<p>THE proportion of new American high school graduates who go on to college — a figure that rose regularly for decades — now appears to be declining.</p>
<p>Last October, just 65.9 percent of people who had graduated from high school the previous spring had enrolled in college, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said this week. That was down from 66.2 percent the previous year and was the lowest figure in a decade. The high point came in 2009, when 70.1 percent of new graduates had gone on to college.</p>
<p>It is more interesting to look at the real numbers of 8th graders who </p>
<p>1 graduate from HS
2 enroll at a four years college
3 graduate from college. </p>
<p>The real numbers and not the government numbers that conveniently obfuscate many dropouts should confirm the abysmal performance of our public high school education system. </p>
<p>The wage gap between college grads and non-college grads would “seem” to indicate that going to college is still a good idea… and good investment.</p>
<p>^^ Not necessarily, if a big part of your wage is going to repay loans and simultaneously saving an inordinate amount for your kids college, thereby delaying other things. College is simply not for everyone because many jobs do not require a college degree. </p>
<p>My S2 is a college grad. His job is totally unrelated to his college major and does not require a college degree.
He’s debt free and doing very well. </p>
<p>My 19-year-old son took a “gap year” that looks like it may be permanent! He just does not see the value in sitting in a classroom right now. I hope he changes his mind, but we’re not going to force or even strongly encourage him to enroll at this point.</p>
<p>There are some great short term programs at our community college that teach trades needed in the area. One guy we know has a great job after taking a 15 week $3500 class in fabrication. He did so well the local company gave him a $3500 award for doing so well. They hired him. </p>
<p>The problem with all those jobs that do not require a college degree is that increasingly they require a college degree because so many people with college degrees are available. Alexander Hamilton kept the books for a major trader in Bermuda when he was in his teens, before he went to college, because bookkeeping was a job that didn’t require a college degree 250 years ago. And, to tell the truth, it still shouldn’t, but it generally does.</p>
<p>I have a friend who is in his late 50s and never finished college. He has had a successful career in his industry, in a role that requires analysis, judgment, creativity, and precise communication, both formal and informal. But the company he works for is teetering on the edge, and he feels very little job security. He is convinced that his lack of a degree will be a real impediment to obtaining another job, in his field or a related one, notwithstanding 40 years’ worth of great track record. His field is not one where jobs are plentiful.</p>
<p>It would be nice to know the percentages of students going to college a few decades ago- when it was cheaper and after the women’s lib movement took away some of the gender biases. Another problem- agree with how statistics can be manipulated- isn’t percentages but the gross numbers secondary to children of baby boomers and those boomers still working that may matter. Just because there is a population surge doesn’t mean there is an equal need for numbers of workers to meet the population’s needs. Perhaps going back to the days where college degrees weren’t as plentiful and jobs were available without one would be better for many. </p>
<p>Consider- a college degree delays entry into the workforce. Since not all college grads finish in the same amount of time this staggers the numbers entering the competition for jobs at a common level.</p>
<p>It is a lot easier to make a degree required- no need to sift through to find that gem without credentials. It is a lot easier to eliminate candidates by adding a requirement and still have a good pool. I’ll also bet Alexander Hamilton’s bookkeeping does not compare to today’s version. Paper mill and other jobs now require skills not need decades ago- computers have changed many jobs from brawn to brains.</p>