評論
打印
I'm a college professor, but I still believe that the harsh realities of credential inflation should make us radically rethink the social value of college.
我雖是大學教授，但仍認為文憑膨脹的嚴酷現實應該使我們從根本上重新思考大學的社會價值。
If students'main goal is not to learn useful skills but to outshine their peers, taxpayers are fueling a zero-sum struggle.
如果學生的主要目標不是學習有用的知識，而是超過同齡人，那么納稅人就是在助長一場零和博弈。
My recent book crunches the numbers and concludes that our society would be richer if half our high school grads skipped college and joined the job market.
我最近的一本書通過分析數據得出結論：如果半數高中生都跳過大學直接進入勞動市場，那么社會將會變得更加富有。
And, frankly, there's no point in making college more affordable for students who don't belong there in the first place.
而且，坦白來講，讓原本不屬于大學的學生負擔得起大學學費徒勞無功。
When the college degree was rare, there was little stigma against those who lacked it.
大學學位稀缺時，沒有大學學位也不會感覺低人一等。
Our dream should not be a world where everyone goes to college but a world where you can get a good job straight out of high school.
我們的夢想不應是每個人都上大學，而是一個高中畢業就能找到好工作的世界。
Perhaps I go too far.
或許我說的有點過。
Some "weaker students" don't have the socioeconomic and academic advantages of those born into wealthy families.
一些“弱勢學生”沒有那些生在富裕家庭的社會以及學術優勢。
But student loans are still underrated.
但學生貸款仍然被低估了。
Even no-interest loans leave students with some skin in the game.
即使是無息貸款也會讓學生們受到一定影響。
If their educational investment flops, they still have to repay the principal.
如果學生教育投資失敗，仍需償還本金。
Proposals to make college cheaper, or even free—as Senator Bernie Sanders urged in the last presidential campaign—delete that vital reality check.
降低大學學費，甚至免費的提議（伯尼·桑德斯在上一次總統競選中提出）忽視了重要的現實狀況。
Without tuition, the most fanciful academic experiments seem tempting.
沒有學費，哪怕是去做了最不切實際的學術實驗似乎也很誘人。
Who knows, medieval studies could be the next big thing!
中世紀研究可能是下一個大事件，誰知道呢！
Student loan programs should be reformed.
學生貸款項目應該改革。
But wise reforms bolster borrowers'incentive to choose a productive path.
但明智的改革應推動借款人選擇一條更有可能成功的路。
Charging equal interest rates regardless of odds of success or intended major is a recipe for fruitless credential inflation.
不管成功的幾率有多大，也不管擬修讀專業是什么，收取同等利率會導致徒勞無功的學歷膨脹。
The prudent course, which is standard procedure in the private sector, is to base interest rates on expected risk and reward.
正確的做法，即私營部門的標準程序，是基于預期風險和回報制定利率。
While there's always a chance you're a late bloomer, weaker students should know the odds are against them.
盡管存在大器晚成的幾率，但是弱勢學生可能心里也清楚勝算不大。
Students in low-earning majors should understand the difference between a hobby and a career path.
低收入專業的學生應該明白愛好和職業道路之間的區別。
And if you're worried about class divisions and economic inequality, wouldn't both be milder if we got credential inflation under control?
如果你也擔心階級分化和經濟不平等，那么控制住學歷膨脹，難道不會緩和一些嗎？
For all their faults, student loan programs do warn students to look before they leap.
學生貸款項目盡管存在種種缺陷，但確實也在提醒學生三思而后行。
The pragmatic way forward is to raise interest rates for high-risk students to make these warnings loud and clear.
務實的做法是增加高風險學生的貸款利率，長鳴警鐘。
Bryan Caplan is a professor of economics at George Mason University and author of The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money.
注：布萊恩·卡普蘭是喬治梅森大學的經濟學教授，著有《反對教育的理由：為什么教育系統浪費時間和金錢？》一書。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
