College does not prepare for real life

Bowling Green News ^ | 5/2/05 | Amanda Hooper

[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

[Nam Vet]

You and I are thinking the same way.

Nam Vet

[GSlob]

“Concerning the advancement of learning, I do subscribe to the opinion… that, for grammar schools, there are already too many… the great number of schools which are in your Highness’s realm doth cause a want, and likewise an overthrow [surfeit] – both of them inconvenient and one of them dangerous; for by means thereof they find want in the country and towns, both of servants for husbandry and of apprentices for trade; and on the other side there being more Scholars bred than the State can prefer and employ… it must needs fall out that many persons will be bred unfit for other vocations and unprofitable for that in which they were bred up, which will fill the realm full of indigent, idle and wanton people…” Francis Bacon, 1611 letter to James I.

[Modernman]

Could be a lot of things, but I don't see a causal relationship, from what I've seen of college.

So what accounts for the fact that someone with a college degree, on average, makes about $1 million more (or something like that) over a lifetime than someone who only has a high school degree?

[lemura]

Sure it does - real life is all about who you know, not what you know. Spending $100K+ on a top flight school with national name brand recognition is better than money in the bank.

I knew a Harvard lib arts guy in the late 80s who knew nothing about computers but was hired anyway as a marketing rep by MS. Since MS likes Harvard grads, he got some of the last open options and a few years later he was a millionaire.

[Modernman]

Spending $100K+ on a top flight school with national name brand recognition is better than money in the bank.

Think of it as an investment. A degree from an Ivy League university gets your resume to the top of the pile, in most cases.

Some law firms won't even look at resumes unless the applicant has a JD from one of the "right" schools.

[jec41]

You get what you expect from your children. The Kinkaid School in Houston Texas is a private school with moderate tuition. Average SAT is 1250 or better. All students graduate and 100% attend collage and graduate. It should be a model for the educational system. They have been doing this since the sixties. I was only able to attend one year in the sixties but learned more there than all the other years of grade and high school put together. Take the time to goggle The Kinkaid School.

[CompSciGuy]

Four years in the military after high school will not only help pay for college, it will grow a kid up enough to be serious about it when he/she gets there.

On top of that it will harden the young man or woman, thereby ending what I call "the scared undergrad" syndrome. As a teaching assistant I saw this all of the time. Professors would bully their undergrads into accepting their orthodoxy, I experienced it myself as an undergrad. The nontraditional students (i.e. students 23+, most of whom were ex-military or workforce retraining types) tended to make these bullies back down, while the fresh outta high school types just took it. More students standing up to bully professors (especially in English and in History) would curb if not eliminate the liberal scare tactics on campus.

Cheers,

CSG

[cornelis]

And by time you get it right, you're dead.

Our life is too short.

[sarasota]

One also acquires a certain "humility" in having to deal with professors who may not jibe with one's agenda. Good for teaching socialization skills which eventually translate into the workplace team building.

[sarasota]

The spelling is Kincaid School.

[baystaterebel]

"So what accounts for the fact that someone with a college degree, on average, makes about $1 million more (or something like that) over a lifetime than someone who only has a high school degree?"

The fact that many of the higher paying jobs have a degree of some sort as a requirement for entry. Now, is that degree really necessary? That is the question. I work within a company that require college degrees for various jobs that in reality would be better suited for people who have been in the field working instead of sitting in a classroom for four years.

As has been mentioned above, other then specialized sciences and a few others, what real skills are learned in college that can not be learned in life? Please don't tell me "learning to think". I have met as many educated idiots as I have uneducated.

[cornelis]

The military is set up in this way with simulations to teach physical and other skills which eventually should translate into workplace team building. Hard situations harden one's skills. Iron sharpens iron etc.

However, professors and senators are notoriously poor examples to play the role of facilitator. The military is better, because the situational arrangement has a place where excellence is encouraged. Too many sectors of our society no longer have this in place. Putting up with sh!t is no guarantee that anyone has taken you by the hand well enough toward wisdom. In other words, you'll learn to get along with no place to go.

[Modernman]

The fact that many of the higher paying jobs have a degree of some sort as a requirement for entry.

That's my point. Employers, who are the best judge of what type of education is required for a certain job opening, have decided that most high-paying jobs require a college degree.

Are they right? Who knows? I'm just pointing out the reality that, generally speaking, a Bachelors degree gives a person higher lifetime earning potential than a high school degree.

[baystaterebel]

"One also acquires a certain "humility" in having to deal with professors who may not jibe with one's agenda. Good for teaching socialization skills which eventually translate into the workplace team building."

That same humility and socialization skills along with team building can be learned doing a job that requires several people to get it done with a boss in charge.

Actually, it is better learned this way because it is being directly taught and put into practice in real life at real time. In class if you don't learn these skills you get a "F". In life if you don't learn these skills you get "F"ired.

[dware]

5. Run for public office. I learned more in 8-9 months as a candidate than I did in 4 years of college.

[sarasota]

Good point. But in the workplace, with one boss, do you think a person is limited in mentoring? At colleges and universities one experiences many mentors and has to be more flexible and accommodating. Having to listen to and learn from various professors ultimately helps during interviews; it's perhaps easier to determine which type of individual would make a suitable employer. Just speculating here.

[Professional Engineer]

She makes more on her first job than I do.

I've had the same experience from the other side.

[baystaterebel]

I see your point. And I believe it is an advantage. But consider those working in a large corporation. I have contact with bosses, and managers, and executives on a daily basis. Each requires a different tact when engaging them. Each has limits on what he directly knows and what he or she can get done. Some of them are very good at their jobs others are not. Learning to directly deal with these people cant be taught in a class room.

I think my point is that the same skills need to be learned to survive. But once again while one is learning them in a classroom another is learning them and applying them in real life.

[sarasota]

The test of education is indeed application in the workplace. Maybe the best things I learned was to listen; and to realize that it takes people more than one pass at understanding to "get it". The most intriguing thing for me is watching the best executives "play poker". I've learned a lot from them.