The College Dilemma: A Changing Reality

Forget March Madness! It's College Madness for all the fourth quarter seniors in my school district; ever since the April 1st notification deadline, everyone wants to know who got into their first choice school, who was placed on the dreaded wait-list, who got a scholarship, who is majoring in Psychology, History, Chemistry... In my home, college is the primary topic of conversation, and I have my own answered questions about my personal situation. The one I just can't shake is "what does a college education even mean for a future in society?"

During the generations of my parents and grandparents, college was definitely not as important as it is marketed to be today. More often than not, people went to trade school or skipped college entirely, finding stable careers despite only having a 12th grade education (at best). My grandfather was among the few who went to technical college. He became an engineer and had a long and prosperous career. My grandmother, however, never went to college, and instead focused on her chosen life as a stay-at-home mother.

My parents' generation picked up on schooling in order to have a better life than their parents did. Both my mom and dad attended their only-choice school, the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. My father went on to graduate school for Architecture and my mother recently earned her Master's degree, working now as an employment coach for underprivileged young adults.

The generations before me whisper of success stories as far as the eye can see (or the ear can hear). In my family, it's clear to me that higher education has bettered all of our lives. Yet I'm no longer convinced that going to college is the instant way to ensure a better life than my parents' generation. The rising cost and competition in admissions are making college a different struggle than it was in the past. But because this "Harvard example" of success is slowly becoming the American standard, what will happen to those who choose not to attend college, or cannot?

I mean, it's a genuine concern; the cost of all of the schools to which I applied is around $60,000 per year, a shockingly steep price for a pursuit with a "terrible return on investment", as my mother says. And what if an American citizen's true calling lies in careers that don't require much higher education? What if they choose to work as a plumber or a construction worker (some of which have higher starting salaries than a recent law school graduate)? Will the educated look down on them as the bottom of the social pyramid?

With the rate things are going, I think the social pyramid will invert somewhat in regards to careers and higher education. The fact of the matter is, students and families won't be able to put up with $200,000 of loans at the age of 22. College graduates won't furrow their brows at the kid who decides to join the military or go to trade school instead of jumping into a 4-year college. And attending a certain college over another won't mean what it used to. Something's gotta give. And it will.