Quote from Kazuni;1133098:
Chances are, a peppy university student with places to go would be a better employee than a 40 something who has given up on doing anything special in life.
Not a chance. Never.
I'd imagine a 40 year old would be less inclined to spit in your food if you don't give him an ample bribe because he's upset his employer isn't paying him enough. At least a 40 something would be reasonable enough to only take jobs they're actually willing to do instead of taking bitterness out on customers that don't give them extra money for doing what they were already being paid to do anyway.
So yes, as far as I'm concerned, they're
far more qualified because they're less prone to be spiteful, passive aggressive and entitled to the point of causing harm to the business.
Quote from Nagizuki;1133237:
Because that sounds dangerously close to "what jobs certain genders belong in" and basically has almost no real logical backing whatsoever.
Except that people of different ages are biologically different?
People aren't fully developed at 20. That doesn't mean they're unfit to do jobs, but it does mean they'll approach things differently than someone older. People have far more life experience at 40 simply by having lived for twice as long, they're "fully developed" (even though people constantly grow forever), and less prone to being assholes due to a different hormonal balance.
Young people are definitely better at some things which require physical fitness, like carrying boxes and construction. I don't mean to be an asshole, it's just that we excel in manual labor by being in better shape.
Anyway, why should higher education be free? One good argument is that it's one of the most important factors in bringing about a better society. Scientists generally don't grow on trees, putting people through school will quite literally create a more advanced society by providing everyone with additional information which they
may use for things they otherwise might not be able to. It'd also bring more money into the country of origin by creating a more successful individual so it won't be so easy to go pay an underqualified person in India $2 an hour to do the same job. But as it stands, there's no reason not to when they'll probably do a better job anyway.