Rant Politics and the older generation, lol

[Jeros]

Older person: "Students need to pay more fees, why should I support them"

Me: "They do pay most of it back you know"

Older person: "yeah but not all of it"

Me: "Hang on, your saying that yet your degree was free, and you want them to pay more even though they already do pay a contribution and you never paid a penny?"

Older person: "that was different that was the 70s, things were different back then"

Me: "Ok fair enough (?), but realistically would you be in the position you are now without your education?"

Older person: "I made a killing on my house so probably"

Me: "But how did you get a mortgage in the first place, with, as you say, little money to back you up?"

Older person: "Yes ok smartarse, cause I had a good job"

Me: "Because you had an education"

Older person: "Yeah yeah whatever, don't pull that with me, if kids want go to Uni they need to pay or it, or there parents do, times have changed, AND THEY CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT DO BULLSHIT DEGREES WITH TAX PAYERS MONEY TO DO BULLSHIT JOBS"

Me: "and what, prey tell, was your degree back in 1975"

Older person: "um....er.....thats not important"

Me: "And what do you do anyway?"

Older person: Oh *smiles* I work the for local council






I FUCKING GIVE UP!

*also this should have a rant tag but the option seems to have disappeared for me

 

[soze]

I am 28 and I do not think half of the degrees should be subsidised. If you are studying to do a job that is in he public interest like a Doctor or Nurse you should get a free degree but have to work for the NHS ect for the first 15 years. But Russian literature can go and get fucked that job will not benefit the general public so they should not have to pay. I do know it takes the piss if you are a new student and seeing what people used to get.

I am also fucking sick of being told by people in their 50's how they had paid their mortgage off by the time they were my age. Yes it is really easy when you could Right to Buy your house for a third of its real value stay there for two years then sell, effectively being given two thirds the value of that house for fuck all. That is a fucking crime and whoever though it up should be shot for treason.

 

[Tom]

I don't see why the government shouldn't look at what skills, as a nation, we're short of, and fully subsidise courses designed to teach people those skills.

Like engineering.

 

[Raven]

I agree with Tom. Useful degrees should be encouraged.

A degree in sociology or some shit is only good for 3 years of fucking about before you start work at Tesco, I don't see why we should have to pay for 3 wasted years.

 

[Chilly]

Russian lit was a bad example. Where would we get our spies without it??

 

[Chilly]

Useful degrees ARE encouraged. If you study engineering or maths you'll earn more than some bellend who studies theatre tech (probably).

 

[soze]

Russian lit was a bad example. Where would we get our spies without it??

I never though of that. But you get the point I meant a degree that you find fascinating but offers little to the general public.

 

[pez]

Older person: "I made a killing on my house so probably"

And who's paying for that now? - he didn't make a killing be selling his house to the older generation. Should have told him to go fuck himself right there.

 

[Gwadien]

I never though of that. But you get the point I meant a degree that you find fascinating but offers little to the general public.

Like a degree in Lady Gaga?

 

[DaGaffer]

Problem with incentives for degrees that are considered "useful" is that it usually turns out to be "incentives for degrees that were considered useful fifteen years ago". Which is why incentives are often found at post-graduate level, where its easier to add and withdraw courses as they become desirable. Its better to be quite general at bachelor's level anyway.

Personally, despite being an "older person", I don't have a problem with subsidising students in principal. However, to take Jeros' rather trite little example above, there is one BIG difference between the seventies and now which is a key consideration; back then University was the destination for a small, dare I say it, "elite" group of, usually high achieving, students. Maybe 10-20% of the population went to university back then, so it wasn't a massive burden on the state to subsidise them. Now its 50-60%. Something's got to give. Its no great mystery that countries with high student populations have rarely given away third-level education for free.

 

[Job]

It doesn't matter what your degree is in, 90% of people end up filling in same boxes ,different shit on the computer.

 

[Chilly]

Like this box?

 

[Ch3tan]

Quick, someone get him his pills before he starts!

 

[Chilly]

I never though of that. But you get the point I meant a degree that you find fascinating but offers little to the general public.

This is the problem with coming up with some kind of subsidy table. It's extraordinarily difficult to accurately work out the value a given degree will has to society. I bet there will be some really weird ones we'd all instantly dismiss but it turns out it's awesome.

That's why you rely on the employment market to do it for you. Sure, you get a bit of lag but you're never going to get rid of that so meh. Over the last 5 years I've heard, at least twice a year that there's an over supply and then an under supply in IT people. It's all just drivel really, do a hard degree and you're employable. End of.

 

[Cerb]

It can can depend on the person as well.

I did a degree (English and Geography) that I'm sure many of you would consider "useless". I've managed to make a start in a real career out of it though, even including that my marks were probably only average.

What people need in mind in College is what their end game is.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Problem is the "careers" advice and planning in school and college is nothing. Absolute zero. If you are undecided at this time, they pretty much refuse to help and have nothing to say. They're only vaguely useful if you're weird enough to have decided what you want to do for the next 40 years when you're 14.

 

[cHodAX]

I don't see why the government shouldn't look at what skills, as a nation, we're short of, and fully subsidise courses designed to teach people those skills.

Like engineering.

Completely agree.

 

[Chilly]

Are we actually short of engineers?

 

[Gwadien]

Are we actually short of engineers?

yes

 

[cHodAX]

Apprenticing of young engineers is probably at an all time low so yes, we already have issues and it is only going to get worse unless big changes are forthcoming.

 

[throdgrain]

How about fuck you, fuck your degree, I aint paying for it The government even lend you the money and let you pay it back when you can afford it, but that aint good enough. Why dont you skip the next four years, and go get a job at Tescos tomorrow instead? If they'll have you.

"Older generation" my arse, what a cant.

 

[Chilly]

How about fuck you, fuck your degree, I aint paying for it The government even lend you the money and let you pay it back when you can afford it, but that aint good enough. Why dont you skip the next four years, and go get a job at Tescos tomorrow instead? If they'll have you.

"Older generation" my arse, what a cant.

That's a daft way to think, though. If everyone was a no-skilled tesco grunt no one would ever invent anything clever. All those cants, as you put it, would never have been educated enough to go on to invent pain killers or MOTORCYCLES or GUNS. Wake the fuck up throd you CANT.

 

[throdgrain]

FUCK YOU CHILLY!!!


(I think you didnt get the joke )

 

[Chilly]

Batman.

 

[throdgrain]

You fuck!

 

[Embattle]

I don't see why the government shouldn't look at what skills, as a nation, we're short of, and fully subsidise courses designed to teach people those skills.

Like engineering.

While I agree I would also like to see the general cost of a university education reduced but at the same time I would expect a stricter system in terms of behaviour from college through to university and some sort of reform in terms of progression.

 

[soze]

Rather than a "Student Loan" why not subsidise meals accommodation and the course. Loads of the people I know that went to and are going to college are using the Student Loan for PC Equipment and getting pissed all the time. That is where the problem starts for me they are getting the best loan rate going and then have a better social life than I can get away with for four years. I know it is bitter but you read shit like this and think why should I contribute to a degree which is not getting her work, then contribute to her sitting at home doing nothing, then contribute to her suing the government because they made her do some work. In short fuck her and students like her.

 

[DaGaffer]

Rather than a "Student Loan" why not subsidise meals accommodation and the course. Loads of the people I know that went to and are going to college are using the Student Loan for PC Equipment and getting pissed all the time. That is where the problem starts for me they are getting the best loan rate going and then have a better social life than I can get away with for four years. I know it is bitter but you read shit like this and think why should I contribute to a degree which is not getting her work, then contribute to her sitting at home doing nothing, then contribute to her suing the government because they made her do some work. In short fuck her and students like her.

Er, can't say I approve of people being forced to do unpaid work for a retailer in order to keep their benefits. Unpaid work for the community/state perhaps, but for a retailer? WTF?

 

[Aoami]

Problem is the "careers" advice and planning in school and college is nothing. Absolute zero. If you are undecided at this time, they pretty much refuse to help and have nothing to say. They're only vaguely useful if you're weird enough to have decided what you want to do for the next 40 years when you're 14.

The careers advice I received at 'best state college in the country (tm)" consisted of a group of about 30 of us crowed round one computer, whilst my mate ran through a 'what career are you suited for' program which told him that he would be a wine taster. Much lolling ensued and careers were never mentioned again. In hindsight, I'm sure more advice was available, but at the time I didn't know. The colleges argument would probably be something along the lines of "We can't make the students do this sort of thing", but they should damn well try because it's important.

 

[soze]

Er, can't say I approve of people being forced to do unpaid work for a retailer in order to keep their benefits. Unpaid work for the community/state perhaps, but for a retailer? WTF?

It is not unpaid work it is paid for out of the benefit she was claiming. She did not get extra money for that work but she was still on the dole so hardly slave labour.