Earlier this month, I read an article in the Chicago Tribune about UnCollege, "a social movement changing the notion that going to college is the only path to success." Although I cannot find a link on the Tribune site, it appears that the Seattle Times also ran Laurel Rosenhall's piece.
From "Teen entrepreneur asks: College? Who needs it?" (June 13):
The backlash against college comes, paradoxically, at the same time demand for higher education is soaring. But it could be that the economic downturn is responsible for both the rise in college applications — as students seek a leg up in the job market — and the sentiment that college isn't necessary, as they take on more debt to get their degrees.Some recent related M-mv posts here, here, here, and here."As family incomes, particularly in the middle class, are stretched and strained, and tuitions rise and state support lessens, (it's not surprising) you would begin to hear voices that say, 'What's the value here?' " said Jerry Lucido, executive director of the Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice at the University of Southern California.
2 comments:
It took years to get out from under the huge debt I incurred in college. Compared to other countries, the cost of higher education in America is ridiculous.
Now, as a former schoolteacher turned homeschooling parent, the number one question I get asked about my decision to homeschool is, “How will she get into college?” This assumption that college is the ultimate educational goal needs to be re-examined. Nowadays, the amount of information that is freely accessible online is giving the colleges a run for their money. (MIT OpenCourseWare/Kahn Academy)
It's funny but the people I know who are most successful in their careers and doing well in this economy have either gone to very elite schools like MIT, top public universities, or have skipped college altogether (or dropped out). I don't think its causal so much as indicative of a personality type. A very bright, motivated, ambitious, entrepreneurial young person just isn't going to be happy in a third tier directional-state school classroom for 4 years and are likely to find alternatives.
With today's college costs I think its definitely worth thinking outside of the box. I remember a presentation in graduate school about joining the foreign service. Someone said you could spend 2 years and $50K on a Master's degree in International Relations or you could go teach English in China for 2 years, come back fluent in Mandarin, with connections and expertise and getting paid the whole time to learn and teach and travel. As long as the latter does well on the Foreign Service exam (< $20 for a study guide plus a NY Times subscription) they're actually more likely to be hired than the person with the brand name degree who has never left the country.
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