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Hey, groovy freedomists. Sorry about this. I usually write two posts a week. But this week life got in the way, and I couldn’t complete my Friday post. Damn! No one ever said blogging and retirement were going to be easy.
I did, however, summon the energy to shoot another edition of Talking Trash this morning. Have a great weekend. Peace.
It happens to the best of us. Sometime when I’m stuck, I go back and refresh an old post. That works pretty well. I’m sure you’ll have something up soon.
So close, but yet so far. Well, at least they’re moving in the right direction. 🙂 Hope you guys have an awesome week!!
It’s a start, I suppose. But I’m not expecting much from the college-industrial complex. Making people buy 40 classes when they really only need 15 is a great racket. Thanks for stopping by, Laurie. Hope all is well on the farm.
Hey Groovy family! Hope all is well with you. Thinking of you!
Some of the general education classes I had (those outside of my major) have actually been useful to me. Not all, but some. I wouldn’t have had the insight to know that 15 years ago, so I’m glad I had ’em.
With that said, there is no way I could afford the same degree program today. I would have to apply for far more scholarships, so maybe it would be possible, but who knows…
Claudia! Agreed. Not every class outside your major is completely useless. But paying $500 to $1,000 for a class you can watch on YouTube for free is kind of crazy. What I would love to see is a higher education business model that unbundles the two main components of a BA–the trade school part (classes pertaining to your major) and the finishing school part (classes that don’t pertain to your major). I would also love to see finishing school classes without tests and grades and open to anyone, whether they’re enrolled in the school or not. Consider this. Big professor at big university offers a class on behavioral economics. The class is in a big lecture hall (600 seats) and meets once a week for 3 hours. No tests, no grades. Just lectures and Q&As. The class costs $100 and is open to anyone. If all seats were filled, that would bring in $60,000. If big professor got 75% of that, he would get $45k for 12 lectures. If higher education were really interested in making Americans more thoughtful–and less broke–they would jump at this model. Well, at least I think so. Thanks for stopping by, Claudia. It’s always great hearing from you. Give my regards to Garrett. Cheers.
Life is always more important than blogging, and I hope everything is settled now so you can have a good weekend.
The 3-yr compressed degree is a start, but I agree that college degrees should be available as more focused coursework.
Thanks, Gary. We think the worm has turned and our little crisis has passed. We’ll see. Mrs. G should be writing about it soon. And I agree with you wholeheartedly about a compressed degree. What we need is a degree program that has the focus of a community college but the rigor of a selective university. Imagine if Rutgers offered an “express” degree for all of its BA and BS programs. Students could take 15 courses in their major and 5 courses designed to make them more thoughtful human beings. Just 20 courses. They’d come out of college sooner and with less debt. And they’d have a respected credential to start their careers as junior programmers, junior accountants, junior nurses, etc. Thanks for stopping by, Gary. It’s always great hearing from you.
Happy Friday, Mr. Groovy!
Thanks, Mrs. AR. Hope all is well on your end.
Hope next week is a better one for the Groovies! Saving $9k, plus entering the work force a year early is a good start. I do agree with having a concentration on major class would benefit everyone and we could certainly do that is two years. Let’s high school get all the general i=ed requirements out of the way and let college be the finishing school.
Hey, Brian. It’s a start. Saving $9k is nothing to sneeze at. I really think 20 classes, providing they’re rigorous, are enough for a BA. Fifteen classes pertaining to your major and 5 classes to make you a more thoughtful person. I remember little and used nothing from my college education in my professional career. And I suspect that is the experience of most college graduates. Why, then, are we suffocating young people with debt for a piece of paper that only qualifies them for an interview? If the college-industrial complex really cared about young people, it would redefine the meaning of a bachelor’s degree, or least give young people the option of foregoing non-major-related classes. Sigh.
I’m right there with you this week Mr. G. Hope all is getting better for you and Mrs. G! Would love to see a post from her.
Wishing you both a good and safe weekend!
Thanks, Amy. We’re getting ready for Irma now. I don’t think we have too much to worry about. They’re talking about 35 mph winds and a lot of rain. We’ll see. Have a great weekend. Hope all is well on your end.
So I just introduced Mr.Wow to the Talking Trash series and he’s hooked. Ever thought about doing a remote Talking Trash? If so, we’d love to make it happen. There’s plenty of trash around us that needs some talking to.
Hey, Mrs. WOW. Yes, Mrs. G and I have kicked around the idea of a remote Talking Trash. I’ll shoot you and email this weekend on the logistics. I’d love to pick up trash with you guys virtually. Thanks for your kind words, and thanks for your wonderful suggestion. Remote Talking Trash could become a thing.
We are totally down!
Cool. I’m sure our great minds can work something out.
I will read this one when J$ picks it up on RockStar
LOL! If this post isn’t Rockstar worthy, I don’t know what is.
As a fellow Long Islander, all I kept thinking was “Do I tawk like dat too?” Yeah , probably.
Kidding aside, I do agree with your view the on the value (or lack of)of college.
Haha! My accent is definitely cringe worthy. I was born in Queens but moved out on the island when I was in the first grade. Mrs. G is from Brooklyn but her accent is a lot less Noo Yawkish. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. I don’t miss Long Island. The thought of LIE traffic makes me shudder. But I love to visit. Lot a great people in your neck of the woods. Cheers.
Wow, “NOTHING” from Mr. Groovy! That’s a first. Look forward to seeing the post from Mrs. Groovy on what’s been going on, and enjoyed your Trash Talk in the interim!
Thanks, Fritz. Yeah, we had a rough week. Nothing tragic. Just life. But, man, did this crisis keep us busy. Mrs. G’s a little gun shy, but I’m pushing her to do a post about our travails. Talk to you soon, my friend. Hope all is well.