I don't think either of those options can be faulted and I don't think the people who choose either of them are the ones with problems.
It's the kids who go to Uni because it's what you do after high school that are wondering what has happened to them.
There's also a group of people who went in intending to become academics and have found that academia is now madly cutting costs, but that's a different and more complex story.
"I don't think either of those options can be faulted and I don't think the people who choose either of them are the ones with problems."
I do. I'm perfectly willing to fault people for going to University, spending tens of thousands of dollars, and walking out with a degree in some obscure postmodern discipline or something. No matter how you may feel about such a degree, the objective value is quite low.
"Shouldn't people follow their bliss?" Well, first of all, no I actually don't entirely believe that, but secondly and much more importantly, have you looked at a real University's course list? You seriously had to pick "French Literature in the 19th century" as your specialization when there are 30 types of engineering, 50 types of science, and a couple hundred other programs with some sort of actual use?
When I went to university, I had two basic interests I could have specialized in: Music composition, and computer programming. That's a no-brainer! In the course of my education, I subsequently discovered that I could have tolerated psychology, mathematics, electrical engineering (though I do prefer programming), and there's a couple of other things on a lower tier below those. Note how those are entire disciplines, each with interesting specialties of their own.
Did I fail to follow my bliss? No, I still minored in music, in fact. But I have no regrets about spending my money to get real skills.
The only people who share the fault with the students are the numerous people who told them to ignore practicality, at a time in the student's life when they still had no actual experience with which to understand the full implications of that and resist. Some might still have chosen to pursue their bliss, and I have no problem with that, as long as it is done with eyes open.
Indeed. Even at 17 contemplating university, it was obvious that some disciplines were massively more employable than others. But there was - is - a myth that employers don't care what degree you have, so long as you have one, and that no matter what the subject is it's just a vehicle for "learning to learn". And that is arrant nonsense!
It's the kids who go to Uni because it's what you do after high school that are wondering what has happened to them.
There's also a group of people who went in intending to become academics and have found that academia is now madly cutting costs, but that's a different and more complex story.