Is College a Scam? Me Not Know

This is an important debate we should be having. With the cost of tuition, we need to stop Colleges from bleeding the students dry by requiring them to take courses that are completely unnecessary. With the talking heads screaming about the cost of going to college, how come they never question them when they raise tuition or mandate students to take courses when many of the required courses could be self taught in order to take exams? It is a cash cow for the institutes of higher learning. Many of our founding fathers were self taught, we shouldn't burden those looking to become productive members of society with taking courses unrelated to the chosen profession.



Is college a scam? When it comes to careers like engineering, law, medicine, etc., of course an education is paramount. But answer me this: would an intense series of exams to test the knowledge of applicants for certification as say, a lawyer, not be just as effective as requiring 6+ years of college credit and passing the bar? They both would effectively measure knowledge of the field, but the aforementioned series of exams would not require the credit hours, and better yet the money to acquire those hours. Why is college credit required? Why can't self study, and proof of the necessary knowledge suffice?

I spent four years attaining my degree in a field that has nothing to do with my current occupation. Was it necessary? Well, yes, in order to get my job. But should it be? Perhaps not, it is not as if I am using any of the skills or knowledge from my degree, in a field that is totally unrelated. I could certainly do without the tens of thousands of dollars in debt my education blessed me with.

I'm not advocating the abolishment of the current higher educational system. I am simply posing the question for further thought; simply as an exercise in questioning the status quo.

full story:
http://www.notoriouslyconservative.com/2009/02/is-college-scam-me-not-know.html