Actually, I think a lot of this is being driven by the students themselves. I don’t know anyone who works at my university who thinks that college is all about getting a job. However, that is usually the first thing we are asked about by students and their parents. If you read the questions on Yahoo! Answers about higher education, you almost never find a question about the love of learning. When was the last time someone said, “I love history and want to know as much about it as possible. Where can I get the best possible education to guide me in gaining that knowledge?”. Most of them are about, “How much will I get paid if I graduate with a degree in X from College A?” or, “I need a job paying $Z/year. What major should I choose?”. Of course, the recruiters want the best possible future employees, but I really don’t think they are driving this attitude, and while I think that the rankings add fuel to the fire, they haven’t created it. I think that somehow our society has gone off track and told incoming students to expect something that colleges never were created to provide. If the colleges are to survive, they have had to adapt. It is kind of sad.

Like most of the rest of the education system, it’s becoming more systematic and less meaningful. The more you try to regulate something, the less meaningful it becomes. Too bad.

job what job. I went to college to get an education, to get a good paying job, but that did not happen. NOO

I honestly have no idea what you are talking about.

Usually people in college don’t join the military, the US army comes to High schools more often for recruitment

Still others join the armed services to go to college.