Before You Write that Tuition Check . . .

Connie Shortes

May 26, 2010

Some very smart people are questioning the value of a college education. See the May 16, 2010 New York Times article: Plan B: Skip College Not only is the percentage of students who actually finish college and graduate with a degree pretty dreadful, many of those that do finish find themselves woefully unprepared for a professional career.

The article points out that employers in Washington State complained in a recent survey that they have a hard time finding college educated workers who can “solve problems and make decisions,” “resolve conflict and negotiate,” “cooperate with others” and “listen actively.” I recruit and hire for my company, an executive office suite based in Austin, TX. We are in the service business, and there is no such thing as a Bachelor of Arts in customer service, regrettably. None of our positions require a college degree. According to the article, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says only 2 of the top 10 growing job categories do (accounting and postsecondary education.) They can even become a disadvantage if, along with the degree, comes an expectation that it conveys special privileges and entitlements prior to proving yourself with great job performance.

I got an undergraduate degree in accounting and have made a living with it for the last 30 years, but I didn’t get a real education until my mid-30’s when I decided to return to school for a liberal arts graduate degree. While the degree has no economic value for me, it was an education on what it means to be a human being. It opened up the world of history, art, literature and philosophy and is among the most priceless gifts I have ever received. I fear the value of it would have been lost on me as a 20-something student, and I am forever grateful I had the ability and resources to pursue it later in life.

Questioning the accepted value of a college education is controversial, or as the authors put it, “the third rail question of the education world.” But before you sink the cost of a 3 bedroom/2 bath house into university tuition for yourself or your offspring, take a deep breath. Make sure you (or they) are going to college for the right reason and at the right time.

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