“Don’t Get That College Degree! Intellectually and Financially, Studies Show It’s Not Worth It” by Jack Hough
New York Post, June 28, 2009 Accessed: May 8, 2011
Topic: College degrees are a bad investment
Summary: The author argues that a college degree is no longer worth it. He presents a financial argument as well as an argument that there are so many barriers to getting into college and that inflated grades and fluff classes have really made it intellectually pointless as well. As a suggestion for reform, he says that we should have testing to certify what students have learned (such as those used by many institutions to give credit for passing tests).
Intended audience: General Public
Key Points:
- A college degree is a bad financial investment
- Getting a college degree does not provide good learning or intelligent people
- Alternative to college degrees should be standardized testing so people may prove what they know and build a resume based on tests passed
Relevance: A friend mentioned this article to me the other day, and I had to see what it was all about. I am a little scared, because he seemed to be so gung-ho behind the idea that perhaps a college degree really is pointless. While the author raises some important points that we have talked about in class (college isn’t for everyone, starting salaries are often not that great even with a degree and loans can be daunting to pay back, a degree doesn’t mean you get a job, learning can happen in less traditional ways, technology has opened up many new pathways to learning, etc.), he also provides some pretty crazy examples. He uses being accepted into a private university as his example of all the barriers in place to higher ed. While it may take many months to get started at a private university, there are many easier and more accessible paths to higher ed. In order to be accepted into Portland Community College, for example, all you have to do is apply. Once you are accepted, you may register for classes as soon as they are opened to you (based on number of credits). The idea of doing away with college and degrees seems totally crazy to me, and his example of the two friends reminded me of a dumbed down version of the game of “Life” where you choose to go to college or work. Sometimes the worker wins, sometimes the college grad wins, but a lot of times it’s a crapshoot depending on other choices you make throughout your life (having children, real estate investments, etc.) and sheer luck.
All someone has to do is run this google search: "difference in lifetime salary based on education" Look at the graphs that show up in the images section. The Bureau of Labor Statistics outright refutes this article's premise. The more education one has, the more likely they are employed and are earning a living wage. The less education, the less likely they are employed or making a living wage.
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