Is Higher Ed "Worth It"?

Essay by Matt Vaughan (LHS Faculty)

As I was perusing the June 7 issue of The New Yorker one evening this summer, I was struck by the simplicity of the question on columnist Rebecca Mead’s mind: is it cost effective to go to college? Her op/ed piece, entitled “Learning by Degrees” was a fascinating look at that question. As I was reading, I fully expected her to validate my own ideas about the education and the economy: that it is ALWAYS worth it to go to college. But she didn’t. She seemed to side in the “sometimes, maybe not” camp. Here’s why (and why I still don’t agree).

She makes a valid point: college has never been more expensive, and there are simply not very many jobs out there for people with college degrees and no experience. In fact, things have not looked this rough for a young generation of Americans in a very long time. Unemployment rates among twenty-somethings with college degrees are discouragingly high. And many college graduates find themselves back at home with mom and dad immediately following graduation, simply because there are so few opportunities for employment.

Mead says: “According to the Times, eight out of the ten job categories that will add the most employees during the next decade—including home-health aide, customer-service representative, and store clerk—can be performed by someone without a college degree.” She suggests that, based on the research of Dr. Vedder at Ohio University, it actually may not be cost efficient for some people to go to college. What some students spend on a degree might well be spend, for example, buying a house instead.

Sidenote: This would, of course, put more of a burden on high schools (and, consequently, on high school students). If a student has no intention of moving on to the next level of education, then it only stands to reason that a student would seek the most opportunities during that 7-12 tenure. Do you?

There are certain degrees that are more “secure” than others: engineering, economics/business, accounting, etc. Note that all of them involve high-level math (and you thought that Ms. Wallace was crazy for talking about math all the time!). Majoring in one of those areas will make it much easier to find a decent job immediately following college. Majoring in, alas, Spanish or Theology (I sadly have degrees in both) makes it fairly difficult to find a decent job.

It may be that Mead is being naive with regard to the ease of finding even hourly work without a college degree. Employers, even in West Tennessee, simply are not itching to hire 19 year-olds with no education and no real professional experience. I am not convinced that she (or Dr. Vedder) is being totally realistic, although the point is worth deep consideration.

But all of this puts the issue only in terms of dollars and cents. And, although it is certainly the American way to think in terms of financial solvency, that is not the only way we think. It can’t be. To my mind, the real value of a college education lies not in its ability for financial advancement.

Education is about learning to think. That you cannot put a pricetag on. Mead herself mentioned several aspects of education that are not quantitatively measurable: “to nurture critical thought; to expose individuals to the signal accomplishments of humankind; to develop in them an ability not just to listen actively but to respond intelligently.” These things are more important than money. I would add to the list other things like understanding psychology and sociology, maintaining the integrity of language, the furthering of scientific inquiry, etc.

But the truth of the matter is that these things cost money. The real issue now facing our country is really about what we are willing to spend our money on.

A story to conclude. A couple of years ago I was driving through Mexico City with a friend who has a degree in chemical engineering from a mid-level university in Mexico. He began to complain that his degree did nothing for him professionally because he took over the family business. He conjectured that it may not have been the wisest use of his time. My response was this: he is a successful money manager; he has a critical mindset toward addressing problems at work; his power over his workers does not go to his head; he is innovative with regard to new technologies and new practices.

So, did the college degree help him find a better job? No, not really. Did it help him perform his job better? I think so. You tell me, was it worth it?


Questions for Further Writing:
What are we, as a people, willing to pay for?

What do you hope to gain from your college experience?

What would it take for a college education to be “worth it” to you?