Would you say the same of an education that did not come from a western university? What if instead of studying the arts in a school in Kansas, it is my burning life desire to hitchhike around southeast asia for five years. Should I not be "penalized" (read: not be in demand) for making that decision?
This isn't a silly exaggerated hypothetical either. It is exactly what I would have done if I had not valued career prospects so highly nearing the end of highschool.
In the US that's a broad term. People go to a university to "pursue education" by throwing a leather ball to a guy dressed in tight spandex pants.
People who know the best technique of tossing a leather ball to another guy are currently the most valued education professionals in university system: http://www.sacbee.com/statepay/
True. Still, I found independent reading from library books to be much more informative than the liberal arts electives I was forced to take (and pay for) as GEC reqs on the exact same subjects.
Penalized for pursuing education, no. Penalized for making extremely poor life choices? Probably. But it's not really so much a penalty as an easily predicted result that people are steadfastly intent on ignoring, because that way they get four years of fun instead of work.
No one should be homeless and we should take steps to fix the hideously large gaping holes in our social safety net, stop charging $80,000 to attend even a state school, etc. Until it happens though, I think it's good to encourage an attitude of fiscal responsibility which is currently desperately lacking in many of those in my age group. So many have no idea how to budget their money because they live at home with their parents and have never had to pay for any living expenses.
I was really glad to see this article, though--I'm one of those people who don't have any family they can move in with, and I've come desperately close to being unable to afford housing in the past. Stressful times.
