1000 sats \ 3 replies \ @Signal312 OP 29 Jan \ parent \ on: What are some solid alternatives to college/university? Education
Yes, in my circle of friends/acquaintances there's been a lot of recent college outcomes that have not been great.
- Daughter of friend, graduated from college with a degree in communication, I believe. She had gotten a great scholarship for college, but it's been almost a year since she graduated, and she's still working at the place (fast casual type restaurant) that she was working at while at college
- Another daughter of a friend. What with covid lockdowns, she switched colleges a couple times, thinking she'd escape the isolation of a particular college, but ended up experiencing the isolation of multiple different colleges. Her plan now is when she graduates in a few months, to live at home with her parents and work at a bakery, same as she's doing now in school. She was studying business, switched to polysci.
- Son of a friend, he just flunked out after 1.5 years. Computer focus.
I do know one kid who graduated 2 years ago, and actually got a job doing what he had studied for. It took him about 6 months to find the job. His brother is still struggling, alternating between some college, some work, some full-time video-gaming from his dad's basement, sleeping all day long and gaming at night.
I think the value of a college degree went down a lot, with covid. There was so much isolation, anxiety, and NOT LEARNING happening because of the lockdowns, masks, etc.
Not to shame people, but just to learn the examples of where and how college goes wrong need to be discussed much more. You give some good possible examples.
Not completing your degree, picking a degree with little or no direct job market, and switching to an easier degree should all be big red flags to parents.
You do not have to have your whole life figured out and planned. You just need a basic approach to get some skills that are in demand in the job market and you can gradually build from there.
Parents and the students should constantly ask what are they/I going to be able to do with this degree? Is this going to make my whole life better in the long term or is this just the easy thing to do right now that I'll probably regret later?
reply
I got some more examples in the past month. And I'm really not explicitly looking for them, they just came up.
-
Acquaintance and I were talking about kids. His 21 year old son graduated from college and had "apartment issues". I don't know what the details were, but he's now living at home, and apparently is looking for a job only very unenergetically. And doesn't have one.
-
Son of another acquaintance. Graduated from college with a degree in something like veterinary tech. Couldn't find a job, eventually took a job at a fast food place.
-
Son of friend in the neighborhood. Graduated from a name brand college with a dual degree in biology/chemistry. Has been at home with parents now for months. Nothing is happening in terms of a job. He's apparently great to have around, agreeable, does things with the parents as opposed to hanging out in the basement playing video games. But still, not what supposedly people go to college for to do.
I'm actually NOT opposed to kids living at home for a while. And I don't necessarily think that people need to immediately sign up for life for "real" jobs.
However, these are not kids working on passion projects or traveling to interesting places instead of getting a "real" job. They're just hanging out at home with parents, kind of depressed.
reply
Yes, in my circle of friends/acquaintances there's been a lot of recent college outcomes that have not been great.
- Daughter of friend, graduated from college with a degree in communication, I believe. She had gotten a great scholarship for college, but it's been almost a year since she graduated, and she's still working at the place (fast casual type restaurant) that she was working at while at college
- Another daughter of a friend. What with covid lockdowns, she switched colleges a couple times, thinking she'd escape the isolation of a particular college, but ended up experiencing the isolation of multiple different colleges. Her plan now is when she graduates in a few months, to live at home with her parents and work at a bakery, same as she's doing now in school. She was studying business, switched to polysci.
- Son of a friend, he just flunked out after 1.5 years. Computer focus.
I do know one kid who graduated 2 years ago, and actually got a job doing what he had studied for. It took him about 6 months to find the job. His brother is still struggling, alternating between some college, some work, some full-time video-gaming from his dad's basement, sleeping all day long and gaming at night.I think the value of a college degree went down a lot, with covid. There was so much isolation, anxiety, and NOT LEARNING happening because of the lockdowns, masks, etc.
reply