College?

As the three of you who read this blog know, I work as an economist at a university. 

I can't recount the number of times college students will ask "is there any reading in this class?" I'm always dumbfounded by this question. Why would you not expect reading and a lot of it in college? If anywhere you'd expect there to be a lot of reading, thinking, writing, and learning it would be in college. 

During final exams in the fall of 2019, I went to get a curry dish on campus. The campus cafeteria is staffed by college students. The bill was $7.99. I gave the young lady a ten dollar bill. She simply could not make change. She apologized and explained that most people paid with their cards so she didn't have to make change. I eventually told her to give me $2.01. I had so many questions. How does a person like that get a job where s/he is responsible for handling money? How does a person like that successfully navigate college? Even if she's in a field where math isn't dominant, she has to have basic skills to exist in society. I wonder would she have given me a 20 had I told her that was the proper change.

In the end, I took my food and left. My hope for the future is in doubt.