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Life is not a Job Training Program

2017-08-11 · Q&A · Hank · 3:46 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Everyday life · mode: Q&A & conversation · tags: self promotion, community lore

Answering viewers' college questions gathered on Twitter, Hank argues that since no one knows which careers or skills will be financially secure, college and life are not a job training program: we are here to solve problems, and education helps; he also gives his favourite class, his own and Eckerd's tuition, and says journalism is reviving, then plugs DFTBA's back-to-school sale and Nerdfighter backpack.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — College questions from Twitter; how much plasma pays for an engineering degree

  • ★ Hank asked on Twitter what people wanted him to talk about on Vlogbrothers; many asked about college, so he collected college questions. — 00:00:00 · Twitter, Vlogbrothers
  • ★ Asked how much plasma it takes to pay for an engineering degree, Hank says an engineering student should do the calculation herself, and it is far more than she has. (joke) — 00:00:12

00:00:31 — A college far away or near home to help family: college as a chance to see who you are on your own

  • ★★ To a student torn between a loved college far away and one near family, Hank says a great benefit of college is breaking off from the life built around you to see who you are on your own; but family matters too. — 00:00:31

00:01:05 — Passion or financial security: no one knows which skills will be useful; life is not a job training program

  • ★★★ Asked whether to major in a passion or something financially secure, Hank says we don't know what will be financially secure: which careers and skills will be useful is changing fast. — 00:01:13
  • ★★★ Hank calls it a lie we tell ourselves, or let colleges tell us, that college is job training; you are learning to be better at things, which helps in getting and doing work. (hedged) — 00:01:21 · education
  • ★★★ Hank says in college or in life you acquire many skills without knowing which will prove useful; you have them precisely because you don't know which you will need. — 00:01:35 · education

  • ★★★ Hank says life is not a job training program: we are not in college, or on Earth, to get jobs. — 00:01:45 · education

    “Life is not a job training program.”

  • ★★★ Hank hopes we are on Earth to solve problems for ourselves and others, and says education of whatever kind helps with that. (hedged) — 00:01:51 · education

  • ★★ Hank's favourite college class was anthropology: at that point in his life it was amazing to see how many different ways there are to be people. — 00:01:57

00:02:00 — Favourite class, why college is expensive, Hank's and Eckerd's tuition, collage, journalism

  • ★ Asked why college is so expensive, Hank says it's complicated and he made a whole video about it. — 00:02:11
  • ★★ Hank says his school's tuition in 1998, his first year, was $22,000 a year; with scholarships he paid about $10,000 a year, around $14,000 in today's dollars. — 00:02:19
  • ★★ Hank says tuition at Eckerd is now $42,000 a year, but 97% of students get financial aid. — 00:02:30
  • ★★ Asked whether journalism is dying, Hank says no: journalism is suddenly having a revival, with people paying for it again. — 00:02:42

00:02:49 — DFTBA back-to-school sale: Nerdfighter backpack with Spiral, hoodie, framed posters

  • ★★ Hank announces a back-to-school sale at DFTBA.com and the first-ever Nerdfighter backpack, with giraffes and Nerdfighter crests, which he designed with backpack company Spiral. — 00:02:49 · DFTBA Records
  • ★★ Hank says they made about 500 backpacks and there will be no more after that. (hedged) — 00:03:05
  • ★ For decorating, Hank suggests a frame from Michael's and a poster from DFTBA.com, on sale for back to school; framing it makes you look classy. (playful) — 00:03:13 · DFTBA Records

00:03:31 — Sign-off; Parade Magazine's video about the brothers' YouTube history

  • ★ Hank says Parade Magazine made a funny, cute video about him and John and their history on YouTube, linked in the description. — 00:03:31

In the description and comments

  • ★★★ The description says college is, on average, very worth it, but as it gets more expensive it becomes less likely to be worth it every year. — video description
  • ★★★ The description says college needs to stop getting more expensive, and the only way that happens is if everyone becomes much more price-selective when picking schools. — video description

Humor (significant)

  • Asked how much plasma she would have to sell for an engineering degree, Hank says way more than she has. — 00:00:24

    “You're gonna have to harvest it from other people.”

  • A viewer mentions her 'million tiny siblings'. — 00:00:41

    “So I hope you understand that we're all assuming you're a roach person now.”

  • A viewer's question is just 'Your mom goes to college'. — 00:02:15

    “She does not. But if she did, Thomas, I would support her.”

  • Hank shows off a framed DFTBA poster as a decorating idea. — 00:03:22

    “Framing it is like, what? Who is this classy dude?”

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: education · higher education

Also: anthropology · DFTBA Records · Eckerd College · journalism · Michaels · Nerdfighter backpack · Parade (magazine) · Twitter

Only in the description or credits: Spiral

Also centred on higher education: College Advice From an Expert · Is College Worth It? · Why is College So Expensive? · Your Brain Gets Smart, but Your Head Gets Dumb · US College Students Need Help · An Announcement 3 Years in the Making

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