[Magdalen] Gap year (or more)

[Jim Guthrie]

From: L Ronkainen

>I think that post WW2 when the government educated so many GIs with the
>GIBill and changed the course of their world and our country, the idea of
>college for all became a goal. Never completely realized or necessary, IMO,

That was the opinion when the "finish high school" movement, complete with 
requirements to get school-approve "working papers" to get a job (even after 
school ones) before age 18 became de riguer during the Depression.

The ultimate goal then was to take kids who didn’t have families to support out 
of the workforce during a time of high unemployment.

Things are different now -- the only private-sector good jobs are in information 
and information technology -- and these will be closed to anyone without a 
reasonable college education.

Failing to complete college consigns people to the bottom of the economic ladder 
going forward.

And I'm not willing to think there's any obligation to provide public support 
for persons who decide that college isn’t necessary for them. Consigning people 
to poverty is not a reasonable thing to do I think.

Cheers,
Jim