I don't think someone that is 17-18 should be referred to as a Child. I do think the Universities should do more to disclose the likelyhood of working in a given profession based on their degree path... however, realistically, the individual bears a lot of responsibility.
Aside: based on some actions/headlines that consistently pop up in news articles (most recently Oberlin)... maybe we should start treating them like children. Also, maybe it's time to stop telling kids the world should be whatever they deem to be as "fair."
Someone at 17-18 can be mature... but the US school system and the general culture around how teenagers are handled doesn't do much if anything to actually encourage that. It's entirely possible for people going into college today to have had zero opportunity to pick their own classes, manage their own bills, or have any real control of even the tiniest career up to that point, which is exactly the worst context to come from when making up-front choices involving tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Then, perhaps the schools should start treating them like children and putting a foot down when they start running roughshod... And by this I mean High Schools and Universities. Again, the world is not fair, it isn't meant to be. And children should learn this.
Beyond all of that, PARENTS should be raising their children. They seem to be too concerned about protecting their kids, instead of letting them know in deep specifics how bills/finances in the home work. There's no reason a 10yo can't sit with you when you pay bills, or look at a spreadsheet that outlines things.
It doesn't even take THAT much... I have most of my paycheck going into an account that bills get paid out of... most are set to autopay, except the largest ones (house/car payments). Every two weeks, when I get paid, I sit down and pay those bills due. The rest of my paycheck goes into an account that is for day to day expenses, and that's all I get for it.
In the end, it's not JUST the schools that are responsible for raising children, and the (US) government doesn't do a very good job of most things. Raise your children people.
Aside: based on some actions/headlines that consistently pop up in news articles (most recently Oberlin)... maybe we should start treating them like children. Also, maybe it's time to stop telling kids the world should be whatever they deem to be as "fair."