Quote Originally Posted by Peter View Post
The problem is that these academic pursuits were only valuable, in a personal sense, because of their exclusivity. Free high education kept the numbers down and kept out the riff raff. So a degree in history, or art, or the history of art marked one down as superior.

When they brought in tuition fees and lifted the cap on numbers, everyone could go to university. So now you're in a crowded market with an army of sociology graduates.

What started out as the noble training of young gentlemen is now a product- the keys to a better life. And unfortunately, for that life to be 'better' there can only be so many keys.

The student life as we knew it is gone. And with it, slowly, those subjects of pure academic virtue- history, philosophy, literature etc. It's all vocational subjects now- accountants, computer scientists, lawyers, engineers.
Yes, people do think awfully highly of themselves nowadays. I blame New Labour.

What was your first proper job? I was a kitchen porter, un plongeur basically, at the John Radcliffe in Oxford. On Sunday mornings when there was no nibs about, you got all the bacon and eggs and tea you could manage. Lovely.