College for all? Experts say not necessarily
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College for all? Experts say not necessarily
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Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#2A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#3Not to mention the fact that a goal of universal college is impossible, let alone unnecessary:
"Whatever his or her claims of solidarity with the Third World, each American college graduate has had an education costing an amount five times greater than the median life income of half of humanity."
- Ivan Illich, Deschooling Society (1970)
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#4A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
...at jobs that require a four year degree. I think the point of the article is there are plenty of jobs people can do that don't require a four year degree.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#5A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
A degree makes it easier to be successful at big companies with dumb management -- but why work there?
It's no big deal at better places. If you don't get a degree, you can spend less time learning at least as much relevant stuff.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#6A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
The point of the article is you're not likely to obtain a four year degree by going to college, especially not for only 4 years:
"But federal statistics show that just 36 percent of full-time students starting college in 2001 earned a four-year degree within that allotted time. Even with an extra two years to finish, that group's graduation rate increased only to 57 percent."
Technical education has a much more certain payoff. Bookkeeping, welding, plumbing, nursing, all are possible with 2 year degrees and are ways to get a good job and a good career.
A 2 year nursing degree is a relatively fast way to get into a good income and relatively flexible schedule, allowing further study.
And economists are backing up the 'Don't even waste the money, just go straight vocational' approach.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#7A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
Sadly, a 4 year degree has become more and more a requirement for a lot of jobs, regardless of talent and skills. Increasing credentialism of this sort will just lower the value of having a degree and also make it more necessary for every professional to have a 4 year degree (which is expensive even at the cheapest colleges).
None of this is good.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#8A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
It depends on how you define success. If you mean "landing a job that pays well" then certainly a degree gives you an edge. If you mean "contributing something meaningful to the world" then I'd say the importance of a 4-year degree approaches zero.
There are so many people making incredible contributions to humanity without college degrees, and so many people simply fretting away their lives in cubicles making slightly more money than they would have without a degree.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#9Worked in Silicon Valley all my life. The degree meant nothing. Worked with lots of guys with no degree, doing the same job. All that mattered was skills.
Re: College for all? Experts say not necessarily
#10A 4 year degree doesn't guarantee success and no degree doesn't mean you can't be successful. But, having a 4 year degree makes it easier to be successful.
A degree makes it easier to be successful at big companies with dumb management -- but why work there? It's no big deal at better places. If you don't get a degree, you can spend less time learning at least as much relevant stuff.
"A degree makes it easier to be successful at big companies with dumb management -- but why work there?"
Because "big companies with dumb management" hire a lot of people and pay them well?
Most people aren't fortunate enough to have their dream job quite yet and their number one priority for work is just getting the bills paid.