Skip College for Success!

As with Bieber Fever, one is tempted to ignore media fashions as they make their way through popular culture. This, too, shall pass, the proverb goes. (No offense, Justin. You seem like a nice kid.)

Some trends stick around. Some shouldn't.

You may have noticed recently that a few commentators—and at least one impressive benefactor—are trying to persuade some young Americans to skip higher education. The discussion has crept into mainstream outlets.

Here's a link to the Thiel Foundation, and here is an outfit called the UnCollege Movement. A quick perusal of these sites, with some clicking around, will tell you all you need to know. The sponsors don't claim their advice is for everyone (the Thiel Foundation supports 20 bright young people), but it's hard to escape an unfortunate inference that winners avoid college.

The obvious response is…well, obvious. Here's the site of GenerationTX, from the Coordinating Board, for instance.

Simply put, aggregate personal income rises with educational level, notwithstanding celebrity drop-outs Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg. As Louis Menand observed recently in The New Yorker, it should be readily apparent that you and I are not Bill Gates nor Mark Zuckerberg. For starters, they were privileged Harvard men when they chose to leave school. They had a net under them.

There are genuine "rags to riches" stories, but the basic math is clear: It would be a huge mistake for almost anyone to skip or drop out of college, especially if the individual is from a poor background. The odds are overwhelmingly against such a decision ending well—less likely, probably, than Mr. Bieber returning your calls.

A private college education today (assuming four years at a highly selective institution) can cost up to $200,000. Here in Texas, the governor has proposed a $10,000 degree—a prospect that relies heavily upon an assumption of low-cost community colleges and plentiful online instruction. This claim may be shaky, but you can find what you are looking for regarding incentives and probabilistic scenarios. It's fertile ground for misinformation.

Let's hope that poor families, who may at this moment be weighing whether or not to send their offspring to college, think deeply before pulling the trigger on such an important decision.

There is probably no harm in Bieber Fever, but this is different. Notions such as the UnCollege can't be helpful.

Here's a related article in the San Antonio Express-News by Melissa Ludwig, regarding Hispanics and higher education in Texas.

Comments

[HeyTeach101]

Scott,
You did a great job countering this argument. I have been seeing so many articles presenting the "uncollege" position, and in some cases, for some students, I wonder if maybe it is valid, so it was helpful to be reminded of the reality of the benefits.
I teach developmental reading and writing at a four-year university, and there are so many students who are shamefully under-prepared yet feel the pressure to "go to college." We are admitting students reading at a very low grade level, and remediation is a challenging and often slow and stumbling process.
For highly kinesthetic students, perhaps skilled trades can be an option? I agree with everything you said, and yet no matter what the benefits I don't think there is ever a fully "one-size-fits-all" solution.
I have been thinking about using the articles against college in my basic reading class, and I would love to use your post as well. I think it is more honest, and more accessible (and more true!) than many of the more abstract arguments in favor of college.
Thanks.
HeyTeach101
http://to-read-to-write.com/