Boston Herald –

Throw the “college for everyone” mindset out the window.

This month high school seniors in New England and the rest of the country will be applying for fall 2015 college admission. Their parents, meanwhile, will be wondering how they will pay the tab — around $60,000 for a four-year stint at a public institution; triple that for most Boston area private schools.

Despite those staggering costs, few students or parents are asking, “Is college a good investment of time and money?” Or, “Are there alternative paths to a solid future?” Few ask those essential questions because this country has been sold on the idea that a four-year degree is the only ticket to a bright future.

Government supports that simplistic idea with student loans for all takers — no matter how qualified they may be for academic work. High school counselors steer academically unprepared students toward college, even though those young people will spend much of their time in noncredit “remedial” courses. And parents believe that a four-year degree is all that stands between their children and a life of low-income, dead-end jobs.

Not that a baccalaureate degree is a bad idea. Ask any newly minted computer science graduate, engineer, microbiologist, physicist or applied mathematician. Their know-how is in high demand and is well rewarded. It’s a much different story for collegians who pursue non-technical degrees. For them, employment in and out of their fields of study is often difficult to find and poorly paid. And they often feel saddled with a sizeable student loan debt.

One reason that a four-year college education doesn’t always pack the earning punch it once had is oversupply. For every 100 newly degreed collegians, the U.S. economy offers only about 57 jobs that require a four-year degree. This means that 43 percent of grads end up with work that does not require four years of post-secondary study. This supply/demand issue is predicted to get worse. According to Labor Department forecasts, only 27 percent of new jobs in the next decade will require a bachelor’s degree.

The people most in demand are — and will remain — “middle-skilled” individuals who have a high school diploma plus an occupational associate degree from a community college, an apprenticeship certificate, or high-quality on-the-job training. This is the alternative pathway that too few parents know about and too few young people take. There is no limit to how high middle-skilled people can climb during their careers. Many go on to earn university degrees, enter management or start small businesses.

People in Massachusetts have many opportunities to build valuable, high-demand skills. In addition to its network of community colleges, it has 26 “career and technical education” high schools at which young people prepare themselves for meaningful and rewarding work. I visited one of them — Minuteman Regional High School in Lexington — a model for hand and mind training. And in the North End of Boston is the North Bennet Street School — America’s oldest trade school — where both young and middle-aged people are learning craft skills that most of the world has lost: violin making, book making, preservation carpentry and piano technology to name just a few.

College is not the only path to a secure and interesting future. America needs and rewards people who can build things, fix things, care for our health, restore Colonial-era furniture, cook fabulous meals and keep the wheels of our economy turning.

 

Nicholas Wyman is an
 employment expert, CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation and author of “Job U: How to Find Wealth and Success by Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need.” Originally published in The Boston Herald.

Huffington Post –

Is college a good investment? Is a college degree likely to set me on the path to my dream career? Are there other, non-collegiate pathways to a solid economic future? Unfortunately, few people ask these questions today; that’s because America has been sold on the false prophet that a four-year college degree is the only ticket to a successful and rewarding career.

Don’t get me wrong; if a high school grad has a real calling to pursue a particular career that does require a college education, then I support that 100 percent. But for many, a traditional four-year stint at college is not the only, and certainly not the best, option. There are three solid reasons why the prevailing ‘college for everyone’ mindset needs careful consideration.
1. Employability: Economics of Supply v Demand
The data clearly shows that a four-year college degree no longer packs the same earnings or employability punch it once did, especially for nontechnical careers. In fact, many college graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to land a job at all. One reason is oversupply. Every year, the United States produces approximately 2.1 million college graduates, yet only 27 percent of jobs in the U.S. labor market currently require an associate’s degree or higher. By comparison, more than 47 percent of workers actually hold an associate degree, while millions of jobs that require no higher level of education and remain vacant, begging to be filled. And, according to the U.S. Labor Department forecasts, this supply and demand imbalance is projected to grow, so that by 2022, only 23 percent of jobs will require a degree.
2. Affordability: The Rising Cost of Tuition
Total U.S. student loan debt has reached a record $1.2 trillion dollars. Student loan debt accounts for 6 percent of America’s overall national debt, second only to mortgage-related debts. Two thirds of students graduate with some level of debt, with the average individual student loan debt doubling over the past decade, to reach $30,000.
Students are graduating with such debt because the cost of education is skyrocketing. Andrew Rossi in his documentary Throwing Rocks at the Ivory Tower suggests that the accumulated college tuition and fees have soared by over 1,000% since the late 1970s. College data shows fees for a public college averaged $22,826 a year and $44,750 for a private college. And that’s not taking into account the costs of housing, books, and other living expenses. So where are these millions of dollars going? Certainly not to educating and equipping students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the workplace. Instead, towards inflated administrative costs and salaries, recruiting bonuses to “celebrity professors” who spend more time publishing than teaching, fancy dormitories and athletic facilities, and other cosmetic expenses aimed at luring donors and wooing top students. For instance, one university spent its ‘profits’ buying the naming rights to a sporting stadium for over $150 million. Should students be really taking on debt to cover the costs like this?
3. Marketability: What are employers really looking for?
Too many colleges and universities are simply not equipping students with the technical, practical, or soft skills that companies are looking for. Even the top colleges are churning out students lacking the real-world, practical skills to succeed in the workplace – like the ability to communicate and work well with others, solve problems, and stay organized. According to a 2013 study conducted jointly by Chegg, an online resource for students, and Harris Interactive, only 39 percent of managers felt that recent college graduates they’d interviewed were job-ready. Overwhelmingly, they reported that recent grads were lacking in practical skills such as time management, communication, problem-solving and organization.
So if you or one of your loved ones is considering enrolling in a 4-year college, how do you decide if the decision is the right one?
Do the math. Before enrolling in any educational training program, understand what the total costs will be. Look at all the costs, not just the tuition. Consider housing, meals, travel as well as course materials. Then consider what other options are out there that deliver the most ‘bang for your buck’.
Ask yourself: do I have the right learning style to succeed in a college environment? The fact is that every single human being on the planet is unique, and no two people posses the same combination of intelligences, skill sets, and methods of learning. So why should we be expected to follow the same cookie-cutter educational path? For example, some people just don’t thrive in a traditional classroom but are masters when working with their hands. Are you one of them?
Consider whether what is being taught in the classroom is in line with your particular interests. Just as we all possess a huge range of different intelligences and aptitudes, so do we each possesses unique curiosities and ambitions. For some, the dream career may indeed be found in the halls of a law firm or investment bank, but for every one of these people there exists another equally intelligent individual who is just as passionate about building airplanes, or tinkering with robotics, or restoring antique furniture. While some people may aspire to save lives as a doctor or surgeon or cancer researcher, is it any less noble to dream of making a difference in the world as an emergency medical technician, or home healthcare aid, or a social entrepreneur? Figure out where your passions and ambitions lie, and see if they can be satisfied through traditional college.
Consider ‘Jobs with Training’ (JWT). If you haven’t yet decided whether college is for you, why not try getting some real world experience before writing a hefty check or signing the loan papers – after all, would you sign a mortgage for a new house before you’d even decided whether or not to move? Taking up the JWT option provides incredible opportunities for all kinds of hands-on learning experiences while you make your decision. And, as a bonus, you get to earn while you learn. And despite what many would have you believe, a JWT path does not close the door to other academic or professional options. In fact, it can often be a springboard to greater educational and career advancement.
So the question is #toBAorNottoBA ? Ultimately, this is a question that only you can answer. It’s not about following some artificially circumscribed path. It’s about the right education, at the right time, for you.

 

Nicholas Wyman is an
 employment expert, CEO of the Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation and author of “Job U: How to Find Wealth and Success by Developing the Skills Companies Actually Need.” Originally published in the Huffington Post.

 

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