Oh, aren't I the lucky one? I just checked tuition at the alma mater, and it's "only" $5200 a term. Only 3x more (not like 10x or more I've read about here). But there are lots of added fees-per-credit-hour specialties that didn't exist before. Like STEM, medical & nursing.
Oh, aren't I the lucky one? I just checked tuition at the alma mater, and it's "only" $5200 a term. Only 3x more (not like 10x or more I've read about here). But there are lots of added fees-per-credit-hour specialties that didn't exist before. Like STEM, medical & nursing.
Mine is a little over $6500 a semester, now, but living on campus is probably that again.
I graduated in the mid-naughts, and my problem isn't entirely that the elective classes were 100% useless as that there was a required list from which to pick. All of my best classes, history and creative writing most notably, were ones I took out of my own initiative. There are *lots* of really useful classes to go take. The "core education" classes are a curated list, and requiring people to take a curated list of classes in order to secure a diploma in an unrelated major - as well-meaning as that may be - remains extortion in my mind.
When I did the calculation, I didn't just look at the dollar costs of *being* there, but also the opportunity costs of *not* being gainfully employed at something else. A BS in a productive field ought to be worth $60-70k a year, if I'm not mistaken, and we're taking that away so that people can take an extra anthropology class selected by the university as *important*. I would much rather see universities get people through as efficiently as possible, and then have a really flexible 'continuing education' path to allow people to opt themselves in to classes they have particular interest in. Those who have the time and space to do it can take whatever they want, once they're enrolled as undergraduates, and they can take four or five years to graduate, if they so choose. Happy for them. But forcing that on everyone is silliness.
There are any number of others. I found an article from career builder that listed a bunch of others, as well, but they had salaries listed that were dubious, to me, as truly first-year-out-of-college salaries.
I can personally vouch for the numbers for EE/ME/Software, and I've seen much *higher* numbers for mining. For new recruits, not in Silicon Valley (where the salaries are much higher yet).
When I say "productive field", I mean (and without intending to demean the value of humanities: the careerbuilder site had a number of managerial and social careers that they *said* start at $100k+) a field where they produce a specific family of products and where the significant collection of knowledge you bring out of university is directly related to that specific family of products.
A software engineer with 5 years experience, and working in San Francisco is making $130k a year. Every year that you delay graduation is a year of salary that you don't get, and those years are *expensive*.
Oh, aren't I the lucky one? I just checked tuition at the alma mater, and it's "only" $5200 a term. Only 3x more (not like 10x or more I've read about here). But there are lots of added fees-per-credit-hour specialties that didn't exist before. Like STEM, medical & nursing.
Mine is a little over $6500 a semester, now, but living on campus is probably that again.
I graduated in the mid-naughts, and my problem isn't entirely that the elective classes were 100% useless as that there was a required list from which to pick. All of my best classes, history and creative writing most notably, were ones I took out of my own initiative. There are *lots* of really useful classes to go take. The "core education" classes are a curated list, and requiring people to take a curated list of classes in order to secure a diploma in an unrelated major - as well-meaning as that may be - remains extortion in my mind.
When I did the calculation, I didn't just look at the dollar costs of *being* there, but also the opportunity costs of *not* being gainfully employed at something else. A BS in a productive field ought to be worth $60-70k a year, if I'm not mistaken, and we're taking that away so that people can take an extra anthropology class selected by the university as *important*. I would much rather see universities get people through as efficiently as possible, and then have a really flexible 'continuing education' path to allow people to opt themselves in to classes they have particular interest in. Those who have the time and space to do it can take whatever they want, once they're enrolled as undergraduates, and they can take four or five years to graduate, if they so choose. Happy for them. But forcing that on everyone is silliness.
"A BS in a productive field ought to be worth $60-70k a year,"
The most I ever made in my career was about $35k/year. I would have had to become a sociopath to make more than that.
I don't know too many B.S. who make $60k. I do however, know lots of PhDs who are baristas and janitors.
The market doesn't support what the Unis are churning out. It's a mill.
So you are talking about University RIGHT NOW? Not in an era of the past?
From Payscale:
Electrical Engineering: $70k
Chemical Engineering: $70k
Software Engineering: $80k
Mining Engineer: $65k
Organic Chemist: $60k
Physicist: $70k
Mechanical Engineer: $65k
RN: $60k
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Electrical_Engineer/Salary/6fd28da9/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Software_Engineer/Salary/4fd947de/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Chemical_Engineer/Salary/41d70ecb/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Chemical_Engineer/Salary/41d70ecb/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Organic_Chemist/Salary/c9a46a0e/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Physicist/Salary/c3f2077f/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Mechanical_Engineer/Salary/5b1f9aef/Entry-Level
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Registered_Nurse_(RN)/Hourly_Rate/b6142914/Entry-Level
There are any number of others. I found an article from career builder that listed a bunch of others, as well, but they had salaries listed that were dubious, to me, as truly first-year-out-of-college salaries.
I can personally vouch for the numbers for EE/ME/Software, and I've seen much *higher* numbers for mining. For new recruits, not in Silicon Valley (where the salaries are much higher yet).
When I say "productive field", I mean (and without intending to demean the value of humanities: the careerbuilder site had a number of managerial and social careers that they *said* start at $100k+) a field where they produce a specific family of products and where the significant collection of knowledge you bring out of university is directly related to that specific family of products.
A software engineer with 5 years experience, and working in San Francisco is making $130k a year. Every year that you delay graduation is a year of salary that you don't get, and those years are *expensive*.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Software_Engineer/Salary/a5e48575/San-Francisco-CA
And you pay more for that engineering degree (as evidenced by the STEM fees I found at my alma mater)!!!!!
Too many B.S. are worth far less. Schoolteacher (in my former home state) averages about $28,800.