Effie James is a columnist for Richland Source.
The value of a college education has been under attack recently. Many feel that rising tuition cost and unforgiving student loan debt have caused more harm than good for those that want to get a degree and make themselves more hirable in today’s job market.
Even with a growing number of scholarship opportunities and need-based financial aid available, the average high school graduate or adult learner can anticipate making a substantial financial investment if they want to obtain a traditional college
degree.
But is it all worth the trouble?
According to a 2022 study college graduates are now out earning high school graduates by a record $22,00 per year.
And it’s not always about the earning potential that postsecondary education can offer, it’s the opportunities that become open as a result of completing a degree program.
I remember interviewing for one of my first jobs after getting my bachelor’s degree in business.
The position was in social work and when I asked the HR director why the job posting asked for a degree but did not specify the type, she stated that a college degree signifies a level of discipline and resolve that most employers look for.
The job will require training either way, so hiring someone who is a willing learner can be an asset to the agency.
Another benefit is the potential to make a career of something that you enjoy. As a non-traditional college graduate, I spent many years working in manufacturing, construction and even years hanging and finishing drywall after high school.
While all of these are good jobs and people make great careers of them today, for me it was just a means of taking care of myself and my young children at the time.
But in 2004 I was working as a 3rd shift custodian in the local high school, laying on my back cleaning underneath a toilet bowl I realized that I no longer wanted my work to be a job.
I wanted to enjoy what I did for a living and the only way to do that was to finish my college degree and give myself options.
Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way degrading the janitorial work I had done or the manufacturing and construction jobs I had, in fact to that point, my position as custodian was the highest paying job I had ever had with the best benefits.
My point is that personally I felt trapped in a space where my options were limited.
At this point many people would start to accept and endure the job, I began to resent it and decided to make the sacrifice and re-invest in my education almost 15 years
after graduating from high school.
Everyone won’t have the desire to attend college, there are amazing jobs and careers that do not require the investment or time.
There are tremendous programs available to high school students now that can prepare them for careers and entrepreneurship right after graduation.
There are also those that are not necessarily interested in those skilled trades, or not quite convinced in the investment of a college education, and I would challenge you to look at “college” through a different lens.
As part of the GEAR UP Mansfield team housed at Mansfield Sr. High School, our initial goal was to create a college going culture among the 7th through 12 th grade students that we serve in the Mansfield City Schools.
We have since modified our goal to mean much more.
We now utilize the term post-secondary education rather than college because there are so many programs available that can provide similar benefits as traditional college degrees, but do not require the same time or cost.
Two-year colleges such as North Central State College and regional campuses of larger universities like Ohio State Mansfield Campus offer a wide range of programs, certifications and degrees that students can complete for a fraction of the cost and time.
There are also certificate programs available through private institutions that can take 18 months or less to complete and give students the certification necessary to begin their desired career.
And as always there is the traditional 4-year university with on-campus housing that provides the full college experience.
The definition of college education means so much more than recent narratives have narrowed it down to.
It is truly about making the choice to gain more knowledge beyond high school.
The term postsecondary education is a better representation of all the options available to students and various costs that comes with a college education.
There are programs that cost in the hundreds of dollars to complete, and those into hundreds of thousands of dollars, but all can provide an opportunity for a fulfilling career.
Are there challenges to obtaining postsecondary education? Absolutely, and the argument most talked about is the student loan debt that so many college graduates (including me) find themselves in.
Why would anyone put themselves in such a financial burden when there are jobs, skilled trades available that don’t require such an investment?
Well, for me and probably many others, they made the decision that they wanted to be able to pick a career and be fulfilled by it.
Think about it this way, there are times in your life when you need a place to live and you don’t care what it looks like, it serves a purpose at that time.
As long as it has a roof, the required number of bedrooms and it keeps you safe from the elements, it has served its purpose.
There also comes a time when you want to be able to choose the color of your home, you want it to have a finished basement or front porch so you can relax after a tough day on the job.
Is it more of an investment? Yes, but you want to be able to enjoy it.
When I talk to my children about the choice to attend college, I tell them that the beauty of my job is that it doesn’t feel like work.
Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t have stress or tough workdays like everyone else, but I always knew I wanted to help young people and when I earned my degree in education, it gave me a path to a career that became a part of my life.
So when I get up in the morning, I don’t feel like I’m going to work, I’m just starting my day.
A college education is absolutely not for everyone, I know plenty of successful people without formal education beyond high school.
And even with all of the sleepless nights studying, periods of wondering if we would ever finish, and even with the mounds of student loan debt, I would be willing to bet if you asked college graduates and those that completed programs and certificates was it worth it,
I’m sure most of us would say Yes!
Dedicated to Brooklynn & N’seya James
Be Blessed, Not Stressed.