The cost of a higher education

I watched the Ivory Tower documentary this morning. It brought up so many different ideas about what education should look like. First, I think what is really sad is that the college education has become the place where we think to teach students to learn (something I’m not convinced is happening there either). Students should be taught to learn for themselves before they graduate high school. It should be developed in children, we shouldn’t have to teach that to 20 year olds. They should already know it. The rhetoric involved in selling the college experience- that it is necessary for social equality- that you can’t be successful without it. What a load of bullshit. First, the cost is so egregious that- when you inevitably take out student loans to pay for it and then have to spend the rest of your life paying them back- that’s the opposite of getting ahead. That is defiantly promoting social inequality and elitism. Not to mention the value (or lack there of) of a degree. Especially liberal arts degrees and the like- what does it get you if you can’t get and keep a job after you graduate? Then you are stuck with the debt, which grows increasingly larger when you don’t have a job that will support loan payments. Why should you have to pay $20-40,000 a year to be taught how to learn? Your parents should do that!

I’m realizing that it is not entirely the problem of thinking that everyone needs a college education though. Honestly, if it was affordable, it’s not bad to want to ‘further’ your education. However, there is this perception of elitism within colleges- that they must have the best campus, the best research, the best social atmosphere. What the hell are we paying for? A bunch of administrative salaries which have no effect on whether we learn anything or not. The cost of building a perception, of putting on airs, is high.

So, the pursuit of learning, how is it best accomplished? Can it reasonably be done on the individual level outside of the classic classroom setting in this information age? There are definitely some pluses and minuses. One- if a student is truly motivated they can learn just about anything they desire without the heavy cost associated with the university. Two- there is more diversity of thought available this way; you are not being spoon-fed the ideals of a person or institution. You are able to choose for yourself who you choose to gain insight from. Three- You can learn at your own pace, no need to slow down if the information is quickly understood, no need to keep up if you need more time to process a subject. Four- You can learn only the subjects you find interesting. You are not forced into taking elective courses to gain some perceived insight into other fields of study that don’t interest you.

On the flip side- you often loose some valuable tools as well in the individual study. First- some people learn best from interaction and question based study. While you can still ask questions and seek for answers, sometimes this is more easily done on a personal basis. Second- you miss out on the questions that your peers might pose. While it is great to get your questions answered, sometimes you don’t think of all the questions yourself. Therefore it is useful to gain this perspective. Thirdly- you may not be able to acquire the level of knowledge that is required for some jobs in your field of interest. And even if you can, employers may not find it valid. I’m sure there are other issues with both sides of this issue, so clearly there is no a simple answer to deciding on whether college is a worthwhile endeavor.

One thing I find fascinating is that college is claimed as a place of self-discovery. While I think that this can be true, I don’t think this is necessarily the best place for self-discovery, and it is certainly not the most rational place for it. Great, some students figure out what they are good at, what they want to do with their life during their college years. Many people get a degree that they find useful and can use in the workforce. But what of everyone else? What of the students that flounder, spending 5-6 years gaining a degree that they ultimately don’t use. What if they discover after all that time that they have interests that don’t benefit from a college degree? They are still saddled with an immense amount of loan debt and have nothing worthwhile to show for it.

I think we need to work on self-discovery at a younger age. What is it that you are passionate about? What skills do you have, and what can they be used for? Do you need a college degree? Can you pursue a career that doesn’t require higher education? I actually see college as a way to put off thinking about the future rather than looking to explore options. Half the students seem to be there to party and check out of life for a few years. They don’t do any introspection- they simply live for the moment. And really, how can you have deep thoughts when your face is in the toilet after 3 continuous nights of partying?

I suggest to all the students that I meet who think they want to pursue college- WAIT. Take a year- go out into the world and see what it has to offer. Get a job; understand what it means to work. Don’t be boxed into a perception that if you don’t obtain a college degree you are somehow going to fail at life. Sure, if you have a well-established passion and it requires a college education- go for it- realizing the loan to income ratio that you may well end up with after you’re done. However, this idea that student loan debt is different than other kinds of debt- that it is good debt- that is FALSE. It is a mindset of consumerism which states that you are entitled to this, that, and the other thing. Don’t worry if you have the money for it, you’ll be able to get ahead and pay it back later. This is a LIE. I’d even go so far as to say it is part of the consensus trance. We are being spoon fed garbage, people!

Another problem I see with the education system is that we have dumbed it down. Let’s pass everyone. Let’s give everyone a gold star for participation. The level of education that most students have upon graduating high school is appalling. We wouldn’t all need a college education to understand basic life-skills if we were taught them in high school. Let’s teach young people how to think instead of telling them they need to follow a certain path to success. The American dream is over-rated and over-sold. This society would be a much more pleasant place to exist if we weren’t all tied to the materialistic, consumerism that is drilled into our psyche. Happiness can be achieved in many different ways.