David Adams of Bluegrass Policy Blog makes a good point about college tuition in Kentucky:
Politicians with an interest in free-market solutions to the supply-and-demand issues in energy would be totally consistent in seeking to tamp down demand for the college experience in Kentucky. More than half of our college students enter unprepared to do college work. Very few of them survive long enough to do more than artificially inflate the cost of going to school.
If we really want to make college more affordable, rather than just to raise taxes for another well-intended project, we need to raise standards in high school and graduate better-prepared students.
Supply and demand dictates that as demand decreases so will costs.
We’ve spent the last 20 years convincing kids that the only way they can compete is with a college education. Meanwhile skilled professions like welders, machinists and electricians are desperate for help and paying fantastic wages. Is it wrong to suggest that some would be better off going the vocational route?
At the same time those students who are interested in college need to be better prepared.
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August 18, 2008 at 10:32 am
thoughtcounts Z
I agree. When college is more of a signaling mechanism than a place where real career training happens, it creates a weird kind of inflation in education. In some fields people are required to spend significantly more time on graduate work than they used to, because now bachelor’s degrees are more common. It’s natural to use a college degree to signal intelligence and dedication, but given that, it makes sense to push back a bit so that the inflation doesn’t get out of hand.
A very large portion of people in college are attending community colleges, where they’re getting taught primarily the things that they might have learned if they attended a better high school or focused more while at the one they did attend. If we did it right the first time around, it would save a lot of time and money for everyone.
August 18, 2008 at 10:47 am
Progressive Conservative
I know what you mean. Most of the liberals arts fields are like that now. I’ve certainly found that with history and anthropology degrees. My wife has a masters in social work and makes significantly more money than I could using my two bachelor’s degrees.
My theory is that the folks at the tops of those fields, the researchers, the authors, the college professors, all know the number of jobs out there are slim, so they’ve created this elaborate system of internships, entry-level jobs, etc. In archaeology it’s almost seen as a badge of honor that you spend 4-5 years after your BA making $8/hr as a field tech, working two or three jobs and rooming with 3 other people to make rent. Then you either get burned out like I did or you get a Master’s and they have to pay you a bit more.
The other way they have limited access to those top jobs is by raising the bar on educational level. In some fields even a Master’s is starting to seem like not enough.