It’s
a question that I never thought I’d ask. My stance has always been that
my kids are going to college. Not negotiable. End of story.
But recently, I’ve started to seriously question the value of college.
Am I crazy?I grew up in a family where education was paramount. It was my ticket to a stable, rewarding career, networking opportunities, and the like. Even though I could’ve easily gone across the street to Virginia Tech (go Hokies!) for a solid engineering degree, I went to Cornell University. I was lucky I got in, got some aid, got some internships/part-time jobs, and had parents to support a lot of it. Now almost 15 years out of school, I don’t regret the decision. But times have changed. A lot. Anybody else’s kids also growing up fast? I’m thinking (worrying?!) about their futures constantly. Here’s what I’ve noticed:
As crazy as it sounds, I’m advocating for an “independent study” model for college. Take that tuition money and tailor-make skill-building, life-building experiences for junior. He can travel the world. Start a business. Hire coaches/mentors. Get various internships/apprenticeships. Compete in competitions. For a motivated young mind, wouldn’t this motivate them even more?
Of course, there are some fields that absolutely require a college education (like nursing, med school, teaching, engineering, etc). Some should opt to go to one of many accredited online colleges and work while building up experience. Plus, there are some students who know themselves well enough to study something very specific in college. And honestly, “independent studies” just doesn’t work for some students.
But think about it. The rat race to get into a good school starts at what... 13? All that posturing, presenting a “well-rounded individual” with academics, sports, leadership, and civic activities, and anxiety about GPAs & SATs. I’m not afraid of hard work, but I am particularly afraid of misdirected or wasted hard work. All that energy could go into “independent study” whereby my teenager can pursue real vocational directions through apprenticeships, mentorships, and internships.
Okay, so I haven’t completely convinced myself that college isn’t worth it. After all, some of my best friends in the world are college buddies. I even recently started a business with one of them I had lost touch with for 10 years. But for my kids, it’s becoming clear - college is a one-size-fits-all solution in a world that needs more sizes. College is no longer a given.
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Tony,
I appreciate your concern. I’m a parent and a college professor. I agree 100% with #2 and #3. College has become astronomically expensive and there are far better ways to become more marketable. Good colleges will incorporate those “far better ways” into their teaching methods. However, I disagree with #1 which leads me to disagree with #4 as well. I think we are mistaken to assume the goal of a college education should be “to get a great entry-level, experience-building, vision-broadening job afterward.” I hope that would be the result, but I do not think it should be the goal. The goal of a college education, traditionally, has been to become a thoughtful, engaged, well-informed citizen. I think college achieves this goal. We want it to result in a great job, but that is a fairly recent expectation of a college degree. This leads me to disagree with #4 – in a sense. I actually agree with your question – they don’t know enough about themselves or the world – and that is why they should go to college. If the assumption is college = good job then your thoughts in #4 would lead to me to agree that they should put off college until they know what they want to do. But if the point of college is to become a critical-thinking citizen, then the more questions they have when they enter the better!
Thanks for this post. It is an important conversation.
I have been questioning this for a long time. I have always been one to value proof of knowledge through example over proof of knowledge through dead trees.
Totally agree. When the college tuitions were reasonable, it made sense to major in history or literature. Not any more, unless your parents are rich. Once I had a friend who only went to a technical school but was very good at a special skill, which allowed him to consult with large manufacturing companies and to travel often and far at their expense. An enviable career.
Prof Jeremy, great points and great perspective. I definitely agree that college can and should be a time of discovery and an opening-up of new worlds to young students. However, like you said, at what price? Maybe there’s a sense that people are becoming more “practical” about the college decision – wanting to be able to pay for the experience they got to go through. some sort of “return on investment”. Maybe the bubble will burst and this will be moot.
Also related to your point on bringing lots of questions to the table during the college years, I think there has to be some real-life experience integrated into the education. Most people rarely find out what a career in x is really like until they are in it. I’ve heard a lot of people say that if they knew what they know now, they never would’ve gone into their career.
Being interested in biology & science & helping people isn’t enough to know that being a doctor is for them. Or is it a good start?
I think that you underestimate the other intangibles of a college experience, namely the manner in which it forces you to learn to live with vastly different people that you would never have met by choice (dorm life), it teaches you about how to manage and work within systems (and also to challenge them), and also it offers important opportunities in which to learn how to work with and organize people in a relatively consequence free testing environment (extracurricular activities and student activism). Additionally, I think you also underestimate the other “job-related” freebies that people can avail themselves of in a good college environment, whether through study abroad opportunities (providing structure around the experience of living abroad), library sponsored classes on everything from web design to database management, or through the powerful networking opportunities that connections with friends and alumni can provide. Yes, college can be expensive, but how are you honestly going to pay for all those “independent study” options that you present if they don’t have the financial aid (grants and scholarships essentially being free money that you do not have to pay back) that colleges can often provide? Sadly, in the real world, there is always an excuse not to spend one’s own money on things that do not seem to provide any payback, but in a good learning environment you may be surprised that the subject that you study and which may have the least economic impact may be the subject with the most lasting impression in your entire life.
Tony, awesome article, and agree. Its a bubble, and life skills are what’s needed. You are ahead of the field. These colleges are going to suffer a lot of pain downsizing.
Did these issue start after the movie “animal house” with John Belushi
here are some gripping stories of real people who say that college isn’t worth the debt from CNN’s money magazine:
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/news/economy/1106/gallery.student_debt/5.html
look through this and a lot of these folks even graduated with “practical” degrees. In this market, it is just tough for everyone, including new grads. here’s a few memorable quotes:
“Even if I were able to afford the $1,800 payments each month, it will probably take me 30 years to pay off my student loans.”
“Barring any lottery winnings, I think I’m probably looking at taking the full 20 years to pay off my $80,000 in student loans.”
“My life revolves around work. I’m barely able to afford rent, I’m cutting back on bills and I’m barely able to feed myself. Why? Because almost half my monthly income goes to Sallie Mae.”
“I don’t want people to think they shouldn’t go to college — it definitely gives you a great foundation to start your career. But it’s very important that when you do, you know exactly what you want to study and you’re knowledgeable about debt.”
“My debt is a life-swallowing, all-consuming, hole in my life. No college degree is worth that.”
WOW What an unbelievable story, I couldn’t agree more. I have been thinking the same thing for years. I agree college is great for those who can afford it and for certain careers. My wife is a School Psychologist, it cost her $100K to get that degree, I went to a technical school that cost me $10K. I make considerably more than she does. I am reasonably intelligent and work very hard though.
I couldn’t concentrate and didn’t know what I wanted to do when I attempted college after high school. Not until years later when I wanted to pursue a career in technology did I finally find what I wanted to do.
Nowadays there is too much information everywhere. College doesn’t own the market on higher education. People are a lot more practical now, and I think they are going to start to weigh their options. I too believe the bubble will burst.
My wife’s loans are going to be a burden on our family for years. I don’t mind and she loves what she does. However, if I had that much in school loans and made what she did, we would be living in the basement of my parent house for 30 years.
It’s not really reasonable to charge that much for education. I could start my own consulting firm for that much money and she could stay at home. I definitely believe the old college model will change to something more reasonable or adaptable in the future.
well said, I got a kick out of your quote:
“Nowadays there is too much information everywhere. College doesn’t own the market on higher education.”
Like you said, it’s not for everyone, and a lot of people make their careers work well without college. just a little personal clarity, hard work, and thoughtfulness.
Tony, Long time no see.
This is a very interesting article. I really like the indepence study idea. The value of education is a very personalized topics. How we much we get out of education really depends on our (or our kids’) expectation and what they put into it.
Sometimes, the value of education is not valued by the future salary, but by life changing or paradigm shifts we experience in college. I was very fortuante to get a lot of college and graduate school and hence changed my life. I am sure we may do it outside of college as well, but I personally treasure almost every minute I spent at college.
I would consider to have kids to take one-year break between high school and college to explore some of things you mentioned. Just as we don’t recommend any college graudate immediately go for b-school, I think 1 year off will be great for our kids to explore their own interests.
Finally, if everything fails, you can always send your kids to China. Tuition is a lot cheaper. The pure financial value might be a lot higher.
To put it bluntly, yes College, or an advanced education of some sort, is still worth it, if you get a degree, or training, with a purpose. I’m 48, with a degree in communications, and I am still learning new techniques and skills every day in social media and video. I am quite marketable in this sluggish, if not failing, economy, and I make a good living.
My husband on the other hand is a 36-year-old out-of-work security guard with no advanced education at all after high school. He’s struggling to find a job as a barista… Most of the jobs he’s interested in call for degrees of some sort, even some security agencies require them, thus he’s excluded from even trying for those jobs. He’s not interested in going to school though, and I have to respect that as you don’t learn if you don’t want to go. He’s smart, hard-working and stable, but no one’s calling him for interviews, or to tell him thanks but no thanks. There’s too many people out there without jobs.
A higher education gives people more of edge, it’s not a guarantee I know, but it has helped me throughout the years. And mine has paid for itself many times over.
I have to laugh at your assertion that college will introduce one to having to “learn to live with vastly different people that you would never have met by choice (dorm life).”
Yeah, right. Since when the hell were kids in the dorms any type of exposure to diversity or variety of people from vastly different backgrounds? From what I have seen, all the children in dorms are exactly that — larger heavier versions of high school brats. Whiny-ass, middle-class (emphasis on middle-class and not necessarily rich), pain-in-the-ass, spoiled, pampered, sheltered butt-holes who would rather spend all their time drinking, partying, tailgating, smoking weed, etc. rather than actually putting some of their energy towards doing something useful for their futures.
From what I have seen, the majority of college kids only seem to go to college because their parents are willing to pay for it (or co-sign on student loans, whatever, same difference) and wish to maintain some sort of middle-class status quo. And the kids know that they will have all the freedom of not having to live under their parents’ roof for the next four years — with none of the responsibility, again because they know that if anything goes wrong, their parents will bail them out.
If you want your kid to be in an environment that offers true diversity and interaction with grown-ups, I would recommend sending him/her to community college. A lot of community colleges offer two-year transfer programs that will transfer to four-year colleges. This would save you a lot of money in case your kid is trying to “find himself” and doesn’t know what the hell he wants to do with his life yet. Fine by me, not all 18-yr-olds and 19-yr-olds know what they want, and therefore there is no reason to go broke.
Or perhaps tell your kid to join the military. That will teach them some discipline and self-respect. Anonymouse out.
To be honest I think it depends on the college you choose. A good degree will definitely help you, I have an organizational leadership degree and I have never regretted going for it, while most of my class mates chose a law degree and now are still unemployed.
by the way, I keep reading more and more perspectives and articles on this topic. I usually pin them up here: http://pinterest.com/tonychen/is-college-still-worth-it/