Both my parents are public school teachers. My Mom has been teaching first graders for 20+ years and my Dad has been a high school band director for 30+ years. They continue to live their lives based upon core principles and values and did their best to pass along some of these traits to me and my brothers as we grew up. Obviously, one of the most important things they valued was education. And rightfully so. Their experience and wisdom had proven that a college degree was often the ticket to a better future.
I graduated college with a marketing degree and a music performance degree. I also finished my M.B.A. last fall. My little brother will soon be graduating from law school. We both value our education and while I can’t speak for my little brother, I wouldn’t have done too much differently. I have a good job, albeit the pay is lower than I had originally hoped before enrolling into graduate school. But despite the name of this blog, I consider myself far from broke these days. And I’m able to work at a job I currently enjoy.
However, it seems that when economic times are tough, more and more people go back to school to weather out the storms. Obviously the laws of supply and demand are applicable to everyone, including white collar professionals. There seem to be more and more articles and blog posts popping up about how law graduates can’t find work and M.B.A.’s taking secretarial positions because a job is better than no job at all. Take a look at 10 of the most expensive colleges. Number 1? Connecticut College will cost you over $53,000 per year.
It’s no secret that Mark Zuckerberg, who might be my generations’ Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, does not have a college degree. What about the military? I would dare say many entrepreneurs succeeded due to their lack of a college education. The phrase “street smarts vs. book smarts” comes to mind.
Obviously college teaches critical thinking skills and other important life lessons that may not be obtainable elsewhere. I know there are all kinds of priceless intrinsic and intangibles that my college degree provided. To be honest, I’m not sure how to measure those intangibles.
The cost of tuition continues to sky rocket. In 2002-2003, I was a sophomore in college at my alma mater. Tuition was about $88.00 per hour. Today, it’s $162.50 per hour. I’m glad to see that today’s college students are receiving an education that is twice as good as mine.
Obviously, there are all kinds of reasons people attend college and I often say to each their own. So, what do you think? Is college still worth the price tag?
