College Conspiracy

[Hanamaru Kunikida]

I know it's an hour long, but seriously, just watch it. It's actually pretty good.

[blueangel06661]

I'm like 5 mins in and already distracted. Sucks because one single semester at my school cost me $16 thousand

[wolfgirl90]

Alright, I'm done.

I didn't finish it but I didn't want to. There are some good points and others that are so asinine and inaccurate as to be laughable. And that weird guy in the cutaways acting like a homeless conspiracy theorist is not helping matters.

If there was a point that you were trying to make with the video, it was lost. And I'm not going to sit through an hour long video in order to find it.

[Skylar1]

watched the whole thing, (again, cause I'm like that)

I've known this for a while know, and sadly, it's not just colleges,

it's banks, it's over-sized corporations, it's special interests groups, all have lost sight of the bigger picture as they've been blinded by greed. This didn't popup overnight, it's been a long time coming, and at some point, everyone will have to pay for it unfortunately; from top to bottom.

Edit: I'm also reposting the video @Wio ; posted in the blogs just in case anyone missed it, because I feel it's HIGHLY relevant to this as well.

[Velvet_Nightmare]

An hour long?

tl;dw

[Red&Stiletto]

This is why I want to get out of this country. This country has started thinking that 'freedom' means you get everything for free. It's killing everyone else who works hard for their money. I'm actually going to college but I've already decided that if it gets to the point where I have to take out a loan, I'm taking a break until I can afford it. I absolutely refuse to take out a loan for education.

[Wio]

The main point of the video is that college is over rated, and people should not assume that college is necessary. I think that there are legitimate and illegitimate reasons to go to college, and it mainly depends on your intended major and the job market. @Ericgamer1 already posted a video which sums up what I think.

There are a lot of points being made in the video though.
College isn't utilizing new technology to make college more efficient, and is investing in facilities that don't add much educational benefit to attract applicants.
College degrees are losing their value because so many people are getting them.

[Eris]

If they cut down the paranoid ramblings, this could have been 15 minutes long, watchable and insightful. But now, it's all the military-industrial complex, maaan!

[TheAsterisk!]

I'm just going to post the quick notes I made while watching the video, so it may be a little bit disjointed.

Before the wall-of-text, here’s my TLDR: While I don’t know the accuracy of some of the specific figures and quantities put forth, the general trends covered were more or less correct. Do note, though, that the “silver is better" bit is essentially no good.
Also, who put this out? I ask because I’m getting a strong Libertarian vibe off of it. It’s not quite my favorite strain, though- more tin-hat, and harping on about precious metals, intrinsic value creation and agrarian hopefulness. (Kind of like a sedated Glen Beck, actually. Uh-oh.)
Judging by the name, NIA- particularly the “I”- I’d wager these guys are terrified of the "fiat currencies," as they always end up hissing in derision.

Quotes are approximate.

Now, all students receive their loans directly from the government.

Well, they backed/insured banks’ student loans before, so it’s just a simplification of a previous chummy arrangement. Not too much new, really, other than a discarded pretense of private bank involvement.

- The value of trade schools and lesser associate degrees have also been understated.

- Once we get up to around 25-35 minutes in, though, it begins its gradual descent into unfocused rambling without much thought or coherent organization.

- Another note, in my own string of rambling responses: Some specific degrees are overrepresented, and have little worth to employers to begin with. Business management and law come to mind; we have loads of managers and lawyers, all with their own cute little degrees, and hiring more in an employers’ market already beyond saturation isn’t likely. Other degrees, though, might have a better chance, particularly those that can be used to span disparate fields.

@37 minutes: Revenue versus Profit. Sort of. Also, worst case (and so possibly not representative) scenarios and examples.

GED recipients shouldn’t be included as ‘real’ high school graduates...

'cause they're lazy, or something.

God help me. Look, you can’t go on about how colleges and universities are a waste, and talk about ‘lost’ income, but then ignore a similar parallel with most high schools, particularly because high schools- as the narrator was kind enough to point out earlier in his scary voice- are just college prep. (That, and cubical-drone farming. Does a lesson in Microsoft Office sausage-making really teach you about computers, or does it just condition you for mindless report and presentation production for overblown corporate management?)

I got a GED instead of finishing high school, but that was because (1) I kept getting ill and missing school, and had to have two surgeries performed on my GI tract, and (2) I just got damn tired of dancing along to martinet teachers’ demands to no foreseeable end.
Greatest decision I’ve yet made, I tell you.

Finally, if they think it’s not the same- technically- then they might want to share that with their state and local governments, because it is legally an equivalent certificate/degree.

@41 minutes: Of course. Why blame anchor stupidity, apathy, laziness, melodrama and voyeurism (Don Henley, we all owe you for just that one song) when you can allege a full-fledged conspiracy- absent substantial evidence, or course.

@43 minutes: Regional market variances? Uneven distribution of industry or corporate headquarters? No, no! Couldn’t be that! What was I thinking?!

@43 minutes and some change: Gold and silver? Of course... Every radio and Internet alarmist's answer to awful economies.

@45 minutes: “Congress is all lawyers, so they help other lawyers.” Actually, the USPTO would be a better example. Politicians are usually already rich before they run.

@55 minutes: Again with the gold & silver? You do realize that only becomes relevant if and when the state- not just the currency, but the state itself- fails, right?

@1 hour: “Do as we say- and simply take our word on its merit- and you will be saved.” Ah, yes; the refrain of charlatans throughout history- from Jesus and the Pope to Hitler and Stalin. Gotta love the classics.

@1 hour, 1 minute: “Recession is needed.” Point, but oversimplified here.



As I said, these were just my rough notes. I won't flesh them out more unless someone asks because, frankly, the video isn't worth the effort. It varied between statements of the obvious, tin-hat lite, and aimless meandering.

[SigmaSD]

To be honest though I think it depends on the institution you plan on attending and also on the commitment of the student. Usually people that go to college think that doing all their school work is necessary but a real college student tends to go beyond their assignments at times because its something thats relevant for their career and interesting at the same time. Otherwise they wouldnt be going to college in the first place.

[ParaParaJMo]

Yeah, it sucks tuition is going up. If you're an out-of-state resident, it sucks over 9000 times more. Also, not just tuition goes up the @$$, so doe friggin parking prices. In my first year, parking was $20 at the farthest parking lot. When I graduated, parking was like $250 at the same parking lot. Part of the problem is idiots like the university presidents who make more and more money every year.

[Wio]

Do note, though, that the “silver is better" bit is essentially no good.[/b]

The price of silver doubled in the past few months. It's not all that relevant to the video sure, but it's a good investment. The question is when to sell.

Well, they backed/insured banks’ student loans before, so it’s just a simplification of a previous chummy arrangement. Not too much new, really, other than a discarded pretense of private bank involvement.

Excellent point. I'd suppose still that private banks are going to collect more viciously. I'd also wager that NIA didn't like the bailouts.

'cause they're lazy, or something.

God help me. Look, you can’t go on about how colleges and universities are a waste, and talk about ‘lost’ income, but then ignore a similar parallel with most high schools, particularly because high schools- as the narrator was kind enough to point out earlier in his scary voice- are just college prep. (That, and cubical-drone farming. Does a lesson in Microsoft Office sausage-making really teach you about computers, or does it just condition you for mindless report and presentation production for overblown corporate management?)

I got a GED instead of finishing high school, but that was because (1) I kept getting ill and missing school, and had to have two surgeries performed on my GI tract, and (2) I just got damn tired of dancing along to martinet teachers’ demands to no foreseeable end.
Greatest decision I’ve yet made, I tell you.

Do you think there might be an gap in the level of motivation to earn money between people with and those without a college degree? The point being made is that if you have the motivation of your typical college student as opposed to the motivation of someone with only a HS diploma or GED, the earnings gap with shorten even more.

[miniPhil]

Oh god, why did I watch the whole video? It's so tl;dw, I should have just listened to my instincts and not bothered. Eris is right, you can cut this down so much. It also doesn't help that the video is very poorly made.

The main gist is college = bad. I don't think so, I think the problem is people going for stuff just to make money. I think you should do what you love and a job will come easy after as you should excel in the area of your choice. If you hate what you do then no amount of education is going to secure you a job over the guy who loves the line of work and has pulled all the extra stops the get the job.

[Skilero]

27:00 : "NIA projects enrollments in certain colleges could decline as much as 50% with Chinese students using their strong Yuan to take American students out of the market. ...and a further decline in class sizes and quality of education."

Assuming the quality of education doesn't lower significantly, a college education would actually be a safe bet for companies to hire people who aren't 'self-educated' or who only have high school degrees. In other words, a college degree will serve more value than what the video makes it out to.

The video does make a solid argument against college's raising prices and the government's role in it all, but it tries to vilify the value of a college degree (32:10) "The youth of america needs to realize that there is no value to a college degree is everyone has one." But, didn't you just say less kids are going to be able to get degrees, and that the only people to onset this steep decline in numbers will be a select group of Chinese who use their Yuan? Wouldn't a college education put you ahead of the pack then? Or did the video just mention the Chinese for no reason?

It gives people who may have to completely rely on a college degree some knowledge about what can go wrong with the debt you may not be able to pay, but if you can afford a college education with little or no debt, it's not advisable to skip the higher education.

Also, certain jobs have a marked potential to make a lot more money than any of these averages but require college educations; it's in the jobs that offer more creativity than the others that are figured into these low averages.

Silver and gold, silver and gold...(Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer reference).

[nrL]

Americans and their silly issues...

[Vintniv]

God, there's another of these things? Okay, I have watched at least 6 videos now of this junk. Buy Silver!, says one. The Oil is running out!, says another. We're gonna be outta water soon!, says one more. Now I am being told my college path is worthless? Man, screw that. There is an ENTIRE industry dedicated to screwing with you in your own home. I find it absurd that this generation, my generation, is filled with such cynical losers who have nothing to better to do than make hour long videos like this.

There is only 1 thing to take from the people that make these videos, THEY ARE NOT DESIGNED TO HELP YOU. They are all out for themselves, just like every other person you meet (except these guys have an internet connection and are protected by being anonymous and therefore unpunchable).

JUST ONCE, I would like to see a video on how good things are happening, and how people are becoming closer, and nicer, and that we all arent such cynical losers.

[GoodEndings]

me and my friends have talks about this all the time i find it very interesting how the college system works but im really interested in how deep it goes