If College is About Making More Money, You Might Want to Reconsider

Dale Stephens’ Uncollege efforts are, I think, a very positive step in the direction of creating a movement to reclaim higher education for individual enrichment, instead of viewing college as general certification that one is eligible for work. Of course, this flies in the face of conventional media reports that bellow to the masses that unemployment is more horrible for those without a college degree. Dale digs into the conventional wisdom to reveal some inconvenient truths about the costs and benefits of college degrees:

As the New York Times reported last May, while the average unemployment rate of all college graduates may seem low, the rate for recent college grads is up to three times higher, while their starting salaries have sharply declined . . .

For those under twenty-five the outlook is grim: 22% are unemployed and 22.4% are working in jobs that don't require their degree.  The environment college graduates face is frightening.  My friend Jenny wrote a piece in the Times in August called "Generation Limbo," profiling graduates from elite schools who are working as bartenders and collecting welfare checks.  

In response to the article about me in the New York Times last week, a commenter called me irresponsible for suggesting that young people skip college when the unemployment rate is higher for those without degrees.  Ten years ago, this may have been true.  

Today, I think it's irresponsible to suggest to young people that getting a university degree will secure a brighter future.  The reality is that only half of recent college graduates are working in jobs that require their degree, and they are doing so with an average of $27,000 in debt.

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In my last post I quoted from Dan Rubin, an adult who was unschooled, and I noted that it was unclear from his writing if he’d graduated college. Helen, Dan’s mom, wrote back to me that Dan does not have a college degree, though he took some college courses. Nonetheless, Dan is “Creative Director for a major international company.” There are other ways to find work worth doing and make a decent living than just by graduating college.

Comments

[Katie]

I really enjoyed reading this! My oldest is only 12, but the question most often asked of us as homeschoolers, after the "what will you do about high school?" is the "but what about college?" My husband didn't go to college, however is currently self-employed as a writer/editor and is making enough money for us to comfortably live as a family of four on a single income. I went to college, yet I stay at home with my two boys, and learn something every day right along side of them. :) While we would never persuade our children NOT to go to college if that is there wish, we know that we will never push a 4 year degree on them. If they want to pursue a specific trade, we think we will probably push them towards a trade school, or junior college, but...we do have a little more time to think about that, lol.

I bookmarked your site, as well as the UnCollege site of Dale Stephens'. I am very much looking forward to reading more of your blog!

Thanks for sharing!

Katie
Transitioning two boys, ages 12 and 7, from “school-at-home” homeschooling to unschooling... and enjoying the results (and the sanity it has seemed to restore) so far!

[Jackie]

A college education has other benefits besides the tangible one of a high salary. Some people enjoy learning for the sake of learning; it exposes you to new ideas and concepts. Not to mention the fact that connections can be made in college which can be useful later on in one's career. A degree also shows prospective employers that the candidate is tenacious and has the ability to set a goal and execute it.

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[Pat Farenga]

Enjoying learning for the sake of learning does not require going to college, nor does networking, or being exposed to new ideas and concepts. Books, movies, freely chosen studies, conversation with new people, the Internet, and so many more avenues exist for learning new things than following a college curriculum. Life-long learning does not have to mean mandatory continuing education that costs an arm and a leg, and it is the cost-benefit equation that is being examined here. The student who works hard to graduate and the student who parties through college can both wind up with a college degree; prospective employers must look far deeper than just a degree to determine tenaciousness.