What's up with (mostly white) people taking unemployable degrees in college

[Enayze]

The bigger story behind this "useless degrees" plague is how rapidly automation is taking root in this country and thereby completely eliminating the need for skilled human workers. Machines are becoming cheaper to produce, proving to be more productive than human beings, and are increasingly becoming the accepted norm in many industries.

Many economists are predicting massive unemployment in the United States over the next decade or so as more and more companies look to machines to replace human workers for a variety of trades, skilled and unskilled alike. Everything from fast food workers and cashiers to welders, miners, and mechanics are on the chopping block.

That said, a culinary degree isn't useless at all, it's just limited in demand depending on your location. Sounds to me like your friend's daughter should consider moving somewhere where her skillset would be more appreciated. Culinary arts are huge in most metropolitan areas along either coastline.

The elimination of jobs because of machines will also create new jobs. Afterall someone has to build those machines, create the software, and monitor/repair them.

[[ DUBBZZ ]]

Dude owes $90k in student loans because he went to the Art Institute and he ended up as a line cook at a fancy spot in Newport Beach making $12/hr.

[Beercules]

Why are you hating on my degree in fashion design?

[VG_Addict]

What degree do you get if you're bad at math?

Am I doomed?

[-MAKAVELLI-]

What degree do you get if you're bad at math?

Am I doomed?

get a dance degree

[SouthPawHitman]

Dude owes $90k in student loans because he went to the Art Institute and he ended up as a line cook at a fancy spot in Newport Beach making $12/hr.

Ain't nothing but a thang.

[VG_Addict]

Should I get a trade job?

[Willy Wanker]

Why are you hating on my degree in fashion design?

I could only imagine the degrees that will be available when I have kids who are college age.

I'll have a daughter majoring in the History of Underwater basket weaving. She'll end up doing something useful like become a veterinary assistant.

And a son getting a BA in ****sexual Arts. Probably work at Starbucks the rest of his life.

And I'll be working until my 90s.

**** having kids. I'll just get another cat and maybe a lizard or a parakeet or something.

[paulf]

The elimination of jobs because of machines will also create new jobs. Afterall someone has to build those machines, create the software, and monitor/repair them.

This, absolutely correct.

Absolutely correct. Automation is not going to lead to massive unemployment (not on a national scale at least), it's simply going to shift low skilled employment from manufacturing over to innovation/technology.

The problem is that the low skill jobs will disappear in once place and appear in another; the innovation areas where the new tech is being created. Some cities will grow by leaps and bounds, other cities will become redundant. Accepting and making these transitions is going to be the big challenge of the 21st century.

[Beercules]

I could only imagine the degrees that will be available when I have kids who are college age.

I'll have a daughter majoring in the History of Underwater basket weaving. She'll end up doing something useful like become a veterinary assistant.

And a son getting a BA in ****sexual Arts. Probably work at Starbucks the rest of his life.

And I'll be working until my 90s.

**** having kids. I'll just get another cat and maybe a lizard or a parakeet or something.

working at Starbucks the rest of his life.


Get a parakeet and let the cat kill it. Gotta take pics for da lounge doe