A Purdue University alumnus tried to sell his Philosophy degree on Ebay this week with a starting bid of $38,000. However, Ebay pulled Nick Enlow's listing, citing "sensitivity" reasons:
"A degree in the liberal arts is not an automatic ticket to a job, but then again, no degree is," Irwin Weiser, interim dean of Purdue's College of Liberal Arts, told the Journal & Courier. "However, studying any of the disciplines in the arts, humanities, or social sciences prepares students to be successful because they learn to think creatively, critically and ethically, and to communicate what they think effectively."
But in 2002, Howard Cohen, the chancellor of Purdue's Calumet campus, wrote that "In addition to the obvious benefits associated with personal growth and intellectual development, studies show college graduates have considerably more earning power over a lifetime than high school graduates. The difference in earning capacity is estimated between $600,000 and $1 million. In other words, a college education is less an expense that it is an investment." (emphasis added.)
Interesting. When they are recruiting students, college is a financial investment. When the students graduate and can't find a job, their four years at school simply helped them to think more creatively. What a scam! Tell your kids to become plumbers or go to tractor trailor school. They'll be better off.