My friend Joe Procopio, the publisher and founder of IntrepidMedia.com, just put out a new column about the escalating cost of higher education in this country, what you actually get out of it, and whether it’s worth it.
This topic has actually been on my mind a fair amount lately, partially because I’m a new dad who needs to start saving for his son’s future, partially because the topic just seems to be going around lately (Occupy Wall Street, etc.), and partially because I constantly wonder if selling both my legs would fetch me enough money to re-enroll in school (and also pay for the time machine that will make me 18 again). Because I would give up the ability to walk to be back on college RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW.
The prospect of paying upwards of $50,000 a year so my son can earn a degree in keg stands does not thrill me. Especially since, if he’s anything like me, he’s gonna go for the liberal arts education, which is about as useful as a degree in keg stands.
Anyway, check out the piece – the author actually went to school for engineering and as a result, his point of view is that it’s not the brand name of the product that counts, it’s what’s actually in the box when you get it home (because when you go to school for an actual degree, the things you learn are skills, instead of the answers to Final Jeopardy). Unlike most things involving engineering, the column is interesting.
And, as a bonus, it features a silly headshot of the author, who inexplicably thinks he’s some kind of guitar hero stud when he’s the size a small potato and has girlier hair than Justin Bieber.
I get where Joe’s coming from, and I’m pretty sure most of us 80’s era college guys have the same questions on our minds. Many of us had kids later in life than our parents did, which brings the benefits of mature insights, but sadly, the existential anxiety that goes with it.
I’ll simply add to Joe’s assertion – that if yer gonna pay assloads of cash for a degree, the skills oughtta line up with sonebody’s (or your own) biz needs – that you’d. Ether also love what you do. Cuz the career you construct will eventually own your ass.
What’s more worthless than a liberal arts degree? A radio management degree. Which is why, two years into that program, I dropped out of college and focused on working at real radio stations, applying not simply concepts but practical applications of music, the industry, dealing with the public, managing staff, etc, etc….
20 years later, I’ve never regretted dropping out and saving money in order to open myself wide up to all the possibilities I’ve had in my lifetime.
Now, had I followed an initial desire to be a pyschologist or, in greater detail, a dream and sleep researcher, finishing not only college but also 2-5 more years of higher education would have been necessary. College does not necessarily equal purpose, but it might be mandatory of some professionals. The key is to have the opporutnity to explore all possibilities through secondary education.