Recent Graduates: College Degree Isn't Worth It.
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 2:59PM Most parents—homeschoolers or not—worry about their children being able to pass tests and have proper credentials to gain college entrance. However, as an increasing number of critics of higher education are noting, college is an overpriced and overestimated institution for most people. This article from CNN Money puts the matter in contemporary terms as the Fall semester approaches.
The graduates portrayed have debts ranging from $185K for a bachelors degree in Industrial Engineering to $74K for a masters degree in public health; none have found work that pays anywhere near what they need to repay their loans without great sacrifice. Part of it is the bad economy, of course, but that's also the point: the old "when the economy is bad go back to school" strategy requires a whole rethinking in our society. As recently as a decade ago a college degree was considered to be very important to gain middle to upper-middle class white collar employment. Now those white collar jobs are being outsourced to countries whose English-speaking, highly educated, and highly unemployed college graduates are willing to do college-level work for high-school student wages.
Homeschoolers have long-criticized the need for increasing the time children spend in elementary and high school, but since so many people rely on those institutions for childcare, I think it is hard to get popular traction for reform efforts that alter that model. But I think now we can find common ground with all citizens by openly challenging the perceived need for everyone to go to four years of college and, in doing so, begin to discover and document the different ways we express, develop, and use our knowledge for personal and work purposes throughout our lives.
Reader Comments (1)
It is true that it's hard for new graduates to find jobs. However, it is important to keep in mind that financial benefits from a college degree are usually reaped over a person's lifetime and entire career; not just the beginning years which may not be very fruitful right now.