Author: hadassah

The New Generation of Job Hoppers

In her TED talk, Alex Ellison speaks about the benefits of a liberal arts education, particularly when considering current vocational patterns.  People now tend to work for only a short while in a certain area before moving on to something different.  Ms. Ellison calls this emerging generation of workers, “job hoppers.”  She argues that a liberal arts education will equip people entering the job market with the skills to excel in a wide range of fields, making them more competent “job hoppers.”  I had never thought of or heard this reasoning before, and I found it very interesting.  In class, we all seemed to agree that a liberal arts education makes us more cultured and thought-out individuals, but we didn’t really discuss how the humanities might actually put us on more stable financial ground. We largely assume that directed vocational training is the way to go if you want to live comfortably, but that kind of mentality might leave college graduates ill equipped to learn something different if their current career path isn’t working out.

As Alex Allison says in her talk, liberal arts is meant to liberate us.  It cultivates our different skills and opens up many new opportunities.

Here’s a link to Ms. Ellison’s talk:  Alex Ellison and “Job Hoppers”

The Purpose of Higher Education

In a Ted Talk, Fred D’ Agostino argues that the primary purpose of higher education is not to get a job and secure financial stability. He doesn’t deny that college education affords economic benefit on both the macro (we have a more able work force) and micro (the individual augments his earning potential) level, but he maintains that a college education should be about building a “robust democracy” and a “civilized society.” College provides us with the knowledge and tools to directly participate in our society. A college graduate is better equipped to speak intelligently about issues and take part in the solution. Higher education also expands democracy by putting everyone in the same classroom, which in some way equalizes us. And as D’ Agostino articulates, to be part of a larger democratic society, there needs to be a mutual respect between citizens. The equality afforded in a diverse college classroom helps people develop this mutual respect.

D’ Agostiono’s argument goes beyond the idea that college makes us into well-rounded individuals who can relate to many different people. He is saying that that college is a privilege. And with that privilege comes certain responsibilities, namely to use what we’ve learned to give back to our communities. D’ Agostino’s perspective definitely resonates with me. It gives me a sense of being a part of something larger and empowers me to directly cause the expansion of democracy. After all, government wouldn’t provide me with the tools to become an active citizen if they didn’t believe I had the potential to affect a meaningful change.

Here’s a link to the TED Talk if you want to check it out:  Fred D’ Agostino on Higher Education

 

Governor Bevin’s Announcement to Cut University Funding

Governor of Kentucky, Matthew G. Bevin, recently announced that the state would be cutting university funding. He said the state would grant financial rewards to institutions that have successful outcomes. This seems reasonable. As we have discussed, government has a limited amount of funds and must carefully decide how to use them. Investing money in failing institutions at the expense of scientific research, elderly care or defense does seem like an unwise decision. However, as I have learned from class discussions and other articles, measuring success rates is often tricky. It is difficult to track students post graduation, and certain factors may be artificially pulling down the graduation rate (for instance, some people only intend to take one or two classes to sharpen their skills in an area and beef up their resume). Republican Governor Bevin has a very particular way of measuring success, that is, taxpayer potential. He derogatorily remarks, “all the people in the world that want to study French literature can do so. They are just not going to be subsidized by the taxpayer like engineers.” This is certainly a very conservative view, and we can imagine that left-wing thinkers would disagree. While people pursuing a liberal arts degree will not necessarily contribute as much to the tax bank, they are enriching our communities with culture and art and a kind of sophistication you can’t get from mixing chemicals or solving math problems. We can also imagine that a population made solely of doctors, engineers and businessmen would quickly become very dull.

Link to article: Kentucky Governor Orders Immediate Cut in Funds to Universities

Response: “Noncompletion Success in California”

Ashley Smith’s article, the “Noncompletion Success in California” on our class website caught my interest. After all, one of the markers of a successful college is a high completion rate. If many students are not making it to graduation, applicants often assume that the college does not offer adequate support. So colleges will often take certain measures to discourage dropouts and avoid getting a bad reputation. For instance, when I was registering for classes freshman year, I learned about the “Learning Community” system. The “learning community” refers to two linked classes that are for incoming freshman. In other words, if a student is to take a certain English section, they are required to take a certain history section as well. The hope is that students will have more time to connect with the other students, forge friendships and offer support. Specifically within Macaulay, incoming freshmen are paired up with an upperclassman that will hopefully address their concerns and become a mentor and a friend.

Smith’s article challenges the notion that dropout rates are such a strong indicator of the success of a college. Some students intend to take only a few courses to broaden their knowledge of a certain subject and make them into more competitive job applicants. And the numbers show that these “skills builders” (so termed because they are taking these few classes to brush up on their skills in a particular area) are in fact seeing returns with a significant median wage gain of 13.6 percent. Clearly there is monetary value in each individual course (that is, earning potential) and the cynical idea that bosses just want a piece of paper may in fact be a misconception. This, of course, is in addition to the value a course has in making a you into a more well-rounded thought-out individual, but in the case of skill builders, earning potential is the driving force.

It’s probably safe to assume that those who dropped out in middle of a course would not be considered a “noncompletion success,” but other than that, we have no easy way to distinguish between students who intended to only take a few classes and those who dropped out because of lack of support. As a student in Brooklyn College, I am presumably more familiar with the student body than an applicant would be, so I see beyond cold hard statistics, but an applicant is likely relying on these statistics when making their decision about where to go for college. I would say that an applicant’s best bet is probably to talk to someone who is already enrolled and ask them how the college faculty and administration works with students in completing the requirements needed to graduate (if that ‘s what the applicant’s end goal is).

On a side note, I have found these skill builders to be particularly interesting to speak to and have in a classroom. They are often older than the typical 18-24 year old student and have had more experience in the work force as well as in other areas of life. It’s actually quite ironic because while these students may bring down the reputation of a school on a web search, they are often a source of pride within the college since they add to the college’s diversity.

Chapter 8: Degrees of Value

Colleges are ultimately in business to sell a product, that is, a greater earning potential (arguably not the only product). However, as the cost of education slowly climbs, “customers” are hesitant to shell out the money without substantial promise that they will see return on their investment. The many factors that come into play when considering the worth of a college degree make choosing a college-if choosing any at all-that much more difficult. This chapter sorts these factors into two loose evaluation categories, “fit” and “value”.

1.One major factor that is used to measure the value of a degree from a particular college is the average income of its graduates. For instance, applicants are often hesitant to go to a community college, since the average income of graduates is often lower than that of graduates of a four-year college. But another factor may be conflicting with “value”, and that is “fit”. The anecdote about Carey and his passion for automotive technology illustrated this point. Suppressing your interests and aptitudes (sacrificing “fit”) in order to pursue what America’s economy favors (“value”) may ultimately prove counterproductive for some. Carey, for instance, wasted two years in Ratford before switching back to Northern Virginia Community College. Incidentally, Carey’s decision to return to Community College paid from an economic standpoint as well. The average starting income for graduates or the Community College was actually greater than that of graduates from Ratford.

2.Making the data on the average starting income and 10-year-post-degree income of each institution readily available would make it much easier for applicants to make calculated and informed decisions. For instance, had Carrey known that staying in Ratford would not have put him in a much better financial situation than graduating from Community College, he might not have transferred there. However, some institutions, particularly private universities, appose this proposal. Perhaps because such data may “elevate the standing of public colleges” as applicants see that public and private graduate earning potential is not markedly disparate. This of course resonated with me as a Brooklyn College Student. And I certainly believe that attending a public college in no way squashes your chances of achieving financial stability.

3.Selingo is worried that pinning values to colleges based solely on graduates’ incomes may drive colleges to sacrifice quality for rank. They might scale down on the humanities and admit applicants on the basis of their earning potential (white, of a higher income bracket, and expressing interest in the STEM fields). I found this point especially intriguing, but I was unsure how to resolve it. Even if the incomes were listed along with some other evaluation criteria (such as available majors), the prospect of earning twenty thousand more at college A than college B would certainly pull an applicant to a certain school (even if this means sacrificing “fit” for economic “value”), and business-minded colleges would use that knowledge to operate their institutions accordingly.

4.Another major factor in evaluating colleges that Selingo mentions is completion rate. Unfortunately, many Freshman do not make it to graduation. Brooklyn College has attempted to reduce the number of dropouts by putting emotional buffers in place. For instance, freshmen join “learning communities” where they are encouraged to befriend their classmates. And peer-mentors share their experiences and tips in order to ease the anxieties of the newbies.

5.I found the chapter’s discussion on college majors to be particularly relevant to me. As I accumulate more credits, the pressure to choose a major builds. In an effort to learn more about the available options, I have gotten into the habit of asking every new person I meet in college what they are majoring in and whether their experience is a positive one. Surprisingly, the answers I’ve heard do not suggest that potential income is the major guiding factor in choosing a major. Interest seemed to trump earning potential. For instance, I’ve spoken to peers who are majoring in English and Art (the “no-no” majors if you want to make a decent salary) who speak passionately about what they’re learning. And my friends who are majoring in math all gush about their multivariable calculus and theoretical math classes (not the fact that their major supposedly has the highest earning potential).  I don’t believe riding on passion alone is the ideal way to go, so I’m hoping to complete a major that is the right “fit” for me and that will deliver financial return.

In choosing a college and a career path, the two factors, “fit” and “value” are at play. Until this point I have been describing these factors as separate and perhaps even oppositional, but they do at some point converge. If a college is not the right fit, you will unlikely see return, financial or otherwise. And if your college doesn’t offer you the guidance that will help you follow through or your choice of study doesn’t land you a job, your enthusiasm for that institution will probably quickly wane.