[derleth]

> Young people and parents need to seriously consider forgoing college entirely

What a political football: As this gets worse, can you imagine everything politicians will have to argue about as regards "Getting our children back into college so they can remain competitive in the New Global Economy"? And would you want to be the only person at a podium questioning whether college is necessary after all?

[theorique]

James Altucher has written a few postings about this issue:

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2010/02/dont-send-your-kids-to-...

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/10-more-reasons-why-par...

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2011/01/8-alternatives-to-colle...

He seems reasonably coherent, although it goes against the conventional wisdom.

[Apocryphon]

It's not something you can legislate away, unfortunately. It requires a sea change in societal perceptions- apprenticeship programs need to come back and be viewed as just as worthy an alternative to going to university. (Germany is an example of a country that still values apprenticeships) Companies to need to offer more paid, meaningful internships need to be offered instead of unpaid menial makework. And whatever happening to IBM's traditional idea of training someone to become a programmer?

[steve-howard]

When I hear about the "New Global Economy," especially as it relates to discussions on schooling, I wonder: are we saying that the economy from now on is going to be more cutthroat, more demanding? When people say that I wonder why some seem to take as a given that life is going to be even harder than ever and we need education to help young people survive. The very assumption that one will need to be ever more skilled to get the same level of job is scary.