Post Secondary: Truly Education or Just Big Business?

First of all I want to say that I am really enjoying my time at Fleming. I love the people... well most of them any ways. There are certainly a couple of people that I will not miss if they do not come back. I love the program and have some really great teachers as well. The upcoming strike deadline of January 13th is leaving a sour taste in my mouth though. And is a not so subtle reminder that it really is a business.

When you are in high school (and public school) your tax dollars (or really your parents) are paying for it. Yes you can drop out but it's already paid for and you get a broad base of courses there. There are guidance counsellors there to help you figure out what you want to do and direct your path for the future. But when it comes to post-secondary education it's in a league of it's own. Anyone that tries to tell you they aren't biased is lying. It is a business and they want maximum capacity. Cha-ching..... They don't care if it is a program that you really aren't suited for. Sure they would like your money for all 4 (or 5... or however many) semesters there are in the program but they hope that you might switch to another program also at their school. Or at worst they get 1 tuition payment out of you. That may be a jaded view but it was also shared by the employment counsellor. While in high school you might go to a guidance counsellor for career advice you are probably best not to go to say the program coordinator.

I am not sure what the dropout rate in university is. In college (or at least at Fleming) 1/3 will be gone from the program after 1 semester. Likely it will be down to 50% after the first year. It's not just my program that those numbers hold true for either.

With the possibility of a strike I can't help but wonder what kind of impact this will have. The strike at York is definitely weighing on my mind. They lost the semester... and the tuition fees. It could also affect my funding. The funding was approved for a 2 year course. The course is a full two years... Well aside from 1 summer off. The big concern then would be running out of funding.... which is a real possibility. If we lose the semester that is... and had to take courses over the summer that is. If I did have to take summer courses that would also mean going for 4 straight semesters with no breaks (since this program is 5 semesters and we have to do a full time internship during the final summer).

I really don't want to think this... but I can't help but think that with the timing of the strike the staff involved (or union pushing it) are a little bit selfish. Why are they not striking over Christmas or over the summer when it will have less of an impact on the students? Because they are using the students as pawns. We are leverage to increase their bargaining position. They know full well that the school does not want to be shut down for long and have to deal with the backlash of students. We are their business.