Gideon: Did you study? Remind me. Have you studied English?
Laurent: I studied, I studied English literature very, very applicable to real life. My father really wanted me to go to law school. I mean, besides, I had no way to pay for law school, even back then. I ultimately decided that this was not the path for me. I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to work in the media, it’s pretty crazy. I’m still here.
Gideon: What would you study today if you started over? Would it still be English? Would you say, “Oh no, I need to go into a STEM field?” » Would you like to go and do that law degree? What would it be?
Laurent: I don’t know if I would do STEM. I might specialize in a certain field of science or perhaps computer science because of its value. I would do things slightly differently, certainly. If I remember correctly, you studied physics. And philosophy. Would you still do it, first of all, would you still go to college today? This is currently Gideon, 18 years old, would you go to university and study the same fields?
Gideon: Do we imagine Gideon, 18, in the US or the UK? Because it’s relevant.
Laurent: WE. You are here, you are stuck here.
Gideon: Um, God, uh, I mean, I think since I did it, assuming this 18 year old kid still had a scientific mind, I think yes, I would go to college and I wouldn’t I might not study physics. I might try to do something in computer science or biology, or at least a mix of both if I was smart enough to understand that that’s where the world is going. But yes, I think I would, but I would definitely feel like I would have to think about the earning potential of my degree.
Laurent: So, since you grew up in the UK and have spent a lot of time living in different parts of the world, what do you think is the most striking difference right now between what’s happening in other countries? Let’s specifically say Europe and the United Kingdom versus the United States.
Gideon: Aside from the fact that the costs of college here in the United States are so high, it is this trend that Paul points out in his article that, in part because of rising costs, enrollment in the United States are decreasing. And in most OECD countries, this figure is increasing. And that seems existential for a country trying to compete in the global economy. If you have fewer and fewer graduates every year, while China produces more and more and other countries also produce more and more, what is the future of your country’s economy?
