Free College

Free College

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Free College for Everyone!!! If there is one soundbite from this election season that is sure to turn the heads of young people, it would be that one. Over the years, the country has shifted from a manufacturing-oriented to a service-oriented economy. One could argue whether this is for better or for worse. One thing, however, is clear: the importance now placed on going to college and getting a degree is higher than ever, yet there is no mention of the options of learning a trade or entering military service.

President Obama stated he wants to make community college free for everyone, allowing people to further their education and earn higher wages. While in a utopian environment, where people use unicorns as transportation, it would be great; back in the real world, it is impractical. Evidently these politicians never took economics 101 and never learned the meaning of supply and demand. As it stands now, high school diplomas have lost their value because the rate of high school graduates has gone up dramatically, and everyone has one. No longer can they be used as a signaling device to prospective employers. Today, in order to remotely stand out, one must obtain at least an associate’s degree, but a bachelor degree is preferred. The problem is, traditional schooling is not for everyone.

There are people out there who are not suited for success in a classroom but are well suited to learning a trade useful within the “blue collar” world; the current rhetoric when talking about college, however, makes it appear the only way to become successful is to attend college. I had this same thought back in 2000 when I was in my senior year of high school. I did not know for sure what I wanted to be when I “grew up,” part of me wanted to be a doctor, but the sheer thought of the schooling required made my brain shut down. Instead of beginning college right out of high school, I decided on a different option.

I joined the military knowing I would start getting paid right away, I would learn a skill, and in the end, my college tuition would be paid. Military service should be offered as an option more often than it is. Not only does it only take four years of service to get your bachelor’s degree paid for, during that four years you get to grow up, learn how to deal with people from all over the country, visit places people only dream about going to, and become a productive member of society. While I do not advocate forcing military service upon anyone, I also do not believe in telling all kids they need to attend college while we, the taxpayers, will have pay for it.

What is wrong with going to trade school? You will learn a job that can make you money, which is much more than I can say for the taxpayers paying for some 18-year-old’s college education so they can major in Gender Studies and then complain that they cannot find a job upon graduation. Learning to be a mechanic, carpenter, or a vocational nurse is a great opportunity to make good money while not having to attend college. Those are also jobs that will always be in demand because the need for them will never go away. As cars get more and more complex in their operations, fewer “shade-tree mechanics” are going to be able to fix them, forcing them to be taken to an actual auto shop. The baby boomer generation is aging and will need the assistance of care givers, opening the door for anyone who would like to work as a vocational nurse in a nursing home, retirement home, or private home care.

With these other options available, why then does it seem the only “path” the majority is focused on is the college degree path? Would we, as a society, not be better off if we looked at each child as an individual and helped guide them down a path giving them the greatest benefit at the lowest opportunity cost? The current rhetoric of making college free for anyone wanting to go fails to examine both the upfront economic costs to the country but also the sunk costs in cases where the student doesn’t complete college.

It is time to get off the unicorn and face the reality of adulthood. It may be nice to have a degree from a prestigious university, and people might be thought of as “better” if it’s from one of those fancy “Ivy” schools, but what happened to the ideals of the 1950’s when those who worked in factories for 30+ years were thought of as role models for having the tenacity to stick with a physically demanding job for so long? Many tasks are becoming automated everyday, but at the core the possibility of automating everything is impossible. Robots are not going to be better at taking care of the elderly or fixing older cars they haven’t been “taught” about.

It’s time we stop lying to our kids about future careers and instead set them up for success. Let’s not force them into the college pipeline and instead allow them to decide (with guidance) what is best for them. One thing I can guarantee: giving a free college education to everyone is not good for our kids or our country.