Do I Really Need to Go to College?

At some point, your high school senior is going to ask you, “Hey Mom, do I really need to go to college?” After all, they have spent about 13 years fine-tuning their education and are in the prime of their teen years. They have sampled freedom and are at an age where they focus on the present—and the next five minutes—rather than the future. If all they have to look forward to after graduation is more teachers and homework, even with tools like ChatGPT ready to help them with writing assignments, what kind of fun will they have? (Especially if they were not extremely successful in school.)

Moreover, many students are filled with naivety that leads them to believe they can make it in this hard-knocks world without a college education. But are they? Should they? Is college the answer for every child?

The “College for All” Debate

For decades, there has been an increase in the “College for All” rhetoric aimed at high school students. A project by the Harvard School of Education in 2011 showed that by 2018, around 47 million American jobs would be created, with 2/3 of these jobs requiring some form of secondary education. What’s interesting, however, is that the report showed a very small percentage of these jobs—coming up for recent high school and college graduates—would actually require a 4-year degree. Around 14 million of the jobs are considered mid-skill jobs, which routinely require a post-secondary certificate or associate’s degree. These positions include roles like phlebotomist, nursing assistant, dental assistant, construction worker, or electrician. Today, the working middle class is made up of trades workers like these, and some research shows they can actually make more than the average holder of a bachelor’s degree.

Perhaps what makes the idea of a post-secondary four-year education even more obsolete for parents and children is the fact that more than half of the recently unemployed hold four-year (or higher) degrees in their profession. Meanwhile, the unskilled—those who haven’t attended any post-secondary education—struggle the most to find jobs at all, since most positions have so many applicants with college backgrounds vying for the same opportunities.

So what is a parent to do when their child asks about college? Experts still recommend that all children should pursue some level of post-secondary education. However, college for all—where every younger member of society obtains four-year degrees—is not necessary. Parents and their teens should sit down during high school and try to map out where the child’s interests and skills lie. After all, sending your vocational work-release student to college just so they can be bored and waste hard-earned money on biology classes they’ll never use is somewhat pointless. Especially if they have other skills and passions in a different career field. Post-secondary education today can take the form of trade or technical schools, or schools that focus on the fine arts, such as culinary or art schools. Additionally, there are numerous technical colleges worldwide that can prepare students for careers in fields like computers and online markets—fields that can be lucrative for career-building.

While forcing every child to go to college is not necessary, encouraging every child to pursue some form of secondary education is. In the long run, the time spent honing their skills and interests will not only help them earn a better entry-level salary, but will also allow them to gain hands-on experience and find work they love. Not every child is cut out to be an attorney or doctor, just like not every child is cut out to be a mechanic or plumber. But the latter trades are just as necessary in this world as the former.

Additionally, in the July 4th edition of The Nation magazine, author Dana Goldstein brings up another great point about whether or not children should attend college. The excerpt regarding whether all children should attend college reads:

“The realities, however, must be balanced against the often toxic combination of rising higher education costs, aggressive marketing of low-quality for-profit colleges to low-income young adults, and staggeringly high college dropout rates and student debt loads. Just 53 percent of students who enter four-year colleges graduate within six years. At two-year community colleges, half of all students drop out before their second year, and only 25 percent finish their programs within three years. One fifth of all students who borrow to pay for college drop out, and nearly one in five who drop out leave only after accumulating $20,000 in debt.”

These realities have fueled the belief—held by as much as 90 percent of low-income families—that vocational resources are the best options for their children.

In the end, each and every family has to make their own choice. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to encourage and allow your child to follow a post-secondary educational path that will be beneficial to them in the long run. Discussing what you expect from your child after high school early in their life is crucial to helping them prepare for post-secondary education. However, college is not for everyone, and it’s not something every family can afford. While you may not be able to put a price on education, you can certainly tailor your child’s experiences after high school to ensure their success in life.

There are plenty of people in this world who have made it without a college education. However, the chances that your child will be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs in a world empowered by knowledge and education are slim and few between.