“Too Many Americans Are Going to College”
Again we quote social scientist Charles Murray.
According to Murray, of those students with IQ’s exceeding 100, “far too many of them are going to four-year colleges.”
We will skip all of his arguments regarding those with IQ’s less than 115 versus those with IQ’s above, those who he deems simply not qualified for college level rigor versus those that are able to handle such demands, and move directly to one valid point within his argument: the stigma that is attached to vocational education/training.
Unfortunately, for far too many people, such training is thought of as second class. College, on the other hand, is thought of as first class. And there in lies one major problem.
Murray states that if the goal is to be able to make a good living, then more students should examine the option of vocational education/training. He goes on to make yet another relevant point in that many of the students who have the capacity for college level work are not actually interested in yet another four years of study. This is yet another group that could be well-served by the vocational option.
Murray indicates that far too many people place a premium on a college degree. Yes, many careers/jobs demand such a degree as its qualification. But many more careers are available with two years of specific training.
Murray completes his arguments with a valid truism in this part of the country. Finding a lawyer or physician is relatively easy but finding a plumber, carpenter or other qualified tradesman tends to be far more difficult.
I cannot say I agree with his arguments about IQ and the delineation of who should be college material. But I believe he is right on with his vocational training thoughts.
Here in Maine we continue along the opposite path. Our education promos feature slogans such as “College for ME” and “Everyone College Ready”.
The goal is noble, trying to ensure that kids have options after high school is a great premise. But those slogans in my home state further foster that negative viewpoint of vocational education/training.
If we continue to state that going to college is the best answer then there is no option for our kids but to see vocational education/training as second class.
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[…] noted previously the writings of Charles Murray in an earlier post, Too Many Americans Are Going to College, that far too many people see such training as second class while college is thought of as first […]
America’s educational emphasis on going to college is a multisided problem.
One the one hand, while college is necessary for a number of professions fully 80% of graduates end up in jobs unrelated to their majors. Expending time and money in a way that might be considered unproductive.
On the other hand there is a darker side to the tilt toward college education. Our high schools stress college preparation to such a degree that important subjects that should be covered before a student leaves compulsory education are either skimmed over or eliminated all together.
Some people might want to argue that a college education is worthwhile whether it prepares you for employment or not because it broadens you and gives you an opportunity to be exposed to a variety of possible interests.
That argument is fine but consider that high schools are cutting some of these very same classes in there move toward college prep (not to mention the teach to the test imperative of ‘No Child Left Behind’.
To me he gravest result of all this is that students completing their compulsory education do not have the most basic tools necessary to function as adults in our consumer driven society. More specifically our high schools fail to provide a basic understanding of Personal Finance, credit, budgeting, saving & investment.
To make matters worse, these very same necessary life skills are also absent from our colleges.
I can’t help but feel that it only makes sense to order a curriculum so that the more important concepts are assured of being covered.
Let me leave my rant (my apologies) with these questions.
For what percentage of the adult population is quadratic equations more useful/important than money management?
For what percentage of the adult population is an understanding of literary criticism more important than the ability to put together a meal for yourself or your family?
Yours Truly
Jeff Bellamy
http://123MoneyBasics.com
http://TimeTravelUniversity
http://jeffbellamy.com
[…] we have noted previously, one necessary step in this educational dilemma is to promote a vocational option, a hands-on, less […]
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