College does not prepare for real life

As I watch my classmates graduate it seems many of them are less sure of their purpose then when they began college. College used to be where young adults went to find themselves and then pursue their passion. It was a luxury for the crem de la crem of society. It wasn't long ago that most children knew their place in society by adolescence and were resigned to that fate.

Now with the plethora of choice, instead of college opening amazing new opportunities and fulfilling our wildest dreams, it has left us unprepared for the real world and paralyzed by the paradox of too much choice. Four years of college and are we really any better off for it?

There is no denying it; the pressure looms from all corners. At most suburban high schools the guidance counselors aren't asking if you are going to college, they are asking where. Parents aren't wondering if they are going to help pay your ever-increasing college tuition, they are wondering how.

So, teenagers are shuffled off to college by overbearing pressures and then languish in an academic environment that they don't really desire or feel passionate about. Sometimes they make it through the four years, sometime they don't. Many of those who do, find themselves degree in hand with no more of an idea of what to do with their life then four years earlier.

Perhaps we should stop and consider that a four-year college right out of high school isn't the right choice for everyone. Perhaps college isn't the place to "find yourself", especially to the tune of over 15 grand a year.

A third of college students do not qualify for a degree in six years and just because you don't graduate, doesn't mean you don't have to pay back student loans.

Since when is a college degree all that counts in the job market? The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics' estimates of the fastest-growing occupations between 2002 and 2012 show that six of the top 10 don't require bachelor's degrees.

On the job training, vocational and technical degrees can lead to successful careers. Let's face it, for many occupations, a year of on the job training would prepare you much better then wading through philosophy, ethnic studies, astronomy and all those other gen eds that bog down students and stretch out our education to four years and beyond.

Admittedly, much of the college education process is a product of our societal conceptions of what determines success and job preparedness. It is also a great ploy by the universities to reel in those middle class baby boomer dollars by convincing mom and dad that a pricey degree is the only thing separating their baby from comfy suburban bliss and destitution.

True, some jobs require a four year degree before they will even look at your application, regardless of your other skills, talents and life experiences. However, often hard work, ingenuity, charisma, tenacity and a lot of character qualities that aren't exclusive to a degree are what really translate to a good employee.

As college tuition skyrockets, perhaps this college model needs reevaluated and transformed into a more efficient and effective system that actually teaches people usable skills. There are signs that this shift may already be under way. Community and technical college enrollments are rising. States, like Ohio, are recognizing this and shifting funding in that direction.

Sure college can be a great community and social environment, but if you spend more hours at the bars then in class you probably aren't going to come out of here with much more then a beer belly. Paying this kind of tuition money to have friends and a social life is like joining an expensive country club without the free golf.

Even if you do make it to and possibly enjoy class remember; a lecture and a textbook isn't the only way to learn by the way. You would be amazed what a library card and a passport can offer.

Let's face it, the college environment is a sandbox compared to the beach we face when we get out of here. The vast shores are intimidating and unexplored, but the possibilities really are endless. I'm just not so sure playing for four years in the sandbox gets us ready for the adventure.

Don't be too sad, Amanda will be back in the fall. In the meantime you can e-mail her at ahooper@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Many schools now encourage students to spend at least one semester abroad. My daughter is now in Italy. She's learned a lot being there (but I'm looking forward to her coming home). I think that helps give students a "gap year" type experience, and does it within the framework of education. Otherwise, I'm not sure kids running around the world on their own is a good idea. Children today tend not to deal well with unstructured time.

I'm not disagreeing with everything the girl says, necessarily, but this same screed seems to appear in just about every college newspaper around this time of year. There's nothing new under the sun.

It was a luxury for the crem de la crem of society.

I suggest Amanda stay in school long enough to learn to spell a few French expressions, at any rate. Heaven knows she'll need to know such important stuff when she finally gets out in that infamous "real world."

After going around the block a few times, I have compiled a short list of things a person can do to enhance themselves much better than going to college. Here goes:

1. Sell Real Estate for a few years - great overall education in finance, contracts, sales, teamwork, etc.

2. Read, re-read and keep re-reading the book of Proverbs.

3. Study a martial art from an accomplished master. You will learn how to learn.

4. Read, re-read and keep re-reading the 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus'. You will then understand that you aren't nuts.

Please feel free to add to my list. Serious entries only, please.

"my daughter is now in Italy. She's learned a lot being there"

ROFL

I'm sure those little socialists in Italy are teaching her tons !

Probably come back home and say "I finally know what I want to be ! "A Greenpeace activist, so I can make a difference!"

I'm not sure if this is what you meant when you said your kids are late in realizing the discipline and structure of life, but I think that there can be a benefit to a college student living away from home for those years. I know too many people who lived at home during college, so mom or dad was doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning and paying the bills. Living away from home can help teach a young person about managing their time and money (assuming mom and dad aren't giving them whatever they want, another common problem I've seen), taking care of their own chores, and so on. My parents paid some but not all of my bills, so I had to work if I wanted to eat out, go to the movies, etc. If I didn't do my own laundry, it didn't get done. If I didn't get myself up on time for class or work, no one was going to make me get up. Obviously responsibility can be learned in other ways, but college doesn't have to be a waste of time--it can provide a good education and a time to grow up.

Four years of college and are we really any better off for it?

If you're going there to learn a trade, fine. If you're going there to pursue the truth, better. If you're going there to learn religion, even better.

But for most kids, it's four years older and deeper in debt.

Four years in the military after high school will not only help pay for college, it will grow a kid up enough to be serious about it when he/she gets there.

Amen. If I had it to do all over again, this would be the way.

Although I thought I knew what I was doing, 18 years old was just too young to decide on a major and career direction.

College graduates as a whole make more money, have lower divorce rates, and probably a bunch of other good things. A degree isn't a ticket to skate through life. A whole lot of work is still required.

The most nefarious thing that college does is take young people at a vulnerable age and at their first real separation from their families and familiar structures and values and pump them full of liberal nonsense about how they should live their lives or how society should be run or changed. Most people outgrow this to some extent after exposure to the real world, but I think the effects remain in people's minds like a low grade infection, particularly around many social issues such as single parenthood, the gay lifestyle, etc.

And don't forget the education in vice. College is the devil's playground, by and large.

I've gone through several semesters at a community college (the first couple paid for by my parents, the last couple paid by me out of pocket) and while some of the programs are worthwhile, a lot of what is taught is useless. The only good classes I've had were in the history, political science and economics departments (though the liberal bias is astounding). I think I'm going to give an EMT-B certification a try and then consider moving on to paramedic later on (at least they won't be out-sourced LOL)

"I'm of the growing opinion that I would do FAR better by my kids to either send them to a post high school trade college / program than traditional college. I'm also thinking that they will get a far better education starting their own business."

You are SO right! I was on the "college track" all through high school because I wanted to go to college, and I did. My brother, on the other hand, attended a vocational high school. He would have dropped out if it hadn't been for the vocational option. He became a machinist, worked for Boeing for a while, then started his own business. He has always made more money than my husband and me! Kids today are done a great disservice by keeping them in academic high schools when a vocational high school would be a better option. At least they would have marketable skills when they graduated.

>>Probably come back home and say "I finally know what I want to be ! "A Greenpeace activist, so I can make a difference!"<<

Actually. . .

Probably come back home and say "I finally know what I want to be ! "A trans-gendered, Chomsky-spewing, Greenpeace activist, so I can make a difference!"

College graduates as a whole make more money

There's a difference between causation and correlation. The same can be said about kids who fly a lot at a young age. That doesn't mean that we should start putting kids on planes.

As college tuition skyrockets, perhaps this college model needs reevaluated and transformed into a more efficient and effective system that actually teaches people usable skills.

If we dumped half of the professors in the country, would anybody know the difference?

Answer-Yes, we would gravitate to a more mature society, as high school grads learn the meaning of sink or swim.

College, like everything else in life, offers as much as you wish to take from it. If you think that you will graduate and be King, then you are going to fail.

But if you use it for what it is, and understand that it is only a stepping stone, then you will be on your way to success.

She's no socialist. But how can you not learn art when you're surrounded by the treasures of the Renaissance? Her classes are often out in the city and the museums. You could almost get an art education there by osmosis!

It was a luxury for the crem de la crem of society.

I'd suggest she stay in school long enough to learn correct English:
"...but if you spend more hours at the bars ~~then~~ than in class you probably aren't going to come out of here with much more ~~then~~ than a beer belly.

"...a lecture and a textbook ~~isn't~~ aren't the only ways to learn by the way.

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