- to offer mentorship or coaching to other members
I actually think that virtually all students gain quite a bit from standard college, but the price has gotten out of control, so I support these efforts to allow lower-cost, self-directed learning (and hope they are adopted within 4-year universities as well). I, personally, am more disturbed by the new requirement of the Master's Degree, and the increased difficulty in starting a career at a reasonable age or switching careers quickly, as is increasingly necessary. At the Master's level of education and experience, standardized paths generally can't compare to the efficiency of self-directed learning, and I believe that forcing older students into these programs just as they arrive at the knowledge and enthusiasm about a topic necessary to apply to grad school, rather than allowing them to quickly and informally ramp up and start taking action is muting our society's potential for improvement. The life plan has become 18-22: college. 23-25: travel, discover what it means to support yourself, and figure out what to study in grad school. 26-27: grad school. 28-29: get married and make real money. 30+: make babies, raise kids, pay for college, make it to retirement, retire. College is seriously broken in a lot of ways, but where society hurts the worst is where the transition from college to contribution isn't greased, and while grad school can provide that grease for some, I think it's actually acting as a barrier for most. (Okay, end rant.)
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