This appeared on front page reddit today and I thought it was pretty interesting. Take note, the OP received some criticism for not normalizing the data to age groups and I think the criticism is valid for an accurate comparison. One interesting thing is that college attendance now almost mirrors the population composition by race in the United States. A couple decades back, this would not be the case. The other point here and perhaps elephant in the room is that white college enrollment is lagging. The question follows - what elements, cultural or systemic or whatnot, are preventing white education? One of the things the US excels at relative to other countries is providing and ensuring education for its citizens. I have a viewpoint that making use of your resources and becoming educated/expert in your field is not only one of the most patriotic things you can do for your country but respectful to your community that fostered it. Thoughts?
When you are born into money, you don't need to go to college. j/k Together with your reddit analytics, it should be noted the the White population outperforms nearly everyone in Armed Forces recruitment, which tends to replace college for many. So we should chew on these facts when talking about alternatives to college. The middle to upper class join the army the most The same bar charts in OP, shown in a different visualization, demonstrate that % of White recruits outpace their % of total population, as much as other races.
I don't know if this is worth talking about if you aren't normalizing the data into age groups. Sorry, as it's possible (maybe even likely) that the white % will more closely mirror the population.
I think people are seeing more and more College is nothing more than a Debt Making Machine these days Rocket River Spend 60K to get a job paying 30K
Some interesting data: http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/alumni-earnings-bachelors-only-versus-all-grads
Your own statistic does not agree with your conclusion: 1) Your first chart: Middle and Upper class does not equal White. 2) Your second chart, for 2007: For one person of that race in the population: 1.06 White enlistment, 1.08 Black, 2.68 American Indian, this means White lags behind those races. The number for Asian is .93 which is behind White. The people of 2 or more races could be any race.
My thoughts are that grabbing unadjusted data from the front page of reddit isn't a very promising way to start a discussion about access to education.
Who are you again? Do you really want me to provide you with a list of materials about access to higher education by race/class/etc in America? Do you promise to read them if I do? Should I ring the butler and have him fix up teh sitting room and heat up a pot of tea for the ensuing discussion?
Gotta agree. Not normalizing for age isn't just a hiccup in the data, it pretty much invalidates the whole graph. If those were the numbers, it'd definitely be a worthwhile investment.
If you are black you are twice as likely to be unemployed if you don't have a college degree. So it is more like paying 60k so you are 1/2 as likely to not have a job. If you honestly are advocating that people not go do college that isn't good advice.
I don't advocate NOT GOING to college I advocate COLLEGE BEING AFFORDABLE I advocate that it not come with Crippling debt I also Advocate everyone learning a trade as well Rocket River
That's a pile of crap, to say nothing of the ancillary advantages of salaried "desk" jobs: career mobility without extra training, lunch hours, paid vacations, and the unwritten rules of 40 hours work weeks and early holiday dismissals. Especially for people who get to start in their early 20s. Think back as a black teenager what type of jobs you could have gotten right out of high school. If people had the presence of mind to go to a school in a smaller state that they hadn't heard about on College Game Day they could save a ton on college.
College can be affordable...just not the ones you were dreaming of going to. 2 years JC + 2 years state. Cost of a small car or less. In the wake of the great recession, it was the case that job experience trumped quality of degree, so I'm not saying that a degree from San Marcos State was the same as UT, but in any event, the key has always been to get your feet in the door then work your way up for the next 2-3 years. For a lot of majors, that period of time totally overrides the extra money forked over on an out of state or private degree. Just have to suck it up and take on everything without feeling entitled that you're not getting anything right now.
I paid my way through Rice, after joining the Army. It was $3k in that era. Not sure what I'd do now. It's $35k. I'd probably just now be retiring from the Army on full pension. hmmmm
some people cannot afford NOT to go to college or at least a trade school. Training is key to success for the vast majority of people. Whether that is through apprenticeships, trade schools, or college. However, You CAN afford college..if you WANT to. I can't help but think back to my senior year in high school when I asked an old friend what college he was going to attend..and he told me he couldn't afford to go to college. This guy was dressed in a polo shirt, fila shoes, and drove a fairly new mini-truck. I couldn't afford any of that..but I darn sure was going to make an attempt at college. I worked my last 2 summers of high school to save up and paid my first installment myself (I wasn't allowed to work during the school year because I was told I had to concentrate on my grades). I worked 38 hours a week in college and graduated in 4-1/2 years. Yes, I had student loans, but after I graduated, I lived on a budget and paid them off several years early on a below-average salary. It can be done - you just have to WANT to go to college.
Below is a nice article about private for profit colleges. These predatory insititutions prey on minority students, often young women hoping to escape poverty. I am sure you have seen the tremendous amount of TV advertising these for profit school do. Per the article they are the biggest advertiser for google. Long article but here are some selected quotes. I view it as another of the many failures of the anti-government , pro-privatization anti-regulation craze that has led to so much suffering and inequality, but riches for a few business owners. . - aid, making the industry irresistible to Wall Street investors. http://www.juancole.com/2014/09/student-factories-colleges.html