Too Many People Go to College
by
Motte Brown
on Jan 19, 2007 at 8:35 AM
Charles Murray, author of the controversial The Bell Curve, has a sensational article published in Wednesday's Opinion Journal warning that "too many Americans are going to college." He writes, "... a four-year college education teaches advanced analytic skills and information at a level that exceeds the intellectual capacity of most people" -- most being 85 percent to be exact. These people, Murray says, should be pursuing vocational training instead of four-year degrees.
C'mon, Charles. Certainly there's something to be said for hard work inside the classroom with disciplined study at home. I've known highly motivated individuals who weren't exactly rocket scientists that performed better in college than more intelligent people who lacked maturity, desire, or direction. Murray's assessment reminds me of a Simpson's episode when Homer tells Bart and Lisa, "Kids, you tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is, never try." It seems Murray is saying the same thing to people with average IQs about higher education -- never try.
Overall though, I think that many people now seeking four-year degrees would do better with vocational training -- some because of IQ and some because of motivation. I may have been one of them. Coming out of high school I was what Murray describes as mildly motivated. And a mildly motivated student can easily fail out of college, regardless of IQ.
Murray writes:
Large numbers of those who are intellectually qualified for college also do not yearn for four years of college-level courses. They go to college because their parents are paying for it and college is what children of their social class are supposed to do after they finish high school. They may have the ability to understand the material in Economics 1 but they do not want to. They, too, need to learn to make a living -- and would do better in vocational training.
The article is full of insight for young adults to consider before choosing an educational path. For example, being aware of lucrative opportunities vocational training may provide could begin to lessen the stigma of it being a "second class" path.
A reality about the job market must eventually begin to affect the valuation of a college education: The spread of wealth at the top of American society has created an explosive increase in the demand for craftsmen. Finding a good lawyer or physician is easy. Finding a good carpenter, painter, electrician, plumber, glazier, mason -- the list goes on and on -- is difficult, and it is a seller's market. Journeymen craftsmen routinely make incomes in the top half of the income distribution while master craftsmen can make six figures. They have work even in a soft economy. Their jobs cannot be outsourced to India. And the craftsman's job provides wonderful intrinsic rewards that come from mastery of a challenging skill that produces tangible results. How many white-collar jobs provide nearly as much satisfaction?
Not many that I've found.
HT: World Mag Blog
1. John had the following to say on Jan 19 at 9:04 AM:
The late author John Gardner used to say that when a society values bad philosophers over good plumbers, neither its theories nor its pipes will hold water.
There may be something in what you say. The mass influx into colleges and universities began after World War II with the GI Bill, when people from working-class families took advantage of the government subsidy. A lot of them ended up studying dubious subjects like basket-weaving or semiotics (anything to stay in college during the Vietnam Era).
2. Simon had the following to say on Jan 19 at 12:01 PM:
I think it used to be that you could get a bachelor's degree and not need to pursue a higher degree in order to make a good living. Then the government started subsidizing college educations, allowing more people to attend college. Since this was not driven by supply and demand, it had the effect of inflation: bachelor's degrees are worth less because there are so many of them. This is part of the reason many people today feel the need to get a higher degree.
3. Erin had the following to say on Jan 19 at 12:24 PM:
I don't know about 85% of people not having the appropriate "intellectual capacity" for college, but I definitely think there is some merit in the fact that college is often an automatic choice for many students, when sometimes they may not be suited for it or motivated enough to succeed or finish the degree. My brother, for example, opted not to go to college and instead went to a vocational school to receive electrician's training. He now makes a lot more money than I'll probably ever make in academia, and he's happy.
I think that if people can find a job that doesn't require a four -- (or 5 or 6) year degree, and that job makes them happy and satisfied, then those people should go for it.
4. Blair had the following to say on Jan 19 at 7:35 PM:
One thing that I find frustrating is that so many jobs require a college education when the skills required could be obtained through apprenticeship. Young people could save a lot of time and money if employers where willing to invest in teaching the employe the skills needed for the job. I even see this trend in the church. Unfortunatly I did not finish college (mainly for finacial reasons) but I did earn an associates degree and actually finished most of my classes for my major (youth ministry), and I have been a volunteer with my churches high school youth group for four years. Despite my experience I can not find an internship program or even a discipleship program that will take me without either being a current student or having a BA. I once tried explaining my situation and experience with a women who was involved with the churches internship program, the church required a bachelor's degree to enter the program. She said the reason they require a degree (regardless of the major)is because most churches require a degree inorder to hire a youth pastor. I understand the dilimma facing churches wanting to hire competent pastors or decipleship programs wanting "serious" applicants, but it is frustrating that even the church seems to be choosing a degree over a calling. Even those of us who do not have a degree could benefit from the learning and growth that comes through these programs. Okay I am done with my rant, I just wanted to bring this issue up and see if anyone else has struggled with this issue.
5. Scott had the following to say on Jan 19 at 11:32 PM:
I've been enjoying articles like this, challenging the status quo (and my thinking): namely college is obviously the next step in life. I just never thought to think twice about college after high school. Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad I went to college, it's just opened my eyes to seeing that there are so many alternatives to my above mentioned line of thinking.
6. Jake had the following to say on Jan 20 at 8:42 AM:
I agree that way too many people are going to college, and that many could be satisifed with skilled trade jobs that don't require a college degree. I am currently applying to medical school, but I've seriously been thinking that if I don't get in anywhere, I'm going to become an electrician.
People have mentioned degree inflation and the GI Bill, both of which are good points. Another point that has recently begun to make the rounds in the world of conservative punditry is the supreme court case of Griggs v. Duke Power. I'd recommend Googling it to read about it. The supreme court ruled that it violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for employers to give prospective employees intelligence tests as a condition of employment. The point conservative pundits have begun to make is that this forced employers to find some other standard for determining that a person had a basic level of intelligence, and they settled on the college degree.
7. Robert J Espe had the following to say on Jan 20 at 9:29 AM:
Remember that the author of the Bell Courve believes that there are people who are "fit" to be at the top, and people who are "fit" to serve (even though none of the theories in the book have ever been substantiated, they were just accepted). Too many people who should be servants in his view, are trying to move into what he believes must be a small group of managers controlling the "masses". Of course that disturbs him. It shouldn't bother anybody who believes that evey person has unlimited potential (which is the classic American ideal).
Vocational school can make you good money but there is a trade off. You work etremely hard, and your body hurts at the end of each day. Living in northern MN, I could become a trucker making $50k/year with benefits with just 2 weeks of training. But who wants to work a trucker's hours when college jobs offer the promise of a job where you don't really work, and you have nice hours with paid lunch?
We can argue about whether that is a good work ethic or not, but it would be hypocritical, since most of us on this board are college students looking for professional positions.
8. Ted Slater had the following to say on Jan 20 at 10:02 AM:
Robert wrote: "[W]ho wants to work a trucker's hours when college jobs offer the promise of a job where you don't really work, and you have nice hours with paid lunch?"
It seems you've been poorly influenced by the class warfare crowd (i.e., Marxism).
I've completed a few college degrees, and I don't think I'd characterize what I do as "not really working." True, I use my brain more than my brawn, and I would much rather be indoors working than out in the heat and cold, but what I do is still hard work that takes effort and time away from my family.
And if the Lord has called me to this kind of work, it's wrong for others to deride it.
Can we put to death this notion that blue collar jobs are somehow more noble than white collar jobs? They can both be honorable ways to carry out your vocation and provide for your family and those around you.
9. Emma had the following to say on Jan 20 at 10:35 AM:
I read this three-part series in the Wall Street Journal. The articles are well-thought out and beautifully written. The third part, Aztecs vs. Greeks, touches on the Christian belief of good stewardship. He talks about how those with intelligence need to search for wisdom and realize their intelligence is a gift that must be used wisely.
10. debbie maken had the following to say on Jan 20 at 9:13 PM:
Mr. Murray articulates what I have long suspected -- that our large scale investments into colleges are inefficient.
He also hits on something else that is rarely talked about -- social stigma for lacking a college degree. I often ponder what my children will eventually do. I want them to have wisdom and a calling to which they are naturally suited, but I do not think a traditional college necessarily has to be a part of that equation. But once I carry out my beliefs to their logical conclusion, I find myself beset with the fear that people might think my girls are stupid because they didn't have that piece of paper? I just hope that when they grow up, this stronghold as it presently exists is shattered, and if they go to college (hopefully Wheaton), it is because they genuinely belong in an academic setting and because their young minds will be nourished there and they can be thoroughly equipped to do the good works prepared in advance for them to do.
Murray is right in that what most perceive as the solution to a better life is actually creating a high bar that collectively traps the masses. Easy access to college and the production of many degreed people are creating this never-ending "race to the top." To me, it is amazing that so many familied adults who hold responsible jobs are being invited to join the chorus of perennial course work takers just to get a piece of paper to stay above the fray. It genuinely upsets me when I see these commercials luring the unsuspecting into the "higher ed" fad, like it was some sort of consumer product designed to make one competitive. If time is an issue, get that weeknight/weekend degree (like adult life wasn't hard enough already).
In Ecclesiasties 12, Solomon cautioned the student that "of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh." Our present day educational establishment looks at learning like an "all you can eat" buffet challenge. There never seems to be a good time to cut it off.
In the end, it is a heavy yoke, and I feel so sorry for all those people who believe that jumping through educational hoop after hoop will somehow get them ahead. I wish there were some correlation between what they are learning and direct benefit to their employer, but usually it is just a piece of paper they can show to the employer to prove that they are hiring worthy; not necessarily skills worthy. It's not that I begrudge these candidates the good life, I just resent the cost and investment they are having to make to get there. Yes, yes, I understand that it takes sacrifice for anything good, but that isn't the issue here -- the issue is efficiency, and whether we should continue on the trajectory where much of the investment in a collegiate institution feels like paying off a mob boss as an insurance policy so that your business can remain profitable.
Debbie Maken
11. Kelsey had the following to say on Jan 21 at 12:29 AM:
Here’s a view from the “not attending college” side. I’m 21 and am not enrolled at any college (at least not yet). Why not?
First, at 18, I didn’t have a solid college plan as far as What and Where, so why should I go and spend money for a degree in “I Don’t Know”?
Second, I’m doing what I want to do anyway! I’m currently enrolled in a 2-year Christian correspondence writing course, and I have a great job at our local newspaper (I tell people it’s my college alternative -– I’m learning and getting PAID for it :))
Also, looking back, I would have missed out on a lot of good things, like volunteering at youth group and camps, going on a fall mission trip and interacting with my younger siblings as they grow up.
And here’s another question -– if I hope to someday get a job as a full-time, stay-at-home, homeschool mom and wife … do I really need a college degree for that?
After graduation, there was a lot of pressure in the form of “What are you going to do now?” It’s better now, but I’m sure people still wonder about me. :) And when most of my friends left for college and I stayed home, I felt very much the left-out oddball ... True, that’s probably because I am, but I’ve reached the point where it’s okay; I know God can still take me places and use me … even without a college degree.
12. Corinne had the following to say on Jan 23 at 2:19 PM:
My best friend's father recommended to his children that they get both a college degree and vocational training. Two of the four followed his advice (of the other two, one is now a skilled electrician/framer and the other is still working through school), and I've seen them both benefit greatly. His advice was given simply to expand their options and give them a fall-back should they be laid off or have trouble finding work. However, both used their "blue-collar" job to offset college costs, and both could continue working in these jobs in the future, when other, more "respectable" jobs would conflict with goals of being wives and mothers.
I ended up inadvertantly following his advice too, getting a degree in engineering and then, because I had no money and they were hiring, a job and vocational training in job support for the disabled. On the one hand, sometimes I wonder why I put myself in (moderate) debt to get a degree I have no plans on "using". But on the other, I can see both the degree and vocational work contributing to my goals of being a homeschooling wife and mother. From my work with the disabled, I've learned patience and various conflict resolution, teaching, and dealing-with-difficult-behaviors techniques. From my work on my degree, I've gained a depth of academic knowledge and discipline that will do nothing but enhance what I can teach my children. Not to mention, my state (CO), at least, requires that homeschooled children be given the IOWA's every two years, and these must be administered by a person with a BA.
So I guess my point is, don't knock vocational training as a very viable option, but there are often things to be gained from a formal, degree-certified education that are not immediately obvious. And you might consider doing both.
13. Thinkaboutthis had the following to say on Mar 12 at 8:56 PM:
Jesus said, "If you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, He will add all things unto you."
If a church will not offer you a job or internship because you don't have a BA then I assume Jesus himself would have been turned away.
LOL. I wouldn't waste my time even going to a church like that. Any church that would do that is very hypocritial. They don't practice what they preach. I highly doubt all the disciples were college graduates either.