college

But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. 1 Cor. 7:17

This is “thin ice” material for an administrator of a traditional, academic track school to be writing. I am not alone in giving voice to this concern, however, and think I find myself in good company. Janie B. Cheaney brings up the subject once again in the Sep. 20 issue of World Magazine. A previous article in the Spring about the “diminished returns” of some college degrees evidently stimulated a strong response. Cheaney writes, “The subject seems to be a hot-button issue among Christians of a certain age: young adults or older adults with teenage children. The ‘Go-To-College’ steamroller that gained traction after the G.I.Bill has begun to slow down as the cost-effectiveness becomes more questionable. Charles Murray, author of Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s School Back to Reality, put it bluntly in a recent Wall Street Journal article: ‘For Most People, College Is a Waste of Time.”

Most of my familiarity with this issue stems from discussions with and observing the lives of a number of early 20-somethings. These went dutifully off to college, successfully earned their degree, and now are back home, rootless, and struggling to find both themselves and a real job. It seems there is not much of a market for psychology majors, English literature majors, or History majors. Even business majors are struggling. These newly minted graduates, who did everything we asked them to do, are now waiting tables, working at Panera Bread, or treading water with two or three part-time jobs. They live cheaply with friends or family, sleep over garages or on front porches, and spend their spare time “hanging out” with friends in similar situations. And they wait. They wait for fate to carry them someplace they know not where. In the meantime, they have college loans to pay off that make my first mortgage look like a football wager.

College can be a formative experience and a gateway to a professional career, no doubt. But far too many wander down that lane with no plan or goal in mind. They emerge burdened with debt and no marketable skill. In the mean time, there are numbers of clearly focused youth who discover that there are many skilled trades that offer worlds of opportunity and only take half the time and expense of a traditional four year degree. This is not the same world as when I went off to college. Today, there are a number of different angles to be worked in preparing for a fully independent life of service and blessing.

Janey Cheaney highlights just a few of these. Homeschoolers and fast-trackers can now explore opportunities for dual credit in the latter high school years. CFC is looking closely at this as we contemplate adding our high school program. Testing out of pre-requisite courses and dual credit can drastically cut the cost and length of an academic program especially through the use of a low cost community college. But even then, a plan should be pre-eminent in thinking about the future. What interests are best pursued? What is the end goal? What would be the best path to get there? Cheaney notes a web site, CollegePlus.org, that offers assistance by assigning a coach to each student to develop a plan. In so doing, one may quickly discover that an associate’s degree is all that is needful to enter a certain field.

Another major choice involves the quickly proliferating technical schools that are now available. These quickly focus on specific skills and occupations that can rapidly propel a student into the workforce with a very marketable skill. In conjunction with this, one should never overlook the path of apprenticeship. The U.S. Department of Labor has an actual Office of Apprenticeship, as does every state. Check out doleta.gov and nastad.us to see if these can open the doors of interest and opportunity especially suited to your student. There are opportunities out there to learn and to be paid while one is learning. What a concept.

The biggest challenge of formulating a plan is that youth are seldom blessed with a clear vision for their lives. I firmly believe that having a variety of work experiences is the best school master for helping a young person find their first love. This points out the value of summer jobs, internships, days-with-dad or other family friends, and, yes, even school field trips. Sometimes it takes the actual fire of a welder’s arc or the artful stitching of an open wound to awaken the desire and vision for a young person’s life. My daughter’s experience as a CNA (a short 4 week course through Red Cross) confirmed in her the leading towards a career in nursing. And when they find that spark that can ignite a life-long passion, we will do well not to demean it as less than satisfactory. Diesel mechanics make much more than school teachers from what I hear. The bottom line is that we not measure the worth of any calling by the money or worldly status attached to it. The important thing is to find a calling whereby we meet a need in society that will afford a living suitable to our needs. And regardless of the days spent or not spent in obtaining an education, God still reminds us that wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. That, of course, puts everything in proper perspective.