The Random Comic Strip

The Random Comic Strip

Words to live by...

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and to rest afterward."

[Spanish Proverb]

Ius luxuriae publice datum est

(The right to looseness has been officially given)

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders," wrote Ludwig von Mises, "no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle."

Apparently, the crossword puzzle that disappeared from the blog, came back.


Monday, June 1, 2015

Education


I'm curious, how much do you value education? That is, are you going into debt to pay for your child's college or are you putting aside money in a 529 plan? Either suggests you value that college degree.

I never have valued one so highly. Perhaps that's just a "sour grapes" attitude. My parents could not have afforded to send me to college nor did they try. I took a few months at a community college in Brevard County, FL (think Cocoa Beach) and, after I got out of the Navy, I took a year at a San Diego community college. I mostly majored in "G.I. Bill"... what many vets did at the time was collect benefits to supplement income... I had no real intent to matriculate to a 4-year school.

While in the Navy I passed up a chance to get a college education paid for by the Navy in exchange for at least 4 years of service after graduation. One offer was to fly, the other would have been as a regular officer.

But I wasn't interested. I had no ambition, you could say. Now, of course, I regret not taking one of the offerings but who knew at the time?

The reason I ask is the flak one of the potential GOP candidates is getting over his having dropped out some 32 or 33 credits short of a degree. Do we need our presidents to have college degrees? Do we think college makes you smart?

2 comments:

Tom said...

An education is important, but a college degree is not. I'm not sure everyone agrees with me.

Tal Hartsfeld said...

Whatever happened to mentoring, or to self-taught?

My dubiousness about the university/college environment is the emphasis always put on the social aspects of "college life", as well as the "importance" of the clinical: grade-point averages, the dean's list, and the such.

And is what's being taught in the classes valid and meritable?