[eli_gottlieb]

>I taught at a community college. A lot of people there are really just feeling around for what to do with their lives. A lot of them also didn't do so well in high school and needed to skip ACT/SAT requirements to get in to a 4 year school to do what they really needed. This translates into lots of general ed classes/GPA boosters.

Then I think we need to stop expecting that there's going to be some special path they'll ever take in life that's specific to them as individuals, at least work-wise. We should instead set up a general path that someone can take to earn a living without needing a personal drive in any particular direction, and let them be a unique individual outside work.

[troupe]

I think that pretty much describes an Associates degree in pretty much anything. You graduate with a 2-year degree of mostly general ed, but a few classes in something you think you might be interested in. If you want to get a 4-year degree you should have a much better idea of what types of things you'd be willing to spend another 2 or 3 years learning. If you don't go on for a 4-year degree you at least have an associate degree which is a huge step in employability above just having a high school diploma.

[bphogan]

I wholeheartedly agree.