I'm OK with any career path. I went to college, my H did not but learned a trade.
Samesies. I would prefer to have them get an undergrad degree even if they end up in a career where a degree is not needed, but I wouldn't be so strict to say it's not optional.
Post by thatgirl2478 on Sept 2, 2016 16:10:22 GMT -5
An undergrad degree is great - but if they decide they want to become electricians or plumbers or beauticians, I'm OK with that too. The world doesn't ONLY need undergrads.
I would prefer it, in fact, if they could go to a 2 yr school and find an employer who would pay for their continued education. But, I know that's not 100% realistic.
As an instructor, I see a lot of kids and adults that aren't well-suited for college. I actually disagree with the overall feel of the country which is college is a must for everyone. Especially at the for profit schools I have worked for, I see students forced to get degrees for jobs that really could/should suffice with on the job training which has basically been eliminated.
So, I see students take out twenty-four thousand dollars worth of loans for a job that pays 12 bucks an hour with little advancement opportunity. Gainful employment law is helping this some, but... Not enough.
I have also seen a friend of mine go through the feeling like she "must" have a degree in something. So, she ended up with an associate degree in business and a BA in, of all things, sociology. She truly was better off before finishing her degree (recently at 32). She now has a degree that isn't lucrative and a job paying four dollars less per hour than when she started college.
I will strongly encourage my kids to go to college, but I won't say it is mandatory. I have seen it be a money pit for too many students. I will also encourage they not study the liberal arts, and control the cost of their degree, if the money isn't good in their chosen profession.
Yes, barring intellectual disabilities or injury, I see college and living in a dorm as a required end to adolescence for my kids and their likely lives. Frankly I lean toward grad school being necessary, too. I don't think it is for all people or even the majority, but for my upper middle class kids from a small city, yes.
Why do you think college and/or grad school is a necessity for upper middle class kids from a small city but not for others?
I said my kids and didn't generalize it to all as you've inferred, but in short it's the "end to adolescence". I see college as a transition to functional adulthood for kids like mine.
My grandparents and father laughed in my face when I told them I wasn't going to college. It was expected, period, and it was paid for. The rule was, I had to go out of state, and I had four years to get my degree. Any longer than that, or in state, and I'd have to contribute to the cost.
I will have similar expectations-- if my kids go to college, I will pay for it. If they don't go to college, they need to have a plan. If that plan involves alternate education or training or apprenticeship / internship, I will help support them.