Going to college is a good thing

These days it can be challenging to find anyone saying positive things about higher education. Critics and an increasing number of polls show flagging confidence in colleges and universities, which according to the prevailing wisdom are too expensive, too controversial, too abstract, and increasingly overrated in an economy in which labor shortages are driving wages higher than ever before. Rather than throwing six figures or more into college, say the pundits, or going into debt, it may be better to save the time and money and start working as soon as possible in a career chosen early in life and assisted by the availability of college classes in high schools. Hence the push in states like Oklahoma to offer enough dual credit at the secondary level that students can earn associate degrees along with their high school diploma, and the outpouring of opinion columns such as the one written by Gene Marks in the Sept. 10th issue of The Guardian entitled “Why Go to College When You Could Be a Plumber?”

Why, indeed? Well, there are countless reasons, and the fact we must have this conversation at all is a testament to our affluence, our ignorance, the great fallacy that technology can replace human intelligence or wisdom, and the increasingly transactional nature of our culture. What makes money is valued. Everything else seems to be for chumps. What that says about our morality, our stewardship of our nation, and our education of our children is grim indeed, and in the interests of transparency I confess to being deeply biased on this issue. I am a university professor who spent far too long in graduate school, and my entire professional career has been absorbed by teaching history in a collegiate setting. So maybe I am too invested to be fair on this one.

On the other hand, because I have spent so much time being formally educated and trying to pass it on, I’m accustomed to exploring multiple sides of an issue. I’m also a parent, and I’ve got the same interest that every parent has in saving money and time while trying to make sure my daughter is prepared for personal and professional success in the “real” world.

So, let’s chat about this. I’ll spare you a passionate defense of education as being valuable in its own right, or a diatribe about the beauty of being well-rounded, or any arguments regarding the crucial importance of having informed citizens in a democracy. Criticisms of higher education these days never address those issues, anyway. They usually boil down to a “what have you done for me lately” or “how much will I get paid for getting a degree” level of logic, and if that’s where we need to go, then so be it.

I’ll start by saying that higher education is too expensive. It just is. Not everywhere, mind you, but on average it has raised costs faster than virtually any other sector of the economy. That’s indefensible despite the fact that much of the problem at public universities is that state legislatures have drastically cut their financial support and forced schools to raise tuition and fees to cover the difference. It is also true that far too many people go into far too much debt pursuing degrees that do not always turn into lucrative careers.

Yet the cost is a choice. No one is forced to go to the most expensive schools. No one is forced to go into debt either. Saying college is stupid because it’s expensive is like saying you won’t buy a car because Cadillacs are too pricey. And arguing that college is a waste of time because it forces a student to go into debt is like saying one should never buy a house they cannot afford because mortgage rates are high. The solution is not to go without a car, a house, or an education. It’s to buy a car, a house, and an education that you can afford.

And what of the value of a degree? It is still substantial. Studies show people with college degrees earn anywhere from $750K to $1 million more over the course of their lives than they would without a degree. Are there exceptions? Sure. Degrees are hunting licenses that permit people to pursue jobs they could not otherwise obtain. But they guarantee nothing. Someone who is lazy, or just not bright, or who does not interview well, or who cannot sell themselves, or who lacks ambition, or is not pro-active, responsible, or mature may have trouble finding a lucrative career regardless of their degree. But that’s on them, and not on their education.

So is the choice of what degree to pursue. Believe me, I get students in my office all the time who say they like history but were told by loved ones to major in a field that would earn them more money. It’s well-intentioned but often flawed logic, since not everyone is going to be a nurse or a doctor or a lawyer, but the point is understandable. So, students should choose majors carefully. If they don’t however, that’s not the fault of universities either.

Bachelor’s degrees are gateways to professional positions like engineers and scientists and dentists, and they are insurance policies that allow for career change later in life. Nothing prevents someone from being a welder if they have a degree. But if they become a welder early on and then get injured or tired of the job, what then? The degree will give them options. Not having one at that point is a recipe for frustration.

Then there’s marriage. I wouldn’t encourage anyone to go to college just to get married. But the fact is that people who go to college usually meet their spouse there, and two college educated incomes is better than one or none. College educated parents are also more likely to send their own kids to college, and to generate more in tax revenue, and to vote and live longer, more healthy lives.

Finally, university education is the gateway to the corridors of power in every field. That’s why wealthy people are not having these debates. They know that to become generals, or CEOs, or attorneys, or politicians, etc. their children need formal education. So, they make sure they have it.

None of this means everyone should attend college. I venerate work in every form, and it remains as true as it has ever been that people can lead rewarding, successful lives without a college degree. My parents did, and so have millions of others.

Just don’t dismiss college out of hand. Pursue your dreams, whatever they are. Avoid debt if you can. Pay a reasonable price for your education. Graduate as soon as you can. And respect formal education.

The moral here is that paying too much for education is a mistake. And paying too little for it is a catastrophe.

Lance Janda holds a PhD in History from the University of Oklahoma and has more than 30 years of experience in higher education. He is the author of “Stronger Than Custom: West Point and the Admission of Women”, among other works.