Thanks for that article. I couldn’t agree with the author more. I have always believed that college is a unique and precious time of life that should be carefree, exploratory, and focused on enriching the tape that plays in one’s head. The life of the wallet should be a byproduct of the life of the mind, not the other way around. Otherwise, as the article states, colleges should focus primarily on vocational training.
College was transformative for me in the way the article describes. I made my way in the world later based more on how I viewed and thought about what crossed my path or my desk than on any particular skill I acquired. We raised our son to view his education this way, too.
These threads usually devolve into versions of the argument that only the rich have the luxury of attending college to feed the mind because “things are different today.” I don’t think so and have posted my differing view many times, but always in the minority. It does my heart good to read an article such as this and know that there are academics out there still fighting this good fight. May they never give up.