Of all the things I have learned in all my 70 plus years, taking responsibility was perhaps one of the greatest. Certainly, I learned it while in the Marines. There are three aspects. Knowing, when I do something, I must know that I will take responsibility for it. When I make a legal promise, I must do everything humanly possible to fulfill it. When I take on a debt, assuming there is no deception or fraud, I must pay off that debt.

Maybe it is something well worthwhile for college students to learn that lesson. At seventeen or eighteen, they should learn what responsibility means. They should learn, when they sign the paper, they need to make good their word.

To be sure, they are young. However, 17- and 18-year-olds make the decision to go into the military. They are expected to put their lives at risk and not back out. It is likely the first thing many men and women really learn. However, even then, they usually have some guidance from parents. Unfortunately, sometimes the parents don’t provide proper guidance.

In some cases, parents co-sign for the loan. Maybe, then, they provide just a little better guidance, especially in choosing a major. The father just might spend a little while convincing that youngin that basketweaving might not be the best thing to major in. Maybe, if we started requiring parents to cosign for collage loans, this problem with unpaid loans would simply go away.

Having just put so much responsibility on the students and parents, I digress. These big schools. These outfits that claim that they are for learning deserve some of the blame. Shouldn’t they know better? If they are going to offer useless and semi-useless courses, shouldn’t they require some kind of full disclosure. Some folks actually have more money than they know what to do with. They can easily pay to learn how to appreciate art. In such cases, I say, fine. It’s their money. Let them throw it away if they want.

However, in cases where money is involved, maybe the colleges and universities should be held responsible. I mean, if this is a place where smartness is something that they impart, maybe they should be required to exhibit some basic intelligence. When they see a person headed head-long into a disaster, just maybe they should not permit it. “No, you can’t take that course; not until you demonstrate you can afford it.”

At the very least, maybe they should separate their courses: those that are good for making a living and those that aren’t.

May I go back on my Marine days just one more time? I took Instructor training. One of the first things they taught us was to impress on the student the importance of the course. It makes me wonder just what some of these professors tell their students about how important their subject is. I suspect, no, I know they have to do some real stretching to explain just why their field is absolutely essential.

Okay. I get it. If it were not for art, the world would be a pretty dull place. To be sure, actors go on to provide the world with more than a little entertainment. The Sound of Music, The Fidler on the Roof were both more than entertainment. For those of us who are willing to listen, they have a lot to say. They help remind us of how things were so that, hopefully, we won’t go back there, or even think about it.

However, there are but so many positions for actors. My best guess is that we have, oh maybe, a glut of them. Maybe when someone wants to major in acting, the counselors might suggest at least a minor in math or business. Who knows? Even if the student does become a great actor, he might be able to use his business training to help him handle all his millions.

Basically, I said all that to say this. On such degrees as acting, art, and the like, colleges should require the money upfront, no loans. Or, they should be notified not to expect payment until the student can pay. Maybe them, they wouldn’t offer so many courses on art. I mean the only folks not taking a risk are the institutions of higher learning.

Let the old laws of supply and demand take hold in the halls of ivy. Now there’s a unique idea.

Those with sheepskins ought to be able to do more than serve fast food.

Now that’s a thought. Maybe a person could major in fast food preparation. Why not. A person can actually make money in the restaurant business, though it is real honest, hard work.