From: schroede@bnlux1.bnl.gov (gary l. schroeder)
Subject: "Cruel"?  
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 14:42:45 GMT

In article <14184@borg.cs.unc.edu> kimy@monteverdi.cs.unc.edu (Yong-Mi Kim) writes:
>In article <1992Jul23.200051.20852@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> tcarsten@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Teresa C D Carstensen) writes:
>>Law schools - feh!  I can't see how they can recruit students in all good
>>conscience knowing that only half of their graduates are ever going to get jobs
>>in that field.   It is so unethical of them to seduce potential students with
>>the promise of high-paying jobs in the future while knowing that the only
>>reason why a lot of students choose law school is because they can't get a 
>>job with their bachelor's degree in the first place.  If I were you, I'd sue
>>your school for breach of promise (after you have the degree in your hot little
>>hands, of course).  

A ridiculous argument.  A very similar thing happened to a friend of
mine who is still, after having been out of school for three years,
unable to find a job in his field.  He too has bitched and moaned about
being decieved by various professors who oversold his degree, making it
seem so much more lucrative than it really was. His major area of study?
Archeology.  Yes, that's right.  Archeology.

My point is this: anyone who is honest with him/herself will understand
what their motivations for pursuing the degree are.  If this guy had
been honest with himself, he would have realized that 'of course you're
not going to get a well-paying job after graduation with a degree like
that!'.  Instead, he chose to decieve himself and place the blame on his
professors.  Let's remember that it's no secret that various college
departments are over-selling themselves just like you're over-selling
yourself to them!

It's up to _you_!  It's your life.  It's your decision.  It's _your_
responsibility to make yourself informed.  Nobody's going to watch out
for you.  You have to fend for yourself. 



>A friend and I were discussing something similar.  We agreed that
>many academic departments in universities were being unethical in
>letting so many people major in those fields.  Departments in
>question: political science, sociology, psychology, English, history
>(add your own peeve if you wish).  How many of these people will have
>decent-paying jobs after they graduate with their bachelor's degrees?

How many people are foolish enough to believe that they will have
decent-paying jobs after graduation with these degrees?  I mean, sure,
it can happen, but... Again, it's the responsibility of the student to
make an informed decision about a course of study, particularly if they
expect that course of study to lead to a promising job.

Don't use your college department as a scapegoat.  Check the employment
statistics for students with degrees in ploy sci or English and see for
yourself what your chances are.  Use the information wisely and become
aware of what you're getting yourself into.

The arguments I've seen here are like saying "hey, I ate a green apple
and the grocer didn't stop me from buying it and I got sick.  I'm suing
the grocer!"

-- 
--------------
Gary Schroeder		
schroede@bnlux1.bnl.gov 
Brookhaven National Laboratory     "Home of the Big BNL Burger."