Letters to the Editor: College is for learning, not figuring out how to make money

Los Angeles Times Opinion
·1 min read
98
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 14: Physician Assistant Masters graduates of the Keck School of Medicine stand as they are sworn to the the Physician Assistant Professional Oath as USC student graduates from the 2020 and 2021 school year participated in the first of 14 USC's 2021 Commencement ceremonies at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Friday May 14, 2021. Roughly 1500 students graduated this morning and there will be a total of 21,000 participating in commencement over the next 7 days with 2 ceremony's a day. Students were spaced 8 feet apart on the field and spectators were social distanced in the stands at the Memorial Coliseum which has not held a USC commencement since 1950. Memorial Coliseum on Friday, May 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, CA. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times).
New USC graduates participate in a commencement ceremony in Los Angeles on May 14, 2021. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: I agree with Jodie Adams Kirshner's assessment that higher education does not necessarily mean higher earnings.

Yes, college costs too much. Yes, college loans are expensive. Yes, a college degree might not get you a better job.

However, an education is about much more than money. The college experience can broaden your worldview and teach you to think and solve problems.

I remember going to UCLA, where English professors showed me how to understand and analyze a book, not just read it. I learned the expansiveness of higher education, way beyond high school. Each class and discussion added to my growth as a person.

I remember my children entering college as kids and coming out as adults.

How can we minimize the value of a college education? Learning about life is more than just financial gain. I like the old saying "education for education's sake."

Marlene Bronson, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Kirshner fails to mention that New York University, where she is a research professor, routinely pushes students to spend more than $200,000 for degrees that provide few marketable skills.

She also omits the fact that the cost of higher education has risen at more than four times the rate of inflation over the last several decades.

Perhaps before looking to government to provide solutions to the fading promise of higher education, she and other academics should look in the mirror.

Kenneth Bromberg, Santa Monica

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.