| Well, unfortunately, it takes money- and a LOT more of it than before- to pay the rent or mortgage, put food on the table, and have decent health care options- especially if you live on either of the coasts. Most parents aren't eager to continue supporting their children while they flounder around after graduation building enough hands on skills in occupations that will actually pay a decent salary to support themselves and pay off the school debt besides.
Our whole educational system has gone very much to a training for job skills based philosophy- way different from what it was long ago. It's just that many jobs now require more knowledge and training to become proficient than your typical job in manufacturing, necessitating longer periods of education to develop that proficiency.
The catch-22 is that without the "Great Ideas" kind of discussion inherent in the traditional liberal arts education, young adults are left without a sense of the ongoing conversation about the moral and ethical issues involved in choosing how one does life and work. |