Figure in the 40's and 50's, people were lucky to graduate HS. Even in the 60's and 70's a lot didn't graduate HS either for a variety of reasons (my class 20% of the girl's never graduated due to pregnancies). With trade schools giving people an avenue to make an outstanding living doing what they enjoy, then take in all the immigrants (both legal and illegal), 27% seems right.
College degree does not mean intellegence or financial success, it just opens doors in certain areas because you've had further training.
I hold a Masters in a scientific field. Worked my butt off for it and was raising two kids at the same time. I did use it for many years and then just burned out in the field.
I do appreciated those who get a BS, MS or a PhD becuase really all it does is make you think in certain ways according to what field you studied. However, I have noticed that people with higher degrees use a certian pattern in thier thinking to get to sometimes the same end as those that do not hold a higher degree than high shcool.
Problem is, many times the ones who DO NOT have a higher degree get there a WHOLE lot faster, with less money, effort and complication in the process. Hmmmmm.
At Thanksgiving a kid at the party went around making a list of where all the adults went to college - on her mind because her brother is a h.s.senior this year and in the middle of college stuff. (The kids had been doing "scavenger hunt" type gaes where you ask all the adults one question and write down answers. Sort of like surveys, infact, like the one you mention!
The answers in the room were really interesting. Some Ivy Leaguers, some proud state college grads, several community college and two with no college at all, gainfully and interestingly self employed. All successful adults in diff ways. Very revealing for the kids who were present, we thought. Got the adults talking, too.
That number sounds about right, although I would have guessed a few points lower. My wife and I do not. Previous to my generation (I was born 1970), nobody in my family had gone to college. Within my generation, a few of my cousins have (and I have a lot of cousins). My wife's father was an optometrist and one of her sisters has degrees in a couple of fields. My eldest son is waiting for acceptance at the University of Wisconsin though...
I can only guess that you grew up in a fairly affluent area or come from a family where most had attended college.
This is a wise board. So true about college degrees! I retired as a department secretary at a nice university of about 10,000 students. What surprised me the most was how little these students knew about history. We, as a family, discussed all sorts of things at the dinner table. Another surprise was how many delinquent parents there are out there--no surprise our society is so screwed up.
I loved the students but I had two rules: no "F" word or cutting class to hang out in the office. Maybe fine arts majors are more undisciplined, I don't know, but I miss the clean, orderly look and behavior of the past. Honestly, the girls are as foul mouthed and sloppy looking as the boys. I took several classes, part of them were on my lunch hour. I was so annoyed to see students miss class or come in late. The boys wore caps, and students ate and drank during class. The usual serious students were older students or veterans. There were two students in my area who took 7 years to get a BA, one never graduated. I told that one that I cared more about his education than he did!
As for faculty, probably fine arts faculty are more undisciplined than the sciences--I hope so. Lots of egos! Sorry to sound so pessimistic but we really need discipline in our education system. I am still in awe of education but I am not at all impressed with the participants.
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Of all the responses this struck me as most interesting. Quite the contrary is true. Neither of my parents had degrees. My father was a carpenter and my mother was a secretary when she went back to school.
She was determined we would have better and 3 out of the 4 of us have multiple degrees.
My husband does not have a degree and I married him after I had gotten all of mine.
There is a job he has wanted for several years that he is over qualified for, but he cannot have it because he is missing that paper.
The government has been telling us for the last 20 years that we could all move forward if we all got more education. If so few are getting it but we're basing policy on people having it....
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I am sure some have beat me to it....but explain please??????? As the mother of three boys that sounds a touch sexist to me!!!
Oh, no degrees here. I had parents who didn't even care if I finished high school, had no clue what my grades were, and certainly never would have helped me even consider college.