Bison - loaded again

[Silenoz]

There’s that phrase again: “AG Program.”

We hear the same thing from Cat People.

Do farmers seriously need to be taught how to spread shit around?

Yes pretty evolving field and you certainly have a competitive edge in the areas of Ag Systems Management, AG Engineering, AG Econ. Several large companies, ADM, Cargill, DuPont recruit students at NDSU for careers outside of “spreading shit” and offer extremely high salaries.

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

You're not wrong....but you're not right.

Ha well done! That liberal arts education shows well!

Isn’t anything against UM. Georgeous campus. Great college town.....but if I’m paying for my own education, I’m going to look into a field where my education pays off immediately. I know UM has a good B school and strong science programs but outside of that, what is the allure academically? Journalism and communication? Save your money...

Wait, that's why our enrollment tanked? Shit, someone finally cracked the code in 2018. Someone get Bodnar on the line!

 

[AllWeatherFan]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some fucking engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

 

[MTGRZ]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

 

[Yukon]

I'm really glad I'm in the trades. (Outside plant fiber optic broadband networks) It's pretty obvious who can hack it and who can't within about 1 day.

 

[2011BisonAlumni]

Yes pretty evolving field and you certainly have a competitive edge in the areas of Ag Systems Management, AG Engineering, AG Econ. Several large companies, ADM, Cargill, DuPont recruit students at NDSU for careers outside of “spreading shit” and offer extremely high salaries.

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

You're not wrong....but you're not right.

Ha well done! That liberal arts education shows well!

Isn’t anything against UM. Georgeous campus. Great college town.....but if I’m paying for my own education, I’m going to look into a field where my education pays off immediately. I know UM has a good B school and strong science programs but outside of that, what is the allure academically? Journalism and communication? Save your money...

Wait, that's why our enrollment tanked? Shit, someone finally cracked the code in 2018. Someone get Bodnar on the line!

Well certainly the distinction of being “Rape U” didn’t help.

 

[2011BisonAlumni]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Eh...I can not seem to recall anyone in particular who majored in pharmacy, engineering, architecture, nursing etc and lack in critical thinking skills.

On the other hand I have met many people who majored in communications, journalism, English etc., took out a shit ton of loans, and ultimately were not marketable in today’s economy, resulting in them having a shitty job they could have received straight out of high school. These are the people I have paused and asked myself what the fuck they were thinking.

I never said UM is a bad school....but it is undeniable that liberal arts education is a dying breed in this country. Perhaps it is a shame, but with education as expensive as it is today, it should certainly cause one to look at where they are going to school and if their degree will pay off.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Eh...I can not seem to recall anyone in particular who majored in pharmacy, engineering, architecture, nursing etc and lack in critical thinking skills.

On the other hand I have met many people who majored in communications, journalism, English etc., took out a shit ton of loans, and ultimately were not marketable in today’s economy, resulting in them having a shitty job they could have received straight out of high school. These are the people I have paused and asked myself what the fuck they were thinking.

I never said UM is a bad school....but it is undeniable that liberal arts education is a dying breed in this country. Perhaps it is a shame, but with education as expensive as it is today, it should certainly cause one to look at where they are going to school and if their degree will pay off.

I'm glad you have it all figured out at such a young age. You should know, however, that not every degree is terminal. Especially in the modern age. Your posts in this thread remind me of an old quote regarding being in a room for more than five minutes and not being able to identify the dumbass.

 

[2011BisonAlumni]

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Eh...I can not seem to recall anyone in particular who majored in pharmacy, engineering, architecture, nursing etc and lack in critical thinking skills.

On the other hand I have met many people who majored in communications, journalism, English etc., took out a shit ton of loans, and ultimately were not marketable in today’s economy, resulting in them having a shitty job they could have received straight out of high school. These are the people I have paused and asked myself what the f*** they were thinking.

I never said UM is a bad school....but it is undeniable that liberal arts education is a dying breed in this country. Perhaps it is a shame, but with education as expensive as it is today, it should certainly cause one to look at where they are going to school and if their degree will pay off.

I'm glad you have it all figured out at such a young age. You should know, however, that not every degree is terminal. Especially in the modern age. Your posts in this thread remind me of an old quote regarding being in a room for more than five minutes and not being able to identify the dumbass.

Wow that was easier than I thought it would be.

 

[CDAGRIZ]

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Eh...I can not seem to recall anyone in particular who majored in pharmacy, engineering, architecture, nursing etc and lack in critical thinking skills.

On the other hand I have met many people who majored in communications, journalism, English etc., took out a shit ton of loans, and ultimately were not marketable in today’s economy, resulting in them having a shitty job they could have received straight out of high school. These are the people I have paused and asked myself what the f*** they were thinking.

I never said UM is a bad school....but it is undeniable that liberal arts education is a dying breed in this country. Perhaps it is a shame, but with education as expensive as it is today, it should certainly cause one to look at where they are going to school and if their degree will pay off.

I'm glad you have it all figured out at such a young age. You should know, however, that not every degree is terminal. Especially in the modern age. Your posts in this thread remind me of an old quote regarding being in a room for more than five minutes and not being able to identify the dumbass.

Wow that was easier than I thought it would be.

Likewise, kiddo.

 

[tourist]

Wow that was easier than I thought it would be.

Well played. :lol: ...and CDA, to boot!

 

[AllWeatherFan]

I know exactly who the dumbasses are in this thread, and none of them is CDA.

 

[garizzalies]

This Buffalo turd took the bait, hook, line and sinker (this all started when I asked him WTF is an AG program?). No wonder those fuckers are so fat; they can’t possibly pass up even a little nibble

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.c...d-elon-musk-say-is-critical-to-success.html

 

[tourist]

I know exactly who the dumbasses are in this thread, and none of them is CDA.

CDA walked into it, eyes open. Left himself wide open. Bison boy simply took what was provided, and scored. Or, are you confessing?

 

[PlayerRep]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

Good post. As you indicated, there are many reason to get a liberal arts education.

One reason is to go on to Business or law school, and make 5-10 times (or 25) as much money as engineers, nurses or whatever. Or, to found a significant company. Or to write some books or become professors.

 

[PlayerRep]

I know exactly who the dumbasses are in this thread, and none of them is CDA.

Assume Tourist is on your list.

 

[PlayerRep]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Eh...I can not seem to recall anyone in particular who majored in pharmacy, engineering, architecture, nursing etc and lack in critical thinking skills.

On the other hand I have met many people who majored in communications, journalism, English etc., took out a shit ton of loans, and ultimately were not marketable in today’s economy, resulting in them having a shitty job they could have received straight out of high school. These are the people I have paused and asked myself what the f*** they were thinking.

I never said UM is a bad school....but it is undeniable that liberal arts education is a dying breed in this country. Perhaps it is a shame, but with education as expensive as it is today, it should certainly cause one to look at where they are going to school and if their degree will pay off.

What did you major in? What’s your job, or income? Bet CDA makes a lot more money than you do. Jeez, even I probably do, and I barely make a million.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

Good post. As you indicated, there are many reason to get a liberal arts education.

One reason is to go on to Business or law school, and make 5-10 times (or 25) as much money as engineers, nurses or whatever. Or, to found a significant company. Or to write some books or become professors.

:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[CDAGRIZ]

I know exactly who the dumbasses are in this thread, and none of them is CDA.

CDA walked into it, eyes open. Left himself wide open. Bison boy simply took what was provided, and scored. Or, are you confessing?

I don't think you fully understand what happened here.

 

[GrizLA]

There’s that phrase again: “AG Program.”

We hear the same thing from Cat People.

Do farmers seriously need to be taught how to spread shit around?

Yes pretty evolving field and you certainly have a competitive edge in the areas of Ag Systems Management, AG Engineering, AG Econ. Several large companies, ADM, Cargill, DuPont recruit students at NDSU for careers outside of “spreading shit” and offer extremely high salaries.

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

So, basically, you want a trade school.

 

[4theluvofgriz]

I’ll just say this. Liberal arts degrees are next to worthless in today’s society. Unless you have money from mommy and daddy, it simply makes next to zero sense, financially speaking, to get a degree in communications, journalism etc versus going into a high demand field like nursing, pharmacy and engineering.

My two cents. If UM offered degrees in fields that matter, it would have a booming enrollment because the campus is georgeous and the community of Missoula, combined with geographic area, is great.

I speak from experience. I have all sorts of in-laws who live in North Dakota, and they're all very financially successful, and they'd probably all agree with your thesis. And they're all full of shit, just like you are. If the only purpose for colleges and universities in this country is vocational and technical training, then corporations need to start paying a much bigger percentage of the freight.

Another equally (if not more) legitimate purpose for colleges and universities is teaching people how to be critical thinkers. Teaching people how to think for themselves, and not just follow the path laid down by somebody's grandfather. Teaching people how to spell "gorgeous."

Did Steve Jobs need to graduate from some f***[*] engineering program to be successful? Of course not. How many thousands of examples do you need? How many brilliant (and financially successful) attorneys, teachers, designers, authors, business owners or diplomats graduated from liberal arts colleges and universities? You think they all needed their "mommies and daddies" to fund their college coursework or tell them what their college majors needed to be?

I know engineers who hate their jobs, and I know engineers who love their jobs. And I know people who graduated from NDSU or MSU who have the intelligence and/or emotional quotient of a potato. Let's not generalize or stereotype, bub. That's what complete dumbasses do.

I cannot like this enough. Although I graduated with a BS and a MS, a liberal arts college degree is, in a way, more usable in today's workforce. Like you mentioned, universities should be teaching people to be critical thinkers; employers will be looking for graduates with the ability to take in information/data, interpret the info/data, and then use it in some way that is beneficial to whatever their job may be. Liberal arts degrees are a great degree to have when you are asked to bring something new to the table, in a variety of industries.

Look at med school applicants. For a long time students were taking fairly straight and narrow undergrad tracks to get into medical schools. Then the med schools discovered that just because students have all the grades and standardized tests scores with a traditional pre-med degree, they aren't necessarily the best med school students/doctors. Students with liberal arts degrees standout from the med school applicant pool (granted they have good grades/test scores, and pre-requisite courses) of generic pre-med, biology, and bio-chem degrees.

Critical, and creative thinking are what separate good applicants from not as good applicants. Liberal arts degrees do a fine job preparing students for meaningful careers. The problem at UM is much deeper than, "oh they only offer liberal arts degrees, and nobody can get a job with a liberal arts degree." That is an easy (and incorrect) answer to a complicated issue. Most of the people I have spoken to who believe if UM offered more STEM programs to raise enrollment have degrees and jobs in a STEM field. I challenge them to think outside of their "comfort zone" and look at the world through a broader lens. Like they say, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

Eh...I can not seem to recall anyone in particular who majored in pharmacy, engineering, architecture, nursing etc and lack in critical thinking skills.

On the other hand I have met many people who majored in communications, journalism, English etc., took out a shit ton of loans, and ultimately were not marketable in today’s economy, resulting in them having a shitty job they could have received straight out of high school. These are the people I have paused and asked myself what the f*** they were thinking.

I never said UM is a bad school....but it is undeniable that liberal arts education is a dying breed in this country. Perhaps it is a shame, but with education as expensive as it is today, it should certainly cause one to look at where they are going to school and if their degree will pay off.

Gee, my 28-year old daughter got a degree in Communications from UM, and is already making six figures. And, her best friend from UM also got a Communications degree and is also making six figures as a marketing exec with the Oakland Raiders organization, living in Vegas and helping with the move ramp-up. I guess neither of them were told they were getting a worthless degree when they attended college.