Skipping college?

“Of the 30 jobs projected to grow at the fastest rate over the next decade in the United States, only seven typically require a bachelor’s degree, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” cited in this NYT article.

Well I’m glad someone said it.

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. Frustrated at the sinking value of my bachelor’s degree combined with a large amount of my peers at my university never took studying seriously, I have always been a proponent of students exploring educational possibilities. The idea of something other than a traditional four-year degree is something that’s difficult to get into our American brains – kind of like how owning a home is always pounded into our skulls. The fact is, university degrees and home ownership, while trumpeted from the highest hill in the land, aren’t for everyone. And it’s time to finally acknowledge it.

Firstly, there’s the issue of jobs. The market can’t support all the university graduates to begin with. So we study for years because we believe we’ll get a “good job” afterwards (and that home in the suburbs we’ve always been told to dream of), and the market is unable to meet the demand for positions. Not only does it take time to find employment, but most of us have loans to pay back. Sometimes it’s hard to see the payoff in all of this.

Secondly, many jobs don’t require a traditional degree, which the article mentions. We will always need healthcare workers to fill various positions, as well as electricians, plumbers, mechanics and other vocational occupations. In the long run, why would anyone spend four years studying when a two-year degree is enough, or at least a good starting point?

Thirdly, there are students getting four year degrees that really have no business getting them, i.e. graduating by the skin of their teeth. Their low, but passing marks multiplied by the thousands of graduates who fall into this category make my degree less valuable.

Although this has been previously discussed, the economic downturn and lack of employment for recent graduates (with another bleak year to look forward to) has to have people thinking about their education. Why spend $100,000 when you could spend a fraction of the time and money and still get an education that will help you move forward in life? Other than the prestige of a traditional degree, there’s really not much difference. You can always continue your education if you decide to, instead of committing right away to four years.

The article also mentions behavior in the workplace. My mom used to do interviews for the state and some of the biggest requests from employers were employees that could function within the workplace. We are talking about basic things like dressing appropriately, communicating effectively, showing up on time, limiting absences, etc. These are pretty much basic things required of any employee that wants to work, and something our grandparents, and to a lesser extent, parents, never had to be lectured about. It shames me to say that my generation is wired-up, weak on interpersonal skills and poor in professional skills. Blame it on the demise of the family or the rise of technological age. Something has affected the way we behave, or at least what passes as appropriate behavior, in the last twenty or so years. And it’s largely not for the better.

Whether college is the right choice for a student should be up to them to decide. People complain that advising students away from college limits their opportunities for growth or may indirectly divide students among racial lines. That is all beside the point. The student, their performance and their future goals are the only things that matter in the decision, but there needs to be more options than just the tunnel-visioned university oriented view.