During a recent trip to the Twin Cities, an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune caught my eye. A college sophomore was deliberating whether a four-year college degree was worth the astronomical costs it now takes.
The kid was indeed asking the right question. With today's tough economy and skyrocketing college costs, many students and parents are facing that vexing issue. As one who has spent a lifetime in various phases of education, I have some definite thoughts on these matters.
The national conversation seems to be along the lines of "everyone should have a college education." It is implicitly assumed - sometimes even explicitly stated - that this means a four-year college degree.
In my opinion, this is an impractical goal and is patent nonsense. A more sensible conversation would be about every student receiving education/training beyond high school, consistent with individual student needs and abilities.
Not every student needs, is adapted to, or is ready to pursue a college degree, especially directly out of high school. And as a practical matter, the day-to-day functioning of our economy and society involves much work for which a four-year college degree is not required. But training, skills, and experience are.
Ask Mike Sanders of the Monroe Clinic Hospital, Ryan Kubly of Swiss Colony, Greg Smith of the Triangle Truck Center, Art Carter of Carter and Gruenewald, my classmate Freddie Studer of Studer Super Service, or any other employer around here. They are looking for people with a strong work ethic who have practical knowledge and specialized skills. Some of these jobs require good "people skills." Many require basic math and computing skills. For many jobs, a solid technical education is more useful than a general four-year college degree.
In my experience, timing can be a major factor. The highlight - or perhaps lowlight - of my early education was getting kicked out of T.R. Holyoke's manual arts class. There was nothing in those early years to suggest that I would eventually attain degrees from UW-Madison and UC Berkeley. Had I gone to Madison directly out of high school, I would have been buried alive.
After three years in the Marine Corps, it was a different story. Post-military adjustment - are you kidding? It was an enjoyable transition from hell to heaven. No more troop and stomp, no more rifle inspections, no more boot lieutenants trying to be Marines. Even standing in that mile-long line registering for freshman English was a lark. Brilliant September sunshine, surrounded by gorgeous freshman coeds with legs that would be made stronger and even more gorgeous by daily treks up UW's lofty Bascom Hill. Sure beats standing in a Marine Corps chow line.
The iron discipline of the Corps would be replaced by self-discipline. I never cut a class during my entire college career and had no sympathy for those who did.
Years later, viewing classes from the professor's side of the lectern, it was obvious that a lot of kids were not ready for college and had no idea why they were there - and maybe didn't even want to be there.
Maybe when costs of college were lower, a year or two to decide that college wasn't for them was not an excessive price to pay in the struggle to "find one's self." But with today's tough economy, and parents sacrificing so much to put a kid into college, going down such a blind alley is a costly mistake to make.
We don't manufacture as much stuff in the U.S. as we used to, and too many good jobs have been shipped overseas. As an economist, I can make the case for specialization, comparative advantage, and international trade. But we didn't have to give away the shop with our international trade agreements. And we didn't have to make it so easy for our corporations to produce with slave labor abroad. But that's another story.
The good news is that there are still many jobs that don't require a costly four-year degree. However, they do require specialized training. Additional good news is that Wisconsin has an excellent technical college system that provides training and an entrée to these jobs. A serious student with the proper training - and don't forget the work ethic that some of our employers insist is in short supply - will find opportunities.
None of this is to suggest that education must always have an economic objective. We in education applaud learning and attaining knowledge for its own sake, be it in music, arts, literature, or anything else. And there is satisfaction and a sense of achievement in attaining a degree. Economists refer to this as the "consumer element" of education.
But my central point is that in a tough economy and tough job market, accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in debt and struggling to attain a four-year degree that might be unattainable, or leads to a dead end, makes no sense for some students. Especially when there are more practical, economically viable alternatives that prepare students for a broad range of jobs that are essential to this economy.
So yes, every student needs education/training beyond high school. For some, this will be a four-year degree followed by graduate or professional school. But people with practical, technical "hands-on" skills are essential to our economy and keep America running. That's where our technical colleges come in.
So let's broaden the national conversation to include the entire range of post high school alternatives for all students. This would include all students and lead to more practical, achievable goals.
- Monroe resident John Waelti is a board ,ember of Blackhawk Technical College. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
The kid was indeed asking the right question. With today's tough economy and skyrocketing college costs, many students and parents are facing that vexing issue. As one who has spent a lifetime in various phases of education, I have some definite thoughts on these matters.
The national conversation seems to be along the lines of "everyone should have a college education." It is implicitly assumed - sometimes even explicitly stated - that this means a four-year college degree.
In my opinion, this is an impractical goal and is patent nonsense. A more sensible conversation would be about every student receiving education/training beyond high school, consistent with individual student needs and abilities.
Not every student needs, is adapted to, or is ready to pursue a college degree, especially directly out of high school. And as a practical matter, the day-to-day functioning of our economy and society involves much work for which a four-year college degree is not required. But training, skills, and experience are.
Ask Mike Sanders of the Monroe Clinic Hospital, Ryan Kubly of Swiss Colony, Greg Smith of the Triangle Truck Center, Art Carter of Carter and Gruenewald, my classmate Freddie Studer of Studer Super Service, or any other employer around here. They are looking for people with a strong work ethic who have practical knowledge and specialized skills. Some of these jobs require good "people skills." Many require basic math and computing skills. For many jobs, a solid technical education is more useful than a general four-year college degree.
In my experience, timing can be a major factor. The highlight - or perhaps lowlight - of my early education was getting kicked out of T.R. Holyoke's manual arts class. There was nothing in those early years to suggest that I would eventually attain degrees from UW-Madison and UC Berkeley. Had I gone to Madison directly out of high school, I would have been buried alive.
After three years in the Marine Corps, it was a different story. Post-military adjustment - are you kidding? It was an enjoyable transition from hell to heaven. No more troop and stomp, no more rifle inspections, no more boot lieutenants trying to be Marines. Even standing in that mile-long line registering for freshman English was a lark. Brilliant September sunshine, surrounded by gorgeous freshman coeds with legs that would be made stronger and even more gorgeous by daily treks up UW's lofty Bascom Hill. Sure beats standing in a Marine Corps chow line.
The iron discipline of the Corps would be replaced by self-discipline. I never cut a class during my entire college career and had no sympathy for those who did.
Years later, viewing classes from the professor's side of the lectern, it was obvious that a lot of kids were not ready for college and had no idea why they were there - and maybe didn't even want to be there.
Maybe when costs of college were lower, a year or two to decide that college wasn't for them was not an excessive price to pay in the struggle to "find one's self." But with today's tough economy, and parents sacrificing so much to put a kid into college, going down such a blind alley is a costly mistake to make.
We don't manufacture as much stuff in the U.S. as we used to, and too many good jobs have been shipped overseas. As an economist, I can make the case for specialization, comparative advantage, and international trade. But we didn't have to give away the shop with our international trade agreements. And we didn't have to make it so easy for our corporations to produce with slave labor abroad. But that's another story.
The good news is that there are still many jobs that don't require a costly four-year degree. However, they do require specialized training. Additional good news is that Wisconsin has an excellent technical college system that provides training and an entrée to these jobs. A serious student with the proper training - and don't forget the work ethic that some of our employers insist is in short supply - will find opportunities.
None of this is to suggest that education must always have an economic objective. We in education applaud learning and attaining knowledge for its own sake, be it in music, arts, literature, or anything else. And there is satisfaction and a sense of achievement in attaining a degree. Economists refer to this as the "consumer element" of education.
But my central point is that in a tough economy and tough job market, accumulating tens of thousands of dollars in debt and struggling to attain a four-year degree that might be unattainable, or leads to a dead end, makes no sense for some students. Especially when there are more practical, economically viable alternatives that prepare students for a broad range of jobs that are essential to this economy.
So yes, every student needs education/training beyond high school. For some, this will be a four-year degree followed by graduate or professional school. But people with practical, technical "hands-on" skills are essential to our economy and keep America running. That's where our technical colleges come in.
So let's broaden the national conversation to include the entire range of post high school alternatives for all students. This would include all students and lead to more practical, achievable goals.
- Monroe resident John Waelti is a board ,ember of Blackhawk Technical College. He can be reached at jjwaelti1@tds.net.
