Free College Education : A Blessing in Disguise for The Rest of the World

In the Spring of 2021, I have been asked to teach a class in Personal Financial Planning for a
University that has campuses locally even though the main campus is located elsewhere...  These classes are 5 weeks in length, meeting once a week for 4 hours (6:00-10:00 pm)...  and for this the student receives 3 credits of accredited college coursework...  Personally, I am not sure if this is rigorous enough to satisfy 3 hours but the University which is managed by ACADEMIC PHD's perceives that this amount of time will suffice.

When I went to college in the 60's, our accredited college coursework hours were 45 plus outside reading, homework, and the writing of 10 page or 20 page papers.

BUT...  times have changed and we have reduced competency down from 45 hours to 20 with minimal outside reading, minimal homework if any, and not really writing any papers at all but giving powerpoint presentations.

And, it is this type of education that we want to make free to everyone so that they can get a better job, make more money, participate in and enjoy the American Dream.  The only problem with this logic is that a COLLEGE EDUCATION is already watered down just about so that any high school illiterate or dropout can pass...  now, with making it free-of-charge, every idiot will run to these hallowed halls and be given (NOT EARN) a degree...

WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?

Let me explain it this way...

During my 45 year career, not one of my employers asked to see my academic grades in order to make their hiring decisions, not even those employers that were ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS, COLLEGES, and UNIVERSITIES...

They did not particularly care what grades I made as long as I could produce and achieve the outcomes/outputs that they desired.

Achieving those outcomes and outputs was never taught directly in college.

I had to use my common sense and experience and my college education had little to do with it.

What helped me more than anything else was:

• My Discipline
• My Determination
• Teaching Myself What I Needed to Know
• Taking Responsibility for my actions
• Asking the Right Questions
• Being Proactive rather than Reactive
• Accepting Constructive Criticism
• A Willingness to go above and beyond
• A Willingness to put my job above my family
• An Ability to communicate effectively both orally and written
• A Desire to give 110%
• An Eagerness to DRILL DOWN on every task
• A Desire to work at home

None of these personality traits do I see in my students since the year 2000 or for the last 20 years, two decades that we have allowed the course of education in this country to be altered...

So...  here's my problem...  we will have a huge labor force and marketplace of college educated workers WHO WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PERFORM and ACHIEVE GOALS and OUTCOMES...  because they were never taught to think that way in college nor were they ever trained to perform on their own.

They were given an education rather than finding creative ways to EARN IT...

They will be college educated but doing the work done by high school graduates who never really learned how to perform...  but they are DAMN GOOD AT MEMORIZING...

Our businesses, industries, and corporations are competing in a GLOBAL MARKETPLACE which is not like doing chores at home and receiving an allowance...  it is a hell of a lot more serious than that...  giving away a free college education is like telling the rest of the world, that the FUTURE ECONOMIC WEALTH IS THEIRS.