College Try

In this week’s School of Thought at TIME I take a look at the “is college worth it” question that has some people so worked up. Short answer:  For most of us it is and the push to talk kids out of it is somewhat irresponsible absent more nuance.

Lately it’s become fashionable — especially among the highly credentialed — to question whether it’s really “worth it” to go to college. A recent report from the Harvard Graduate School of Education proposed deemphasizing college as the primary goal of our education system in favor of “multiple pathways” for students. Earlier this month, New York Magazine devoted almost 4,000 words to profiling venture capitalists (and college graduates) James Altucher and Peter Thiel and their efforts convince Americans that they’d be better off skipping college. Thiel is even creating a $100,000 fellowship for young people who agree to delay going to college in favor of an internship.

Make no mistake, there is widespread dissatisfaction with higher education. According to a new survey released by the Pew Research Center, only 40 percent of Americans felt that colleges provided an “excellent” or “good” value for the money. At the same time, 86 percent of college graduates still felt the investment was a good one for them.

To understand these competing views, you have to juggle a few different ideas at once. First, there are plenty of problems with higher education — poor quality, even at brand-name schools, and out-of-control costs are two of the biggest. College presidents themselves shared some of these concerns and others with the Pew researchers. Second, it’s true: College isn’t for everyone. There are plenty of rewarding and important jobs and careers that do not require college. And due to the sluggish economy, there may in fact be more graduates than the current job market needs, or a temporary “college bubble.” But in spite of all of this, the data make clear that getting a college education is still a good idea — college graduates earn more, and are more likely to have a job in the first place — and is especially important for some Americans…

Read the entire column here.

7 Replies to “College Try”

  1. Excellent piece; thanks. The key to the entire thing is nuance, and Americans seem to have very little appetite for it these days. Of course, college is just one possible path to a possibly successful future, but it’s a fairly reliable and time-tested path.

  2. Another great article. I still think college is worth it for the vast majority of people. At the same time, for many students, it is an economic decision. For that decision, families need to be presented with the economics of a college education before deciding on a particular school (or even whether to go to school). I think the numbers will typically justify the expense, but right now there are few places available to really do a cost-benefit analysis on each school. The new rules requiring colleges to provide a net cost calculator is a good start, but that is only part of the equation.

    Families need to have access to post-college figures as well (employment within six months of graduation, average salaries, etc.) to make a better decision on the value of the education. In addition, there are other non-tangible benefits of college. It may be hard to put those into an economic equation, but some people may place greater value on exposure academically and socially that you get in college than others.

    All this is to say that we need to provide families with more (or better) information when they are deciding on college. Then and only then can students decide if college is really worth it for them.

  3. The real question is: Is college worth it for an individual who went through 12 years of high school and can’t read or calculate at an 8th grade level? If you can’t qualify for credit-bearing courses at community college, should you spend any money on college? More importantly, should tax payers bear the cost of your education twice–first by paying for your services at the college, second by paying for your school loans?

    And of course, the answer is “no” all round.

    Neither the college naysayers nor the dewey-eyed promoters want to acknowledge reality. Colleges should be open to all who can perform. But we’ve turned a huge segment of college into one more attempt to shove 8th grade competency down the throat of a high school graduate who can barely read. That’s a waste. It’s not a matter of whether college is worth it to the illiterate student, but whether paying for that student is worth it for the taxpayer.

    And the idea that we should be comparing the outcome of a highly educated lobbyist to a nearly illiterate 18 year old who sees college as little more than free money for a few years is simply ludicrous. It’s perfectly acceptable for a college graduate to point out that some people aren’t capable of completing college and that our society needs to focus on jobs for these people, rather than delusionally unrealistic goals.

  4. There are plenty of rewarding and important jobs and careers that do not require college.

    Really? Entry into the middle class in this country basically requires something close to a median salary combined with both health and retirement benefits. At the VERY minimum we’re talking something along the lines of a median teacher’s salary with retirement and health benefits. But more practically, something closer to say a nurses salary with retirement and health benefits.

    Where are all those jobs for HS grads that pay those types of salaries along with health and retirement benefits? Aside from those that require putting on a uniform and shipping out to Iraq. I’d like to tell my students about them.

    I work in education and my wife works in healthcare. Two of the biggest sectors of the economy. I know of very few jobs in either field that only require a HS degree and don’t involve holding a serving spoon, mop, or lawnmower.

  5. Cal:

    ***”It’s perfectly acceptable for a college graduate to point out that some people aren’t capable of completing college and that our society needs to focus on jobs for these people, rather than delusionally unrealistic goals.”

    This was not the underlying issue. The report referenced suggested de-emphasizing college as a goal for students, *not* specifically for 12th graders ready to graduate, as you are arguing against here. Also, what colleges are going to be enrolling a lot of illiterate 18-year-olds?

    Furthermore, I’m very curious how large this group of “nearly illiterate 18 year old[s] who see college as little more than free money for a few years” really is and how many tax dollars we are wasting on them. Can you give some figures?

  6. @ Kent

    There are some jobs which grant entry to the middle class without a college degree.

    Unfortunately there are less and less unionized jobs that pay a living wage in this country. Some possibilities for students that are not planning to go to college include:

    Plumbers
    Electricians
    Carpenters
    Contractors
    Custodians (unionized)
    Bus drivers (unionized)
    Landscaping (only if you own the business)

    If everyone goes to college, who is going to be ringing up the groceries?

    It seems to me, that college is a waste of time and money for a segment of the population. However, there needs to be a much more robust system of social services including health care, social security, increasing the minimum wage and a number of other federal labor protection laws passed.

  7. There are plenty of rewarding and important jobs and careers that do not require college.

    I agree with this statement in essence. They do not require college. However, I believe college can ensure a deeper understanding of a particular field which in turn leads to a higher quality of workmanship and innovation within that field. I think all careers could benefit from some kind of college (or equivalent) based degree.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.