[pc86]

It can be both. There can be systemic issues but you can also look at someone with a Bachelor's in Contemporary French Literature or Gender Studies or Political Science (me) and say "that was pretty dumb of you." Being able to look at that objectively doesn't mean it's feelings but that was a pretty good attempt at turning that around.

[lapcat]

What's the alternative though? Having nobody study political science? Except perhaps rich kids, and having only rich kids study political science might be even worse than having nobody...

[pc86]

The world does not want for lack of Political Science graduates. It's pretty high on the list of "I have no idea what to study but I need a degree" choices, as evidenced by me gravitating toward it after successively eliminating basically everything else (except, ironically, Computer Science, which would have served me much better in hindsight).

Poli Sci is - perhaps not surprisingly - a lot like law where there are pretty good jobs you can get that the degree prepares you decently well for even at the undergrad level. The problem is there are 10 applicants for every one of those jobs, so they come with long hours and subsistence wages. It is objectively a "dumb" thing to do to bank that you'll be one of the minority who gets a job and you'll survive the grind long enough to make a decent living.

So there can be systemic issues where we make it way too easy for people who don't really care about politics, or gender, or contemporary French literature, to get a degree in that which is by almost all definitions a worthless piece of paper. And there can also be lack of personal responsibility on the part of that person when they've graduated a decade prior, have never gotten a job relevant to their degree, and think their debt should be forgiven because it's hard to pay it back.

[lapcat]

> The world does not want for lack of Political Science graduates.

I don't know about that. I think our electorate could use a lot more political science education. In any case, your statement takes for granted the student loan system. Would the world want for lack of polisci graduates if there were no student loans?

> It's pretty high on the list of "I have no idea what to study but I need a degree" choices, as evidenced by me gravitating toward it after successively eliminating basically everything else

That's just your personal anecdote. My personal ancedote is that I also got a degree in political science, and it was because I was genuinely interested in political science.

> It is objectively a "dumb" thing to do to bank that you'll be one of the minority who gets a job and you'll survive the grind long enough to make a decent living.

I would say objectively "risky" rather than dumb. It does pay off for some. Would you say the "winners" were dumb? Would you say that professional athletes who are now fabulously wealthy are dumb because it's "dumb" to pursue a career where most people fail?

[randomdata]

> Would you say that professional athletes who are now fabulously wealthy are dumb because it's "dumb" to pursue a career where most people fail?

Yes, anyone who compromises their future on the slim chance of winning the lottery is reasonably considered "dumb".

For the most part, athletes don't have to compromise their future, though. Professional sport networks tend to be good to make sure participants have reasonable backup plans and once someone is identified as having likelihood of making "the big leagues" will be supported financially to a smaller degree while they see if they can make the transition. There is an opportunity cost on those who don't make it, to be sure, but not being as well off as you had hoped you'd be isn't the same as crumbling under crushing debt for the rest of your life.

Maybe it is not perfect in every circumstance, but generally there is an effort to protect athlete hopefuls from running their lives exactly to protect those who are "dumb". Colleges, on the other hand, couldn't care less – "Just give me the money!"

[pc86]

Risky is a fine word to use too, and probably less judgmental. I would say the winners did a risky thing and it paid off, which happens all the time. I never said the people who did it are dumb I said it's a dumb thing to do which are two very, very different statements. It's also very risky to bet it all on being able to get into the NBA or NFL. That doesn't mean it doesn't pay off for some people, some of whom probably had dozens of other people telling them not to do it, they'll never make it, etc. That doesn't make the choice any smarter objectively though, except in hindsight.

[nradov]

Just to play devil's advocate here, what would be the down side if no one studied political science? The country managed to survive pretty well before that field of study was even a thing.

[lapcat]

> Just to play devil's advocate here

Sorry, I don't play with devil's advocates.

If this is your actual view, then just admit it, and don't pretend to hide behind an imaginary devil.

[nradov]

I'm not pretending. I know very little about political science and am asking a sincere question. No agenda.

[lapcat]

> I know very little about political science and am asking a sincere question. No agenda.

Are you expecting me to explain the field of political science to you in a Hacker News comment?

[RhysU]

Yes, including the field's worth and the counterfactual that it doesn't exist as a field of study.

gets popcorn

But, like, sincerely, first they read some Plato/Aristotle/Machiavelli/etc, second learn about mercantilism's failures, third about modern coopetition in light of the multigenerational UN stalemates, fourth about the Laffer curve, and then what do they do and produce? Specially, someone with a terminal BA in Political Science without an MBA or law school or connections? I am totally ignorant here.

(2-3 well-crafted sentences is all that most compelling ideas really need. Plenty of space in an HN comment. It's not Twitter.)

[silverquiet]

I got a STEM degree and worked as much as I could to pay it as I went (with significant help from my parents as well), essentially doing a "996" style schedule for years on end, and got out of school with no debt. In other words, about as individually responsible as it was possible for me to be. I don't think people should have to do that to get a degree either.