College: Career vs. Education?

I've heard some interesting arguments lately about the nature of college. Some people think that college = career training which in turn = job. Others think that college = wide range of education = more fufilling life. Where do you fall?

It is interesting that for many (most?) people career training and "education" (in which I believe they are referring to a liberal arts education... meaning a broad spectrum of classes from literature to science) are mutually exclusive. You can get career training, but that's not an education... or an education but that is not career training.

Hmmm....

Personally, I think a little bit of a liberal arts background for anyone is a good thing... never hurts to be exposed to a few more ideas and give yourself a few more things to think about, but I know not everyone thinks that way. So here's where I'm coming from: as someone with a bachelor's degree in theatre I get a lot of sneers of "what are you going to do with THAT?" No no, I've never had any desire to be the next Bernadette Peters on Broadway. I was (am?) a dramaturg- someone who does the research for shows so that when you see two characters from 1797 greet each other it is done in a proper way from that time period. So, as a result I probably am familiar with more literature and history than a lot of people are. I took a lot of science and lingustics classes to understand more about those subjects... and as a consequence ended up with a very well rounded education. (But really... theatre?? Yep, with a theatre degree. Imagine that!)

However, I also understand what is seen as an extra expense of taking these classes when money is tight...

So I'd like to revisit a blog post from last summer, where I looked at several views people have about higher education. Where do you fall on the list??

"Going to College" means a thing you just do after high school... a time to move out, meet people, party, and then move on with your life. (Whether or not that college pertains to it...)

"Going to College" means trying to get into the most prestigious college available... whether or not you like it, it's all about how hard it is to get in. Eventually you'll have a piece of paper you can brag about on the wall.

"Going to College" is about expanding your knowledge. Taking classes you wouldn't have the opportunity to anywhere else and learning about... well, whatever you can learn about!

"Going to College" is the first step towards a career and career training.

"Going to College" is something you do when you don't know what else to do with your life.