Is it good policy to give financial aid to liberal arts majors?

[Asher]

Fact: most politicians are liberal arts majors.

Draw your own conclusions from that.

[Colonâ„¢]

Originally posted by DanS
Some thoughts.

(1) BAs are very poorly paid coming out of college. If you want to get an arts degree, that's fine, but don't hold any illusions that "thinking and writing clearly," being well-rounded, etc. will be well compensated at the outset. People will tell you otherwise, but don't believe them. This normally changes over time, however, so don't lose heart. I experienced this.

(2) Engineering degrees have a higher variance in beginning circumstances than what is commonly believed. An AeroE degree is getting you into a ****ty business that is unable to support its graduates nowadays, f.e.

When people point out that the US is graduating fewer engineering folks, it might be worthwhile, at least for the sake of argument, to assume that people are making rational choices in avoiding engineering and the sciences and that our society is being well served by their choices.

(3) A basic competence in higher math is necessary for many/most of the science degrees. However, from what I have seen, the culture in engineering higher education is often counterproductive -- e.g., overworking students on stupid stuff -- rather than effective at finding and encouraging those with the necessary traits to make good scientists and engineers.

(4) You hear all the time that engineers and scientists are well suited to the liberal arts (see TCO). This misperception among engineering and science folks has to do with a mismatch of grading scales and general culture.

Sensible thoughts. I'd like to add that if the gov't going to support studies, it's not up to them to engineer choice by deciding which fields are most rewarding (financially or otherwise).

[Colonâ„¢]

Originally posted by Asher
Fact: most politicians are liberal arts majors.

Draw your own conclusions from that.

You pulled that one out of your ass. Typically, it's lawyers that are the largest single group in politics.

[Pekka]

lawyers and librul artists.

Wow. That's like saying, 'no, most killers aren't rapists'. While it may be true, who cares?!?!

[Asher]

Originally posted by Colonâ„¢
You pulled that one out of your ass. Typically, it's lawyers that are the largest single group in politics.

Err...what do you think 99% of lawyers get for their undergrad?

[TCO]

You can't take a derivative...and I can write a pay...per.
You...can't take a derivative and I can write a paper!

[TCO]

OTBOT is ****ing omniscient!

[TCO]

See!

[Shi Huangdi]

I think I recall a quote by some big US technology executive, who mentioned that in China all the leaders were engineers, and were good at understanding policy issues relating to technology that were brought befor them. Whereas in the US, most leaders are lawyers and have difficulty with technical issues.

Given the complaints about having liberal arts major politicians, I guess y'all would prefer to have a government more like China's....

[Pekka]

Whereas Chinese leadership is communist, with great thinkers like Mao Zedong, man, I have hard time believing they weren't librul artists.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
I think I recall a quote by some big US technology executive, who mentioned that in China all the leaders were engineers, and were good at understanding policy issues relating to technology that were brought befor them. Whereas in the US, most leaders are lawyers and have difficulty with technical issues.

Given the complaints about having liberal arts major politicians, I guess y'all would prefer to have a government more like China's....

Example of a liberal arts thinker, right here ^^.

China has many engineers as leaders.
America has many liberal art majors as leaders.

China is communist.
America is not.

Ergo, engineers --> communist; liberal arts majors --> republican.

As far as I'm concerned, both the Chinese and American governments suck. Both are corrupt and are hell-bent on pushing their misguided ideals on everyone.

[Pekka]

And what is bringing the Chinese Communist Party down? Awareness, because of media and especially internet, that is enhanced communcation tools. While some libruls might have fantasized about them, it was the engineers that created them and keep creating better and better ways to communicate.

That, and money. With many high tech company's going all in for globalization, CCP is having difficulties remaning the sole ruler. Company's, that make those products, created by who? Engineers.

Like I said earlier, we're the ones who make things happen and we base everything on reality and facts.

Libruls just dream and talk. And as political leaders, well we've seen how capable they are ruining good things.

[Pekka]

In short, it was ideology that led China down. Can you imagine it, China has been the center of the Asia and world for long periods too.. it took few 'thinkers' to bring it down.

And what brings it up is facts and money and technology.

Basically, the world can survive without libruls. But it can't survive without its engineers, and surely quality of life does not go higher without them, and while libruls are needed for bettering the quality of life, it can happen without them too. And it's them who usually make it go down with splendid ideologies to begin with.

[TCO]

Originally posted by Asher


Example of a liberal arts thinker, right here ^^.

China has many engineers as leaders.
America has many liberal art majors as leaders.

China is communist.
America is not.

Ergo, engineers --> communist; liberal arts majors --> republican.

As far as I'm concerned, both the Chinese and American governments suck. Both are corrupt and are hell-bent on pushing their misguided ideals on everyone.

Yup...not only do they not know partials, they don't understand multi-function situations in logic.

[TCO]

No offense, Cruise Missile.