Posted on 05/04/2005 8:15:16 AM PDT by qam1
As I watch my classmates graduate it seems many of them are less sure of their purpose then when they began college. College used to be where young adults went to find themselves and then pursue their passion. It was a luxury for the crem de la crem of society. It wasn't long ago that most children knew their place in society by adolescence and were resigned to that fate.
Now with the plethora of choice, instead of college opening amazing new opportunities and fulfilling our wildest dreams, it has left us unprepared for the real world and paralyzed by the paradox of too much choice. Four years of college and are we really any better off for it?
There is no denying it; the pressure looms from all corners. At most suburban high schools the guidance counselors aren't asking if you are going to college, they are asking where. Parents aren't wondering if they are going to help pay your ever-increasing college tuition, they are wondering how.
So, teenagers are shuffled off to college by overbearing pressures and then languish in an academic environment that they don't really desire or feel passionate about. Sometimes they make it through the four years, sometime they don't. Many of those who do, find themselves degree in hand with no more of an idea of what to do with their life then four years earlier.
Perhaps we should stop and consider that a four-year college right out of high school isn't the right choice for everyone. Perhaps college isn't the place to "find yourself", especially to the tune of over 15 grand a year.
A third of college students do not qualify for a degree in six years and just because you don't graduate, doesn't mean you don't have to pay back student loans.
Since when is a college degree all that counts in the job market? The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics' estimates of the fastest-growing occupations between 2002 and 2012 show that six of the top 10 don't require bachelor's degrees.
On the job training, vocational and technical degrees can lead to successful careers. Let's face it, for many occupations, a year of on the job training would prepare you much better then wading through philosophy, ethnic studies, astronomy and all those other gen eds that bog down students and stretch out our education to four years and beyond.
Admittedly, much of the college education process is a product of our societal conceptions of what determines success and job preparedness. It is also a great ploy by the universities to reel in those middle class baby boomer dollars by convincing mom and dad that a pricey degree is the only thing separating their baby from comfy suburban bliss and destitution.
True, some jobs require a four year degree before they will even look at your application, regardless of your other skills, talents and life experiences. However, often hard work, ingenuity, charisma, tenacity and a lot of character qualities that aren't exclusive to a degree are what really translate to a good employee.
As college tuition skyrockets, perhaps this college model needs reevaluated and transformed into a more efficient and effective system that actually teaches people usable skills. There are signs that this shift may already be under way. Community and technical college enrollments are rising. States, like Ohio, are recognizing this and shifting funding in that direction.
Sure college can be a great community and social environment, but if you spend more hours at the bars then in class you probably aren't going to come out of here with much more then a beer belly. Paying this kind of tuition money to have friends and a social life is like joining an expensive country club without the free golf.
Even if you do make it to and possibly enjoy class remember; a lecture and a textbook isn't the only way to learn by the way. You would be amazed what a library card and a passport can offer.
Let's face it, the college environment is a sandbox compared to the beach we face when we get out of here. The vast shores are intimidating and unexplored, but the possibilities really are endless. I'm just not so sure playing for four years in the sandbox gets us ready for the adventure.
Don't be too sad, Amanda will be back in the fall. In the meantime you can e-mail her at ahooper@bgnet.bgsu.edu
Placemark
Government employment which requires certification. Employment in quasi-governmental organizations, like contractors doing work for the government and non-profits. Union-driven certification in professions such as teaching. Corporate fear of litigation regarding hiring practices. A pseudo-standard of minimum competency established by bureaucratic private companies. That's all I can think of at the moment.
Good headline. Here is another: WATER IS WET.
Well sure those things happen, but they are not guaranteed to happen. I went to college a couple hundred miles from home and was fine, and both of my sisters were that far or even farther away. We all consider having gone away to have been important, not from a partying all the time standpoint because none of us did that, but because we were on our own so that "being good" was our choice. We could have gone wild but didn't, meaning that how we acted was a product of being raised right and then continuing that path on our own as adults instead of a product of mom and dad still being there all the time. If a kid needs to continue living with his/her parents for financial reasons, that's one thing, but I had friends whose parents wouldn't let them leave town for school even though they could afford it. The parents assumed that their child would go wild if let out of the house. I don't agree with that assumption (unless there have been behavior problems) especially when you're talking about someone who is no longer actually a child (18, 19, even 20 years old.) Fifty years ago, an 18 year old was usually trusted to get married, have a house, and have a job. Many parents today won't let their kids grow up, even if the kid is perfectly capable of going out on their own without losing control.
If your parents can afford it, or you are willing to borrow for it, college at its best is about enhancing the quality of your life overall, and not about occupational training. It is about educating one in the liberal arts, in the broadest sense. God created graduate schools for a reason. That is where one goes to get licensed to count beans, or sue folks, or cut them open, etc.
I'm conflicted.
I don't know whether to say "duh", or "amen".
This is so good. It verbalizes many of my thoughts and adds some! Thank you for posting it.
Let's face it: This author uses the phrase "Let's face it" too much.
Bump for later read
To some extent college does prepare people, as long as the student picks a worthwhile major and learns to commit himself/herself to the discipline of a working lifestyle.
In other top stories, water wet, sky blue!
BM
I assume by private university you mean a religious school, because a private university (like a Harvard, Vandy, etc.) has all the same issues as a public university. I'm from a Christian family, as are my sisters, and like I said we were all just fine in college. We were not subjected to debauchery in the dorm--we and those living on our halls had clean rooms, didn't parade in guys at night, weren't out binge drinking, weren't smoking pot, and got good grades in challenges majors (engineering, etc.) Sure there were some in our dorm who did, but it was not open, accepted behavior that we saw. I think you're assuming that the problems are unavoidable when they clearly are not. Obviously you get to say how your money will be spent and on what school, but you shouldn't assume that parents whose kids go to public universities are sending their children into a den of evil unarmed. That's just not the case at many schools and for many students.
People in our suburban hometown in a blue state were scandalized when they found out my brother was going into the military. After all, middle-class kids with good SAT scores are supposed to be "above" enlisting!
8 months later, he plans on being a lifer, and has started college courses in his (little) spare time. He is eminently more mature, confident, and focused than his friends who went off to college. He loves the Coast Guard and he genuinely enjoys what he does - even scraping paint. ;-)
My two good friends from college were both Navy vets and were very serious about school. They had each spent 6+ years in the service to be able to pay for college and weren't going to waste the opportunity.
The spelling is Kincaid School.
You are incorrect. There are many Kincaid schools.
The one I was refering to is The Kinkaid School on Memorial Dr. in Houston TX.
i agree, it took me 8 years in the navy to figure out what i wanted to be. i am at the u of Minnesota now, it is amazing that out of th 40k students, probally 3, including me, know what they want to do. also, i would never send my children to this university straight out of high school. i believe either a 2 year community college or a trade school would be just fine. if after 2 years of cc and my child wants to go on for a bs or higher, good on him/her.
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