately, there is so little career education as part of the general high school and college education that many students are essentially uninformed consumers. We're just taught that college is good and that is pretty much all it boils down to, with little regard as to what education is good, better, or best for the practicalities of employability and income.
I would have been much better off financially and career-wise as a mediocre CS major than an honors Philosophy major. Your heart might help you excel in your subject, but the practical matter is if you can reliably get well paid jobs with the education you choose, as a consumer. But, in trying to identify a hot market and then receive the education targeting such market can have its own set of risks. What might be hot at the start of your college career may be on a downturn by the end of your four years.
To the side, I've been impressed by mathematics being seemingly one of the most versatile degrees. It easily opens roads to finance, engineering, and marketing. Whereas there isn't a whole lot of crossover between finance and engineering, marketing and finance, and so on.
In my opinion, the Clinton administration was just a bystander to the economic growth (grossly inflated growth built on a house of cards) during his reign. It was the internet revolution that was responsible for economic growth during the time of his administration and had little to nothing to do with him. All he had to do was try to guide and direct the expansion, which ultimately ended up with accounting scandals, mass losses in the market along with hundreds of thousands of layoffs. But this all happened after he left, so Bush was the one holding the bag. Oh yea, and Clinton had multiple opportunities to take out Bin Laden, but he didn't. Bush also was left holding that bag too. Kind of a bad rap for your first year of presidency.
Anyhow, with that being said, is it the opportunity cost you're upset about? I don't see how Clinton should be blamed for your choice of education. Do you think Clinton is involved in a conspiracy against english majors? Do you think there should be more governmental programs to support learning English in schools so you would be more employable? I don't understand the connection between what you wrote and how that has anything to do with Clinton making you poor.
From the standpoint of an Independent who is yet again leaning republican (Go McCain-Palin!!!), I'd say look to yourself before you look at the government. For starters, stop blaming the governemnt. Under the republican reign there really is little to no government to blame (ah yes... the land of the free). Blame your local schools and colleges for not giving you the correct career education, blame yourself, and take some responsibility. If you were that close to getting degrees in other areas you think would be better, then get up off it and go take those last few courses. You won't be required to take a whole new set of GUR/GERs. The republican party has faith in our self-sufficiency. It sounds to me you need to look at yourself rather than your government. Ask what you can do for you and appreciate the freedom that your governement is not telling you what to do. Appreciate the fact that we currently are under a government that is not creating programs that will essentially undermine your self-reliance and cradle you, lulling you into a stupor, taking the fire out of your belly that you don't essentially have to do anything to get your needs met. You can just wait for the government to come and hold your hand. As for me, I appreciate being on my own and making it on my own, without the governement being involved. It is all that much more rewarding when I succeed.
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