The #1 College Myth, Busted: Not Everyone Should Go to College

Nearly half of all students who start college never finish.

Yikes! Could it be that going to college was never really their best option?

There is a well-oiled track from high school to college in the United States. To be sure, the college experience offers many riches, including the intellectual ones I treasured as a coed. But it's primarily the presumed long-term financial advantages that have channeled our cultural wisdom into the prevailing adage that "everyone should go to college".

Except maybe not everyone. Maybe not even half of those who give it a try. I for one believe that our high-school-to-college track is a tad too slick.

Photo by Marcus Winter from Potsdam, Germany

One of my university counseling clients comes to mind. A young woman who had immigrated to Pennsylvania from Southeast Asia, she had lived in the United States long enough to learn that college was absolutely mandatory. Unfortunately, in course after course she would try and fail, crash and burn. Reading and writing in English, her second language, could not have been easy. To top it off, academics were not really her thing.

My client had good mechanical ability and an interest in cars—but she refused to consider a career as an auto mechanic. Data on the nearly equivalent salaries for employees in her major and in auto repair did not sway her. I never heard her say that she couldn't be a mechanic because she was a woman. No, she was determined to get her college degree because that was the way to succeed in America.

In future posts I'll provide guidance about how to help a student judge beforehand whether college is likely to be her personal best choice. For now, let's focus on the word college. As it is commonly used, college refers to a four-year institution.

Ah. Here's a quick way to change a cultural commandment that could otherwise continue to lead countless students astray.

For many high school students, a two-year associates degree might be much more appropriate. In fact, community college training may pay better than a four-year liberal arts degree. Nursing as well as a variety of technician jobs come to mind, with median annual wages above $50,000 and some above $60,000. Anthony Carnevale, the research professor who directs Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce, says that nearly one-third of associate degree jobs actually pay more at entry level than those requiring a college education. Many of these middle skill jobs also offer better benefits and chances for advancement.

What can talent mentors do with this information? I'd like to hear your thoughts. Here are some of mine:

For starters, let's not automatically use the word college or restrict our thinking to a BA or BS. Instead, we can simply tell students they need to get further training after high school.

Secondly, we can help our children consider possibilities that may include but are not limited to a four-year undergraduate institution. For example, they might find training on the job, or begin an apprenticeship, or join the military, or earn an industry certification, or enroll in a vocational program at a community college.

The following action suggestions may help you unearth local alternatives:

· If your child is still in high school, make an appointment to talk with her high school counselor. Ask about Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes and experiential learning opportunities for students who may not be college bound.

· Visit your local community college, online or in person, and survey their program offerings.

· Talk to a member of your community's Workforce Investment Board. Using your zip code, you can find names and contact information online.

I admire an observation made to me by Kathy Hanson, a CTE school district coordinator: As mentors, we can provide an attractive array of educational and employment options from which our students can choose. We can help them gather information and think through the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Then we can support their decisions.

An Example of a Strength: Mentors in IT Help Rob Find His Place

In my previous post, I wrote about one of my weaknesses: I wanted to sing and play an instrument, but I was born with a tin ear. As long as I performed in the musical realm, a mentor couldn't do much except maybe hold my hand, express some sympathy, and push a pair of plugs into his ears.

Everyone has weaknesses, like mine in music; but by the same token, everyone also possesses strengths. With the proper mentoring, your child's strengths can become a path to finding her place in the world. Let me illustrate by telling the story of how mentors helped my son Rob develop his talent with computers.

As a seventh grader, Rob took Mr. Jewett's Introduction to Computing class. Computer skills came easily: Rob learned quickly, had fun adding cool extras to his assignments, and felt magic when he could make something happen on the computer. His friends all wanted to be the teacher's aide for second semester, but Mr. Jewett chose Rob. His technical prowess gave him a positive social identity and helped him overcome the tough luck of being a new kid in a junior high crowd.



In eighth grade, Rob took a Web Design course from Mr. Denise. The class was provided with PCs loaded with the latest Adobe software package and told, "Build a website with three pages. Go!" Rob was able to learn html by doing, always a better method for him than listening to a lecture. Mr. Denise also put Rob to work in the school's computer lab, another form of hands-on learning.

Sadly, by the end of eighth grade Rob had already taken almost every computer course offered through the school district. So his parents stepped in. I arranged for an independent study in simple coding to round out his ninth grade year. Then my husband and I gave him what proved to be the best Christmas present ever: an Apple laptop. Rob "played" with it for hours on end, learning all the while.

In high school, Rob built a gaming computer as a capstone project. Two new mentors—a high school computer teacher and a HP volunteer—generously extended themselves to support his project. The task was fulfilling in its own right and also offered something pleasant to focus on following the death of a friend.

At the University of Colorado in Boulder, Rob worked part-time at the IT Help Desk for the School of Business, assisting his professors with their computer problems. In addition to making spending money and continuing to learn about IT, he found community on the job, a form of social support that eased the stresses of college with its endless round of breakups, conflicts, due dates, exams, and head colds.

Rob is now employed as an IT consultant for Big Compass, using computer skills that mentors have helped him hone for the last fourteen years. To the C++ he learned in college, he's added programming languages like Java and Ruby on Rails—and it still feels magical when he makes something happen on the computer.

I don't know my son's salary, but for me, that's not the point. He's been self-supporting since graduation and even manages to travel abroad and save some of his income. His boss has become a role model; he feels valued at work; and he's given freedom to solve real-world problems in his own way. As he looks to the future, IT remains a keystone.

Please note: Although the work world is competitive, Rob attained both revenue and resilience without getting straight As. He never had to win an award as The Most Magnificent McGillicuddy. It was not imperative that he attend an Ivy League institution (although he works with Ivy League teammates at client organizations, teasing them about how much they can accomplish when only one of them went to Yale).

Of course, in our tech-driven world, Rob has been fortunate to find great opportunity in his area of talent. But any strength has the potential to provide identity, community, and a positive life direction while also increasing employment opportunities, if your student has received some mentoring along the way.

Among my son's exemplary mentors, I feel the most gratitude to his junior high teachers. Mr. Jewett and Mr. Denise noticed Rob's early enthusiasm for information technology. They nurtured his budding interest and ability. Exceptional educators with high standards who continually modeled their own sophisticated use of computers, they set tasks at Rob's growing edge and gave him increasing responsibilities. Their early talent mentoring launched him in one of the most daunting challenges of modern life: finding one's place.