The way it should work is that you have to pass a set of challenging exams set by an independent body. The school sets assignments and work requirements that you have to pass in classes to sit the exam. At the end of the year you sit the exams, you either pass and get your degree or you fail. Or you can sit it independently and pay a fee similar to the cost of a University course.

That way the school must prepare and educated you instead of a bunch of old farts blowing hot air to make their balls feel big. I am sure they’re highly intelligent and really know their stuff, but god were they awful teachers.

Why are students working as prostitutes ? Because there will always be lazy women. There are an abundance of jobs out there for cute little girls. Almost all retail/hospitality/customer service will hire them on the spot and pay $20 an hour or more. Thats not even real honest work ! My heart just is not bleeding for these people. My male class mates and I had a little more trouble finding work to put ourselves through.

After 6 months of searching I got a job at a petrol station and did graveyard shifts all the way through my degree. Then I got a second job on my holidays and worked by ass off in a shitty, boring job. Unlike these girls who work in pubs and restaurants. I’d love to have worked there while I was a young student. Being around other young people all the time, all you do is drop off beer/food and clean. Surely would have been a lot more exciting than talking to the milk rep at 3am in the morning for my $17 an hour. Don’t get me started on working retail.

The point is this is not an angle for policy change this is just an example of a few lazy people with no morals who prostitute themselves instead of taking the hard and decent road. These are also people who have more opportunities than anyone for flexible student friendly work in a clean, well paying environment.

The other great irony is that a lot of the people complaining about declining standards and the evil of Dawkin(s)ism hold themselves out to be egalitarians - but that is a whole other argument.

1) The government never said standards would fall (I doubt they’d admit standards are worse now). It has always been argued as a “productivity for pay” trade-off, which didn’t work. Obviously they knew what was going to happen, so that might be pedantic on my behalf.
2) I’m not against generalist degrees — but the problem will be if everyone turns to that model, or if those that don’t are basically the trash of the university system. I think they are more relevant now due to things like advanced maths, physics, high levels of literacy, and so on basically dissappearing from the high school system. Its worthwhile noting there is an overall cost to this — if it takes 3 years more to get your degree, that is basically 8% of people’s working lives, so one would hope the initial degree would substantially improve people’s productivity.
3) I agree with you on the migrants working here point — its a very complicated situation. Unlike most people, I don’t think we should add people that come and people that go together, even if they could be qualitatively matched. Thats useful for population measures, but you should be able to win in both games.
4) I’m not against universities being used as filters for immigration either — I think it is a good way to get smart young people, and university hopefully socializes them a bit into the Australian way of life. In addition, some courses in many places would have almost died without them (electrical engineering, for example), so they are often really filling a gaping hole in the labour market that Australians are evidentally to thick or lazy to fill themselves.

Just a different type of prostitute really.

She also says that her experiences were quite helpfulm in many ways. Something about seeing powerful men in a different light and also there’s an enpowering aspect to it.

Of course she was beautiful and young. If you’re otherwise I suspect you’ve got less power.

But if someone wants to use this as an argument for student welfare they should realise they’re not going to stop sex work. How else are you going to earn $1000+ a week doing a part-time casual job?

At least until you get your law degree.