College Isn't For Everyone — Let's Stop Pretending It Is

[FarCenter]

It’s an article of faith in the school reform community that we should be striving to prepare all students for success in college—if not a four-year degree, then some other recognized and reputable post-secondary credential.

The rationale is clear and generally compelling; as a recent Pew study reiterated, people who graduate from college earn significantly more than those who do not. Other research indicates that low-income students in particular benefit from college, becoming nearly three times more likely to make it into the middle class than their peers who earn some (or no) college credits. And it’s not just about money: College graduates are also healthier, more involved in their communities, and happier in their jobs.

Thus, in the reformers’ bible, the greatest sin is to look a student in the eye and say, “Kid, I’m sorry, but you’re just not college material.”

But what if such a cautionary sermon is exactly what some teenagers need? What if encouraging students to take a shot at the college track—despite very long odds of crossing its finish line—does them more harm than good? What if our own hyper-credentialed life experiences and ideologies are blinding us to alternative pathways to the middle class? Including some that might be a lot more viable for a great many young people? What if we should be following the lead of countries like Germany, where “tracking” isn’t a dirty word but a common-sense way to prepare teenagers for respected, well-paid work?

Read more: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2014/03/college_isn_t_for_everyone_let_s_stop_pretending_it_is.html

[Petrushka]

1. K & R

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. Sounds sort of what Rick Santorum was saying on the campaign trail in 2012

and while I concede that there may be some degree of truth there, such talk smacks (at least to me) of right-wing anti-elitism ("we don't need any more eggheads&quot or could even be looked at as elitism ("I/we know what's best for you&quot . IMHO we should be encouraging students to decide for themselves what their goals and dreams are and assist them in moving in that direction (or at the very least not standing in their way of trying). I don't think it's right to deny or discourage people from trying something they want to do. If they ultimately don't succeed, at least they will have the reassurance and knowledge that they were ALLOWED to try. I think that it's sort of arrogant and presumptuous IMHO to render a judgement on whether somebody is "college material" or not and/or try to limit people's choices based on our beliefs (however educated they may be).

[Proud Liberal Dem]

18. He may not be entirely wrong (as I indicated)

however the way I remember him talking about just sounded anti-higher education in general

[One_Life_To_Give]

3. Trade Schools

I know a number of people who attended various Trade Schools. IMO that was the best possible choice for them. We can't train everyone to be an Architect, somebody still has to build the building, connect the plumbing, wire the electric etc. Never underestimate the value of a skilled trades-person. We would be lost without them. Many of our young people should be encouraged to take this route.

[Earth_First]

12. Two brothers. One a college-educated degree holder. One a union tradesman.

One struggles to find work in his chosen profession.

One makes 90K in his profession.

Any guesses as to which brother the above describes?

[snooper2]

4. There is a shortage of good auto body repair folks out there

I mean people who know their shit-

Don't need a four year degree to learn what fish-eyes are-



You do need to have a good work ethic and an apprenticeship somewhere

[pipoman]

14. Been there and done that. .

It is dirty and chemical exposure is high..it wasn't for me. I do some for myself for fun. Can't imagine what or where I would be if I had spent the last 30 years doing that.

[Brickbat]

5. This would be less of an issue if middle-class jobs that didn't require a college degree were still

available to a much larger degree. A basic life standard would be reachable for more people, and if someone tried college and it wasn't for them, it wouldn't be a death sentence.

[Orrex]

7. ^^That.

[denverbill]

8. This is the problem. Carpenters, roofers, and other craftsmen used to make pretty good money.

Now, they don't make any more than they did in the 1980's, thanks to illegal immigrants and the unscrupulous business owners who employ them.

Why pay to go to trade school to get a $10/hr job?

[FarCenter]

9. Or you can pay to go to college to get a $10/hr job?

[Brickbat]

10. Union carpenters do just fine, but you're right about the residential market.

I don't know about your area, but there was a concerted effort to bust or shut out residential building trades here. Commercial union carpenters make great money here. Traveling roofers? Not so much -- unless you like living out of a van in the parking lot of the building you're working on.

[PasadenaTrudy]

11. I have a couple friends

who barely made it through high school. They just aren't that intelligent. One went on to build professional dance studios, and did well until his knees and back were shot at around 50. He's not book-smart, but managed to eke out a living.

[Half-Century Man]

13. It's not such a hard line issue.

In my case it was, not wanting college at that time. I attended later in life and did better for it. Some of us need maturity, are tired of school after twelve years, need to save up money, or like in my case, wanted to serve in the military first.

The problem isn't the levels of education as much as it is the exporting of opportunities, IMHO. I never aspired to become famous or rich, just wanted to have a normal middle class life; blue collar all the way. In the service I learned electronics and moved into factory maintenance after that. I've been to vacuum school studying along side of engineers from Fermi labs in Chicago. I've been to 6 axis robot school (FANUC). I've attended machine tool schools in SC (OKUMA). I've attended in house schools for ALLEN Bradley robots. I am a journeyman electrician recognized by the UAW with over 20 years of experience. I now have an Associates degree in Arts and Science and plan on continuing in college, opportunity permitting.

No matter how good you are, there has to be a situation to apply skills before they mean anything.

[PasadenaTrudy]

16. I didn't start

until I was 28, I think. No way was I ready before that. I dropped out of HS I hated school so much! Went on and got my BA and some grad school. Good luck to you

[Half-Century Man]

21. I liked learning but hated formal schooling.

So I was ready to quit school forever when I graduated. The Navy promptly sent me to school after boot camp. Evidently the Irony Fairy is 6' 9" tall and used to play linebacker for the Chargers.
Now, I really like going to school. If I could, I'd ride this all the way to a doctorate in something.

[badtoworse]

15. "The world needs ditch diggers too" - Judge Smails

[HughBeaumont]

17. Well, whether it's "for everyone" is neither here or there . . .

. . . as long as living-wage-paying corporations continue to practice unscrupulous interview processes, discrimination of all kinds (including ageism), tossing resumes of applicants without a college degree, then nothing's going to change on that front. American workers and job applicants are forced to play this costly game of treadmill debt-to-success for little reward. There's no "Ford plant" to go to after high school. You could start your own crapshoo . . . er . . . business and hope it succeeds; you know, with your competition being WalMart and Amazon and all . . .

[senseandsensibility]

20. I agree, but those are mostly white collar jobs

When it comes to the trades, no one is tossing out resumes because the applicant doesn't have a four year degree. Yet these trades, which pay much better than white collar (especially retail) jobs, still require training. Such training should be available and encouraged for students with interests and ability in those areas.

[hughee99]

19. Education beyond a high school diploma should be "for everyone".

Whether it's college, some sort of trade or apprenticeship, or something else.

College shouldn't just be job training for you're future career, either. A carpenter may not NEED college, but that's not the same as saying they shouldn't go to college.

[Orsino]

22. And it's for fewer people every year.

As long as the nation and world are stuck on a track of automation without guaranteed income, college will get lousier at paying for itself. Jobs as we know them are a game of musical chairs.