Showing posts with label worth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label worth. Show all posts
Monday, May 29, 2017
Is a College Degree Worth it The Wrong Debate Continues
Is a College Degree Worth it The Wrong Debate Continues
-->
There are two dominant views concerning the value of a college degree currently circulating in American culture. One view is that on average, people with college degrees make much more money over their lifetime than people without degrees. The other view is that the over-production of college degrees has deflated their value, and we now have taxi drivers and baristas with PhDs. I have often presented a third view, which is that a value of a college degree should not be equated with future earning power or job prospects, and instead of seeing higher education as a private good, we must see it as a public good.
The first problem with the idea that a college degree means higher earnings is that this correlation can have multiple causes. We know that on average, students with wealthy parents and more social connections to high-paying jobs graduate from college at a higher rate. Likewise, SAT scores are highly correlated with the wealth of the parents, and college rankings are highly correlated with SAT scores, and even financial aid is now often linked to SAT scores. The system as a whole thus reinforces class privilege, and so it may be that people who attain college degrees earn more because they start off with more and are given more opportunities and advantages as they move through the education and job systems.
On the other side of the coin, the over-production of college degrees can be directly related to the under-supply of good jobs. What we are seeing in many different job markets is that due to the lack of unionization, the increase in automation, and the globalization of labor and consumption, employers are able to depress wages and benefits. One interesting test case for this theory is in higher education itself where we have witnessed a significant decrease in “good” jobs. In just a few decades, we have moved from a system where the majority of the teachers had full-time, tenure-track positions to a situation where the majority of the faculty have part-time, non-tenure-track positions. During this period, enrollments have increased, so we cannot say that there is a decrease in the demand for people with PhDs. Instead, universities and colleges have decided to de-professionalize the professoriate. As I have pointed out before, one cause for this problem is that the same institutions that produce the PhD degree do not require a PhD to teach undergraduate students.
In other fields, this casualization of the labor force has been pushed by the use of technology to reduce compensation. Due to the Web and the new media economy, professionals in journalism, entertainment, and other services have been replaced by citizens who are willing to work for little or nothing. This reduction in earnings was once countered by the recognition that workers in a domestic economy must be paid enough to participate in the local consumer economy, but now in a globalized economy, there is always another person willing to consume our products.
What this analysis tells us is that we cannot expect higher education to fix our employment problems since so many of the labor issues are derived from the power of employers to reduce the compensation and benefits of their workers. Just as the current funding model of higher education is rigged to reinforce class inequality, our failure to protect workers from destructive labor practices functions to enhance economic stratification. When we throw high student debt into this mix, we see that our entire economic and social system is programmed against the future. What we need is better labor laws and better employers. Once all of the income gains stop going to the top 1%, we will see more good jobs, but education alone cannot fix this issue.
Available link for download
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Is Your Work Worth Money
Is Your Work Worth Money
Ive been sent a proposition and have been pulling my hair out for a couple of days deciding what to do. A friend directed me to your website and I knew youd be the right person to ask!
I am a professional illustrator, although currently unpublished. Ive sent in portfolios to publishers and had reasonably positive feedback so far - many of my submissions have been kept on record for future use. However, Ive recently been contacted directly by someone looking for an artist to illustrate their poetry (its fun and quirky in style and I believe I could compliment it well with my art). Im not quite sure whether they intend to self-publish or submit the "final work" to an actual publishing house...either way, though, Ive read time and time again that author/illustrator duos will NOT be accepted by publishers, regardless. Is this always the case? Even if the art is of a very high quality? Im feeling a little out of my depth as this situation is all new to me and Im not aware of the standard expectations of the illustrator either through a publishing house or in a self-publishing situation. Any information you can enlighten me with would be very, very welcome!!
If its going to be self-published, sure, go for it. Be sure you get paid in advance.
If its for submission to a publisher, DONT DO IT. Publishers want to choose the illustrator.
Yes, if the art is of very high quality, the publisher may accept something already illustrated. THATS NOT YOU. Im talking about Jerry Pinkney or Kadir Nelson or Marla Frazee or somebody whose art is exemplary and in high demand.
I dont mean to be unkind. The fact that your samples have been put on file means they are better than the average art submission, and you may have a wonderful career ahead of you. It does not mean, however, that your art is of very high quality. You are an unproven artist in a competitive field. Do everything you can to project professionalism-- including not giving your art away. And thats what you would be doing if someone convinced you to illustrate their manuscript on spec. Chances are high that it would be wasted effort.
Available link for download
Thursday, February 9, 2017
It Might Be Worth Going Back to High School for the KFC Chicken Drumstick Corsage
It Might Be Worth Going Back to High School for the KFC Chicken Drumstick Corsage
KFC is a contentious topic in my house. My boyfriends mom gave up on frying chicken when she spent four hours making the perfect drumsticks for an event, only to be told by attendees that it was "almost as good as KFC". Now, my boyfriend resents the brand as a symbol of the end of homemade fried chicken in his childhood home.
Still, if any of yall are in high school, you have my blessing in supporting the chicken behemoth because they brilliantly decided to PUT THEIR CHICKEN ON CORSAGES.
Really. Actually. In real life.
 |
| Image Source: http://www.kfc.com/corsage/ |
 |
| Image Source: http://www.nanzandkraft.com/gifts/kfc-chicken-corsage |
 |
| Image Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJdUSxFbJbw |
The full commercial is available here:
Also, just for fun, heres me getting my way less memorable corsage at my junior prom:
Happy prom season, younguns! Now get off my lawn.
Available link for download
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)