If a degree doesn’t teach basic thinking, what exactly are we buying—and why are trades still treated like a consolation prize?
Mom and Dad scrimp, save, skip vacations, and carry the guilt of saying “no” so Jack or Jill can chase the American fantasy: a college degree means everything, and without it you’re a loser. Then you watch this and think—what are we paying for?
Just what the hell are they teaching?
Is there a curriculum called Dumb & Dumber? Because if you leave college unable to reason through simple questions, what good is the parchment? A degree should mean you can:
- Think in systems (logic, evidence, tradeoffs).
- Write with clarity and purpose.
- Work with discipline and deadlines.
- Adapt to tech and tools that change every year.
The unspoken truth: trades pay—and they’re real
What’s wrong with a trade? Nothing. Plumbers, HVAC techs, welders, machinists, electricians—they solve real problems and earn real money without carrying a lifetime of debt.
- Direct path: Apprenticeship → certifications → billable skill.
- Demand: Infrastructure, housing, manufacturing, energy—none of it runs itself.
- Ownership: Tool up, find clients, become your own boss.
“But the degree is the golden ticket.” Is it?
If the ticket lands you at a fryer next to a grad with a minor in “Brand Identity of Cartoons,” maybe the ticket was misprinted. A degree with no competence is a bill, not a bridge.
What parents think they’re buying vs. what too many students get
- Buying: Mentors, rigor, networks, marketable skills.
- Getting: Ideology-as-curriculum, group projects with ghost riders, and debt that outlives the first two jobs.
A practical checklist for Jack or Jill
- Start with the job. What roles exist? What do they pay in your city? Degree or license required?
- Price the path. Tuition vs. apprenticeship wages; tool costs vs. student loans.
- Audit the curriculum. Syllabus links, writing required, lab/shop time, portfolio output.
- Ask for outcomes. Placement rates, median salaries, actual employer lists.
- Try before you buy. Shadow a tech, take a night class, do a 6-week cert. Reality beats brochures.
Respect—for the people who keep the lights on
America needs both: engineers and electricians, designers and machinists. But let’s kill the snobbery that calls trades “less than.” The guy who fixes your AC during a heat wave isn’t “less than”—he’s the reason you can sleep.
Bottom line
College can be great when it delivers thinking, writing, doing. But a framed degree is not a force field against incompetence. If the goal is a life with dignity and good pay, learn to do something valuable—whether that’s pipefitting or Python. Parents: don’t fund fantasy. Fund futures.
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