Originally Posted by
DetroitPole
While justanotherboy is horribly mislead, and likely lacks a real education [[one of those people who says they learned from 'real world experience' as if we all don't live in the real world), there is some truth to his arguement. Wayne State University could be a far, far better school if they increased their standards in a multitude of ways. It has excellent faculty and is a stellar research university and far better than the rest of the however many redundant state universities Michigan has. Except of course, U of M and MSU, who, as he correctly said, both have a positive reputation outside of Michigan.
I say this as a Wayne State alumni. I got an outstanding education but because of my own hard work and some excellent professors - and often despite Wayne State's administration.
I'm not sure why people take such pride in having an affinity for tradespeople over intellectuals. Sure, when you need your toilet fixed a plumber is great, but there is a place for all fields of studies and work. It may be more enjoyable for most people to have a beer with a plumber than a History PhD for some people [[actually if you were to give them a chance and actually talk to them they are usually normal, nice people like the rest of us), I don't believe we should all be automatons, drones, or slaves without education outside our occupations. I don't believe French History is something that civilization as a whole should abandon even though it is a niche market, and something that one doesn't encounter on a daily basis. So we still need those people.
As an anecdote, coincidentally I had a French History professor who opened up many doors to me in my life and gave me educational opportunities in college that otherwise would not be afforded to a working class person. They do things besides sit in the archives. Unfortunately all occupations can't all sport that charming, rugged, Joe-Six-Pack image that Americans love so much.
By the way, it isn't 1995 anymore. "Learn a trade from the community college" doesn't work as a lucrative, flawless career path free from debt like it used to. Actually go talk to an electrician without seniority and see how easy it is for them to find a job. A young man today is much better off becoming a nurse than a plumber, which requires nearly as much education as a PhD in French History, coincidentally.
And one can't really argue with the fact that the professor on Gilligan's Island really was the most useful one of the bunch.