What is the solution to the problem of low income jobs that require high levels of education?

[buddhallah_the_christ]

There are many positions in the world which can only be filled by people with extensive education and training, but that compensate those people very modestly. Given that the cost of college education outpaces inflation, and the earned wages rarely even keep up with inflation, this means those people who are trained to fill those positions will never earn enough to pay off their student loans, much less buy a home or raise a family.

Do you think it is a problem that certain jobs (like social workers, teachers, counselors) require educations that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but compensate those workers too little to pay off the loans they would have to take to get the educations needed to land the job?

 

[Moonglow]

It's been like that for years, many years...no matter what your degree is, for some reason you still have to start at the bottom..My suggestion is pay cash for your education by working and saving...

 

[dblack]

There are many positions in the world which can only be filled by people with extensive education and training, but that compensate those people very modestly. Given that the cost of college education outpaces inflation, and the earned wages rarely even keep up with inflation, this means those people who are trained to fill those positions will never earn enough to pay off their student loans, much less buy a home or raise a family.

Do you think it is a problem that certain jobs (like social workers, teachers, counselors) require educations that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but compensate those workers too little to pay off the loans they would have to take to get the educations needed to land the job?

I guess it depends on what you mean by "require".

 

[R.D.]

Go to an affordable college.

 

[Tom Sweetnam]

Reminds me of the strike at Powell's in Portland, the world's largest book store. They were demanding MA's from employees and paying them $8 an hour. That's bullshit -one case of a union I supported in full. Powell's came off their wallet, started paying all those people with Master's degrees a decent wage, and they're still making money hand over fist.

 

[dblack]

Reminds me of the strike at Powells's Book Store in Portland, the world's largest book store. They were demanding MA's from employees and paying them $8 an hour. That's bullshit -one case of a union I supported in full. Powell's came off their wallet, started paying all those people with Master's degrees a decent wage, and they're still making money hand over fist.

This strikes me as mostly hilarious.

 

[Moonglow]

Reminds me of the strike at Powells's Book Store in Portland, the world's largest book store. They were demanding MA's from employees and paying them $8 an hour. That's bullshit -one case of a union I supported in full. Powell's came off their wallet, started paying all those people with Master's degrees a decent wage, and they're still making money hand over fist.

This strikes me as mostly hilarious.

What would a bookstore need with MA's?

 

[dblack]

Reminds me of the strike at Powells's Book Store in Portland, the world's largest book store. They were demanding MA's from employees and paying them $8 an hour. That's bullshit -one case of a union I supported in full. Powell's came off their wallet, started paying all those people with Master's degrees a decent wage, and they're still making money hand over fist.

This strikes me as mostly hilarious.

What would a bookstore need with MA's?

Heh.. exactly. And why would MA's work for $8/hr? Silliness abounds.

There oughta be a law!

 

[Tom Sweetnam]

I can tell some people here have spent weeks and months researching projects that involved more than a one-sentence bon mot in some web forum. Not.

 

[Moonglow]

I can tell some people here have spent weeks and months researching projects that involved more than a one-sentence bon mot in some web forum. Not.

No really don't hold back.....Use a two sentence format next time to expand and expound on that thesis.....

 

[DGS49]

(1) If your objective in life is to make MONEY, and you choose to pursue that with formal education (which may not be exactly smart), then you need to study a subject that will command a high salary when you graduate. Studying Fine Arts or Sociology or Ethnic Studies and whining about low pay strikes me as rather stupid.

(2) The point of teachers' pay be substandard is phony. There are many school districts that pay handsomely; my own school district pay scale goes well into 6 figures. But those school districts are extremely selective in whom they hire (at least they COULD be). They get hundreds of applications from fully-qualified people, and have the ability to pick whomever they want. The school districts that pay little get exactly what they pay for. If you work for one of them you should be looking to improve yourself by moving to a "better" school district.

(3) There are many college majors that lack what is often called, "academic rigor," and degrees in those subjects are appropriately worth very little in the marketplace. To suppose that a degree in primary education should be valued comparably with a degree in electrical engineering is preposterous. The EE studied quantitative subject material that had to be learned absolutely in order to pass. Bullshit courses are characterized by the professor saying "there is no right answer" on the tests.

(4) The value of education, like the value of everything else in life, is and should be determined by supply and demand. If Panera Bread can hire all college grads to make sandwiches, there must be a lot of college grads out there with no better options. And not to be "political" but that is why a "high" minimum wage would be a disaster for those with minimal formal education or job skills.

 

[Roadrunner]

There are many positions in the world which can only be filled by people with extensive education and training, but that compensate those people very modestly. Given that the cost of college education outpaces inflation, and the earned wages rarely even keep up with inflation, this means those people who are trained to fill those positions will never earn enough to pay off their student loans, much less buy a home or raise a family.

Do you think it is a problem that certain jobs (like social workers, teachers, counselors) require educations that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but compensate those workers too little to pay off the loans they would have to take to get the educations needed to land the job?

Teachers work 180 days a year.

Plenty of time to moonlight or get a summer job if it is not enough.

And I doubt any social worker, teacher or counsellor spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars" getting a degree or two.

 

[Unkotare]

There are many positions in the world which can only be filled by people with extensive education and training, but that compensate those people very modestly. Given that the cost of college education outpaces inflation, and the earned wages rarely even keep up with inflation, this means those people who are trained to fill those positions will never earn enough to pay off their student loans, much less buy a home or raise a family.

Do you think it is a problem that certain jobs (like social workers, teachers, counselors) require educations that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but compensate those workers too little to pay off the loans they would have to take to get the educations needed to land the job?

.

 

[Moonglow]

Teachers can get student loans reduced or forgiven for being a teacher.

 

[Unkotare]

Teachers can get student loans reduced or forgiven for being a teacher.

Not everyone.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

There are many positions in the world which can only be filled by people with extensive education and training, but that compensate those people very modestly. Given that the cost of college education outpaces inflation, and the earned wages rarely even keep up with inflation, this means those people who are trained to fill those positions will never earn enough to pay off their student loans, much less buy a home or raise a family.

Do you think it is a problem that certain jobs (like social workers, teachers, counselors) require educations that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but compensate those workers too little to pay off the loans they would have to take to get the educations needed to land the job?

Teachers work 180 days a year.

Plenty of time to moonlight or get a summer job if it is not enough.

And I doubt any social worker, teacher or counsellor spent "hundreds of thousands of dollars" getting a degree or two.

On what planet? I worked as a teacher for 21 years and never had that schedule!