Sonya, who hails from a family of highly educated (with postgrad degrees and PhDs) individuals, says, ‘I can’t accept this; she should at least get a graduate degree!’

So the teenager is now in a dichotomy and wonders, ‘ Should I go to college? Why is a college degree important? Is a college degree necessary to be successful?’

We got a similar audience question during our October webinar, “Learning Beyond College Studies,” and our speakers gave their expert opinions. You can watch the webinar here.

People Are Losing Trust In College Degrees

Society is divided into people who trust the education system and those who do not. But it does not mean that those who attend college necessarily believe in education or a degree system. They merely see it as a means to a promising job/career. But, unfortunately, this is what has been projected on us since our childhood. 

School>College>Job>Money

This is a more conventional way our society has worked since the industrial revolution.

Then we had billionaires who were college drop-outs running the world’s biggest companies. This had people questioning, Is a college education worth it?

A global decision intelligence company named Morning Consult regularly researches how people think and behave, which helps leaders to make appropriate decisions. For example, in one of its recent surveys, Morning Consult found a trend in people’s trust in the public education system.

According to its data, Gen Z has the lowest trust in the public education system; the trend has been falling with every generation since Baby Boomers.

The survey also revealed that in Oct 2020, 62% of US adults parked their trust in the public education system, and today that number stands at 57%.

With time and technological advancement, people, such as social media influencers, stock market traders, or software developers, figured out ways to make money at home. These people needed education and some learning but not necessarily a college degree to pursue their passion.

You may like to read Why students should learn beyond college subjects and three ways to do that

Is College Education Worth it?

Our real-life experience starts once we are out of school life. Then, we enter the adulthood phase. We have to manage not only our expenses but also ourselves.

In our recent webinar, ‘Looking Beyond College Studies’, the experts spoke about the importance of college education. 

Alok Jain, co-founder and CEO of an EdTech startup Moonpreneur.com has the following opinion on college education:

A college education is indispensable in specific streams; for instance, an individual has to study college to become a doctor. 

There are other streams, like a software developer who might not need to attend the entire four years to get a good job and might only need a high school education and some training to get into the work industry. However, our schools need to prepare more to give industry-ready knowledge to their students to make them directly employable.

Here is an excerpt from Annette Ethcuit, a Coach and Mentor based in the UK and adept at understanding personalities and skill requirements at every level. 

I think one should go for a college education. I am glad that I got a college degree even though my job was not based on my degree. But am I glad that I went to college? Yes.

I got to learn so much during that time. I learned several life skills living away from my family. Although a person never stops learning throughout their lives, studying in college lends you an environment to build confidence and a strong personality that helps you when you get into the workforce.

Here is another excerpt from Praveen Tyagi, former educator and the founder and CEO of Evelyn Learning Systems.

The question of a college education has many faces. It’s interesting how, recently, tech companies like Tesla and Facebook have been telling people that they do not need an actual degree to get a job in their companies.

But we see that when people apply to these companies and give interviews, there is a bias towards people who hold degrees. So those interviewers will look at what college you went to and what your CGPA is.

In my opinion, it is critical that we attend college. I agree when Annette says that college is an experience in itself. I had one of my best days when I was studying engineering.

But coming to another aspect of this question, do we have to have a degree to succeed? No. But college prepares us for our future endeavors and is a good investment.

Gen Z: Lack of Motivation for College Degree

Gen Z comprises young adults who want to ditch the traditional education path and follow their dreams.

Caption: Majority of Gen Zs do not find college education relevant

In a new Multiverse Survey, we learned that 72% of Gen Z believed college education did not give them the required skills needed to start their careers.

They mentioned the skills gap between college education and the industry, which is a demotivating factor in studying college.

Nearly 75% of Gen Z adults believe that it would be their first choice if they could get a chance to pursue their dreams without having to attend college. 

They (60%) want to work (internships, apprenticeships, etc.) and gain experience rather than study in a 4-year program and start from the base.

The Fault in the Education System

There is a lot to be done with a college education. The cost of Education is escalating, which is cited as one of the top reasons for students not wanting to go to college. 

For most of them, it is a cycle of working to study and studying to get work!

The modern adult says, ‘Ditch that college education and let me find jobs without the degree’. 

If this is a reason, then in that case, the education system should be fixed in a way that can make college education more accessible and feasible. For example, we know that only some qualify for a grants program or a scholarship. 

Making the Right Choice

The students must evaluate, and they need guidance. Proper counseling from parents and educators at the right time (probably high school) can help students understand what they want to do in life.

Randomly applying for courses can be a waste of time and money if the student wishes to pursue something other than a career in the subjects studied in college. Instead, parents, educators, or counselors can counsel students to understand what they want to do and their preferred career choice and then choose the career path accordingly. 

A college education is an experience in itself. It gives us a brief glimpse into the real world of work and self-management.

A doctor might want to study medicine in college and cannot do without it. Another example can be a child who wants to be a musician and may or may not like to learn music through college. 

Not only this, but as a society, we need to reduce the biases based on formal degrees and become open to skill-based hiring, which can give equal opportunities to individuals who are skilled and have experience.

The post Should I go to College? We Let Our Experts Answer appeared first on Test.Evelyn.

Well, I think every nerd dreams of the world’s best colleges!!

Unfortunately, it is not easy to crack admission to the world’s top colleges. They demand excellent grades, curricular activities, and community participation. But is it all? What about the lofty fee structure?

As per the recent US News and World Report rankings, at least 19 colleges (of the top 20 universities) in the US charge more than $55,000 as their yearly tuition. To some, it can be shocking, but for others, this tuition money is worth and justifiable.

So, we have two points of view on this theme, to help you see the good of both sides. Once again, there is no one right answer, its all about perception.

POV: Expensive Higher Education is a bad idea

An expensive college education is definitely bad news in times of inflation, pandemic recoveries, and a predicted recession. 

A Cengage study revealed that nearly two third of college students fully pay for their education. They are determined to get a degree, but the financial burden is quite demotivating.

It is figured that nearly 68% of high school graduates go ahead and enroll in college. However, this figure is not very satisfying. One of the significant reasons students do not enroll in colleges is that they find it difficult to afford college fees. 

So is higher education only for the rich?

This also points to a notion about the education status of Americans. A study by Pew Research Center tells that 4 out of 10 Americans aged 25 years or above are high school graduates. This is a concerningly large percentage in a country that boasts of having the world’s best higher education institutions.

You may also want to read about E-Learning Resources for College Students

If this is concerning, then what is the role of the government?

We know about student loans and their long repayment burden. Loans are a liability. The exorbitant cost of education makes colleges less desirable, let alone unattainable. Moreover, the burden of the loan has been exacerbated, courtesy, of the pandemic. As a result, waiving student debt was one of the new government’s priorities last year.

The Student loan debt is around $1.75 trillion among about 48 million Americans.

Does student loan forgiveness solve the problem?

Although student loan forgiveness intends to help poorer families, the views are divided. Some critics believe that this loan forgiveness will only add to inflation since the burden of payment will only come to the taxpayers. This makes a vicious cycle where middle-class/poor people see themselves suffering.

Nevertheless, the idea of loan forgiveness does not bring a solution to the root cause, which is the high cost of education. Making loans cheaper is different from making the product affordable!

There is another critical side to this. These critics believe that the Biden administration’s decision to forgive loans will add to the increasing cost of college tuition. It is so because expensive colleges are aware that students can get higher grants of financial aid, making them more insensitive to tuition fees.

The inflation and recession scare add to the fears of the ordinary American citizen. 

POV: Quality Education is Expensive

Why do people want to go to an excellent college with high reputation. Because it extraordinary features like:

● Good quality teachers who are well-paid for not just teaching but also conducting research work for students and the university

● A clean and sufficient campus to accommodate the students and a cafeteria and provide them with a conducive learning environment

● Latest technology that enables students to learn effectively

● Educational visits or guest lectures from accomplished industry professionals

Quality education comes with a price. Interaction with great minds, proficient teachers, and having high-quality amenities cannot come for free. 

No wonder many world leaders are alumni of the country’s top universities like Princeton, Harvard, MIT, etc.

Businessman and one of the world’s richest, Jeff Bezos, is an alumnus of Princeton University.

Notable personalities like Sal Khan, Buzz Aldrin, and Kofi Annan are an alumnus of MIT.

24 alumni of Princeton University were Nobel Prize winners.

So, these colleges justify their worth since they have produced some of the tallest leaders in the world.

Expensive colleges can afford qualified teachers. This is the kind of worth that the lot of highly skilled experts expects in return for their dedication to learning. High value should not be just for the corporates but also for the educators who work hard to impart valuable knowledge to students.

You may be interested to read: Things That We Should Know About the Teacher Shortage in America

There are numerous other colleges and state universities that are not unaffordable.

For admission in these top universities there are financial aids and options. Students can apply for grants and scholarships, which help them pay for their college education. 

Nowadays, there are options for virtual education, and they are less expensive than offline education. Same university, same value, but virtual education for a lesser fee.

The purpose of scholarships, student loans and distance education is that no hurdle should elude an intelligent mind from getting the best of knowledge from some of the best educators. 

Rewarding Brilliance

Students who work hard should be rewarded with a high-quality education. Top colleges that harbor top minds from the world become world leaders or change makers. Seeing these colleges as a gift to students who deserve the best work environment is essential. When it comes to questioning the reasonability of their fee structure, one can argue that students from poor or weaker economic backgrounds get the option to avail scholarships and Pell grants (which do not have to be repaid). 

It’s like saying that these colleges raise the bar. Expensive but high-quality colleges inspire other colleges to compete and provide better education to students to make them their product alma mater. 

Expensive colleges allow students to network with high-worth and accomplished individuals, which is very important in a prosperous professional career. 

High-cost colleges are like an investment that pays off well in the future. 

The post Are Good Colleges Only for the Rich? appeared first on Test.Evelyn.