Education is an investment
Although college is not for everybody as some would be better to go to vocational schools but going to college is essential for getting a better job in this globalized world. Going to college is an investment of time, effort and money. Therefore like any investment, you must look at the return on investment to determine whether it is worth it.
I know parents and students are worried about the value of college education because there are many graduates but could not find jobs. One of the reason for this unfortunate situations probably is students are not selecting the right schools and the right field of study. Today go to college is NOT enough, students must select specific school and particular field of study to be successful. They must plan their careers realistically and select the right school to invest for their education. One way that parents and students can select the right schools is based on their jobs placement and the salaries of their graduates. From the outside, most schools look the same, they all offer similar fields of study for students to choose as well as qualification for admission. However, you must look closely at the training programs and the qualification of their faculty as well as the success of their students. To do that, you must investigate carefully because it is your time, efforts and money. If School A has better programs than school B and graduates of A have higher earnings than that of B, than you can make decision which school would be a better place to invest. Of course, this is only one factor and should not be used to judge the whole school but at least it helps to narrow down to few good schools.
The reason to be careful in school selection is today college education has becoming a “business” with many schools open strictly to make money without concern about the quality of education. These schools are very easy to get in as they accept almost anybody who can pay but not teaching anything valuable. Students can go from one year to the next without any challenge and graduate with a degree but they do not learn much. Most do not have the knowledge and skills that can help them to get jobs. The idea of having a college degree will get you job is obsolete because today to have a good career, graduates must demonstrate good knowledge and skills in the field of their study AND that fields are what the industry needs.
Many students often receive advices such as: “Study what you like and thing will be fine”, or “Follow your passion by study what you love then you will do well.” These are good advices BUT you also have to be practical in this competitive environment. Passion is a great motivation and an excellent drive for your learning but you also need to be realistic. Many young people confuse passion with dream. Some dream to be “Rock stars”, “Movie stars” or “Fashion Models” but you do not need to go to college to do that. Students must understand that they invest their time, efforts and money to get a good education that will help them to be professionals, responsible persons, good citizens where they can get good jobs, build strong careers and contribute to the society.
Last summer when I was in Europe, I saw many college graduates worked as taxi drivers, cooks, waitress, tourist guides, and sale persons. I talked with many of them and their stories were the same: Most had no career plans, no direction, did not know what they wanted, and not prepared to face the reality of the globalized world. Many went to college because their friends went there. They did not think college as an investment but follow a trend as “Every one at that age would go to college.” They enrolled in college without being specific, find the convenience school near where they live, without checking about the quality, and select fields of study without carefully thinking about what types of job they would do after graduation.
A Taxi driver with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology told me that he did not know that it is impossible to get a job with that degree. He said: “It was a fun field of study and there were many girls who study Psychology.” I asked him: “You select a field of study to get a girlfriend?” He admitted: “I made a mistake, I should have known better.” I asked: If you had a chance to do it again, what would you choose?” He nodded: “I did not know then but I know now – I would never choose something easy and fun for four years then end up working like a Taxi driver.” I asked: Why don't you go back to school and learn something else?” He was quiet for awhile and said: “I spent most of my parents' saving money already. I cannot ask them for more. I am 26 years old so I must be responsible for my life.” Another restaurant waitress who has a degree in Fashion decoration told me: “I love artistic design and want to be a designer of clothing. I read a lot of magazine about beautiful clothes and arts but I did not know how difficult to find this type of work. We all have dream but sometime our dreams were not practical. It is too late to change now.”
Please be careful with your education investment, it is your future and you must take it seriously.
Sources
- Blogs of Prof. John Vu, Carnegie Mellon University
