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Comment on If college is a scam, where do you go to get better education?

I get the sentiment of “entering a raffle” when costs are high and job prospects are low, but no one is guaranteed success whether they pursue a post-secondary education or not. We can only do what we think will improve our chances given our current circumstances and the information we have available.

If you’re applying to a job where no one knows anything about you, you have to stand out in some way, whether that is a formal education, an impressive personal portfolio, or someone who can vouch for you.

So when I say connections, I don’t just mean that you should go in the hopes of “befriending a nepo baby in your class” but just interacting with classmates and professors who you can learn from, who could become references, or get you hands-on experience in an environment you wouldn’t have access to like a studio or lab. Sometimes employers will also look among students for new talent. Is all of this necessary? No, but many people seem to think it gives them better chances than the alternatives.

I’m not trying to persuade anyone one way or the other and this comment isn’t about what I think is right or fair. If you believe you’re better off following a different route, then I truly wish you the best of luck with it.

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AskewLord@piefed.social ⁨6⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
Pragmatic and practical advice and perspective.

This is what people don’t get. And to be truthful, I didn’t understand it either when I was 20 years old. Because nobody told me any of that stuff.

What people don’t really acknowledge is the ‘institutional knowledge’ is far more important than grades and degrees. And what people miss that wealthier folks teach their kids that stuff, because well, they have first hand knowledge of it. And that matters way way more than ‘connections’ and ‘wealth’ per se.

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klankin@piefed.ca ⁨5⁩ ⁨hours⁩ ago
I just think like making hard drugs and pyramid schemes illegal, its important as a society to support those vulnerable, as ‘fend for yourself’ individuals we only stand to lose. Especially when they’re children making massive financial decisions.

Its a moral failing in my opnion to not critically notice the current market, and adjust your opnion accordingly, otherwise your lack of effort will be abused, even though you won’t have to feel the damage.

So when the only connection required to get a job are explicitly befriend people who inheritly have access to money, because experience costs money, its not surprising that valuable connections are correlated to nepotism proximity (as it’s more common to inherit wealth than achieve it).

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