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Who Needs a College Degree?
After crying out for years that a college degree for most jobs is a waste of time, the corporations are getting the message. I don’t think we were the ones who convinced them; I think the shortage of personnel to fill openings has
spurred a reaction by the business world:
The tech industry has been plagued by chronic talent shortages for years. Some estimates show that there are now more than 450,000 open cybersecurity jobs alone. That has been further exacerbated as the gap between available positions and those seeking new jobs has grown even wider. There were 11.27 million job openings in February, compared to the 6.27 million counted as unemployed, leaving a record 5 million more openings than available workers, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
The best part of the news is that many companies are dropping their requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Even the federal government is reconsidering the requirement for degrees. It should be obvious that certain highly skilled professions, such as medical doctors and surgeons, will still need degrees.
Instead of expecting job entrants to have degrees, the companies are providing a myriad of alternatives: internal training programs; collaborating with non-profit organizations and the community colleges for associate degrees and certificate programs; internships; and trade school degrees and programs. People may have more substantial earnings if they complete a degree program; that assumes that they complete the degree and overcome the mountain of debt they accumulate. For a listing of high-paying tech, non-degree programs, you can visit this site.
But the benefits of skipping the degree for middle- and-high level jobs are substantial.
For starters, students will not have to take on enormous debt that could plague them for years. Instead of a degree, for example, vocational programs offer certificate programs ranging from $1,000 to $33,000 for a degree—much less money than college degrees. Students can decrease the time between finishing high school and beginning a real career by months, if not years. They will have the benefits of having the satisfaction of working right away, earning their own living and being self-sufficient, without relying on loans or family. My hope would be that the tech schools and even some of the companies may teach less woke propaganda than the colleges, and at least the courses will be job-related. Workers likely won’t have to take the time to take electives that don’t interest them or aren’t related to their future. One of the few limiting factors of this approach being successful will be high school graduates and their parents still believing that a college degree is important, even when all the information on the ground says that it’s not. Creative marketing programs to promote this new approach will be critical
Finally, it must be better for society not to have safe-space oriented, frightened people joining society and instead welcome more productive and practical job performers into the world.
I wonder what the colleges will do in response to this major transformation of the work force?
[photo courtesy of unsplash.com]
Published in Education
Very relevant. Matches a lot of the horror stories I’ve seen my colleagues go through.
Some commenters have shared stories about people who went back for their degrees. I hope employers will explain that could be a future requirement for management. Or maybe a certificate program will be offered.
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A fine essay, David. And still relevant.
When I say my peers I mean people that I personally know. I suppose I can’t say that’s a big big movement. You sure see people talking about it online a lot.
Add the so-called diversity, equity, and Inclusion criteria and the people doing the hiring will be looking for a 50 pound butterfly.
My rates just doubled next time I work on the cape! No wonder why your water rates are so high. I don’t care how good the electrician is, it’s not all that complicated. I guess, like anything, it’s worth what someone is willing to pay. Also, I view someone not talking to me while I work as a bonus.
I did work with an electrician in Harwich Port that also does residential. Message me if your interested.
That’s sweet. Thank you.
We’re okay with it. As I said, he usually works on very high end projects. But thank you. :) :)
In tech – I do not think you need it
I did not get any software training during college – I learned all on the job – I could have done the same out of high school.
Most people go to get a credential – I have never looked at education in my interviews
One of my students in adult education was a middle-aged adult who lost her job when the business closed. Despite having worked for years, it was hard for her to find work since she never finished high school. She hoped to overcome that by getting her GED but struggled with the algebra. I worked with her and she tried hard.
I had another student the same time, a young high school dropout who was smart enough to do the work but didn’t care enough to try. I suspect her parents, or a judge, forced her to enroll. It bothered me seeing someone who wanted it but struggled while someone else had the brains to do it but didn’t. Adult ed can be rewarding. At other times, it was depressing
I suspect that people who have a hard time with algebra would actually have an easier time by first learning a simple programming language, which would allow them to grasp the concept of a Variable in more tangible form…’more tangible’ because you can actually make it do something. And then, in many cases, I bet they would be able to apply this perception to regular algebra. And, if not, they still would have learned something worthwhile.
It’s not horrible. I think you have right perspective below; if they had shown interest in other things you would support it. I went to a private HS where everyone was just expected to go to college. I was that kid that wasnt ready and wasted a lot of time. it was much cheaper though back in the late 90s. I went back to college in my mid 20s and got the degree when I was more mature. it definitely paid off for me, even with the $37k i had to pay back, which i know is nothing now.
College culturally has become really awful, but I’d hate to see a world where no one conservative goes into fields that need credentials. it’s not just doctors and lawyers, there are hundreds of fields that really do need them (and probably thousands that don’t). I do think too many people go to college who probably shouldn’t, especially men based on dropout rates. I think the best thing I’d to have a good relationship with your kids and make sure they’re aware of all the options.