[infinite_beam]

The recommended way to “rise” has been to get a higher education. Or, as the Blair mantra had it: “Education, education, education.” Sandel homes in on a 2013 speech by Obama in which the president told students: “We live in a 21st-century global economy. And in a global economy jobs can go anywhere. Companies, they’re looking for the best-educated people wherever they live. If you don’t have a good education, then it’s going to be hard for you to find a job that pays the living wage.” For those willing to make the requisite effort, there was the promise that: “This country will always be a place where you can make it if you try.” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/sep/06/michael-sandel...

[lumost]

This manifested in an industrial policy which pushed millions of motivated citizens to mortgage their 20s in favor of english, philosophy, and psychology degrees. Education does not directly translate to remunerative employment.

Working on an automotive line still pays ~2-4x higher than being a manager at a Starbucks, with added benefits like a regular work week and weekends.

[pydry]

Once the job market for graduates started to saturate they told people they should go into STEM. Once the STEM job market saturated they said people should become programmers.

[KittenInABox]

Looking at college applications now and the struggles of students I'm talking to about it, plus the college admissions scandal, I really don't know if education is the silver bullet claimed. Graduating even with a STEM PhD from a mediocre state school means less than graduating from an Ivy league with a bachelors in literature. In order to get into a prestigious school you have to play an incredibly bullshit game- apparently one significantly influential university this year wanted to know how students would eat a raw potato.

To me, the relationship between education and class is a bit more insidious and doesn't necessarily flow the way that benefits society.

[cletus]

To be fair, deciding to get a STEM PhD isn’t a financial decision at all. At best of the distance between getting a job in that field vs not but you should be cognizant off there being other alternatives.

But if your goal Of to be an academic or researcher (in higher education or industry) the name of the school on your diploma masters. A mediocre Harvard PhD graduate will probably still have Job for life somewhere (depending in the field).

But choosing to get a no name PhD is certainly not a decision optimized for earning potential or job opportunities.