Stone Soup by Jan Eliot for August 25, 2013

Two words: open admissions.

Tomorrow is when my older brother starts his Ph.D. program at the U. of Iowa.

Here’s a catch, don’t go to college and expect a career in the food services industry.

Puleeasssee, let’s leave social and political commentary to the OP-ED cartoons. Don’t get me wrong, everybody has a right to their opinion but there is a place for it(Op-Ed page) not in the Sunday (or daily) Funnies ! ! ! !

Andy may find that a community or technical college is a more practical way to plan for his future. Later, If he wants to go on to a 4-year college, he could transfer.

When it takes a B.A. to work in a car rental agency, we have to think WTF? Many 8th grade grads had office careers after WWII. My grandfather took a 6 week course at LA Trade Tech to be a pharmacist. He actually made it through 6th grade. It took a couple of trys, but he passed the state exam and had a career that lasted into his 80s.Education is used to screen out undesirables, not to prove intelligence or suitability for a job.

Sorry Andy.

I had a little college (finished HS in ‘55) but my parents thought it was impractical for me to study architecture (what I wanted) and that was back in the days when parents usually supported such aims. They decided to put all their bets on my brother who turned into a spoiled sociopath who ruined the business and (even tho’ wife paid for law school, he divorced her afterward) and took over dad’s business and wound up penniless and unloved but I was able to take my drafting skill (after 4 kids and a divorce) and start out as a drafter, took on more design with each employer and actually be called an engineer in some places, Project Manager, Designer etc. I made good money for most of my life and managed to save a little while raising the kids.

I still sometimes wonder “what IF” I had studied and gotten degree in architecture. I’m in good health and have a lovely house and garden in the best climate I can find – SO THERE!

The GPA isn’t as important as learning how to think and solve problems. Can’t get a scholarship – live at home and work your ass off instead of partying and lliving on loans. Employers will look at a lower GPA if it looks like you can formulate a life plan and do what you need to in order to get there. You’ll still graduate with debt, but it won’t be as bad and you’ll be able to get a decent job when you’re done.

“I have a CPC, CMC and CMB.)”

Please translate… ;)

If I had a “do over” I would go to a trade school instead of college.

The MOST important thing is, you have to do what you love, or love what you do. If you don’t, you’ll end up hating your job, grinding your teeth at night and getting a divorce and hating the world. Don’t take a job because “hey, you can make money doing that”.I’ve worked in electronics all my life, since I was about 10. Because I love it. But I’ve worked with people that got into simply for the above reason (or different ones) and they just hate it. I also noticed that about other jobs, people end up simply hating their job and everything else, one they work in something they just don’t like.I figured out, you simply have to do what you love or love what you do if you’re going to be happy. Even if that’s flippin’ burgers all day long.

(But it’s also getting harder, much harder, to find a college that will actually educate you, and not indoctrinate you. That seems to be the order of the day for most, indoctrination and not education)

I attended a technical college in Office Assistant, years later the program changed as other programs dropped to demand changing. All technical college teaches the basics only. Jr. college enhances the basics to more advances. True if the degree does not show outstanding the potential worker not being considered. The older the worker the less of consideration.

GPA, SAT, M-O-U-S-E!