The appeal of Lower Education
I possess a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston #gocoogs. The better part of my professional career has consisted of increasing, protecting, and defending the value of a collegiate education.
But at a certain point, I had to ask myself, “What really is the ROI here?”
As student loan debt reaches an all time high and the cost of university continues to climb as salaries and job opportunities stagnate, one is forced to take a pause and reflect on the narrative most of us grew up on: the college degree is the key to security.
The tide is changing, and quickly.
A study by the Strada Institute for the Future of Work shows that nearly half of all college graduates are underemployed - meaning they work in jobs that do not require a college degree - even a decade after graduating. That stat is objectively abysmal considering the price tag of a degree. We have the most educated baristas, couriers, and receptionists in the history of the world.
A few years ago, society began to rediscover the value of trades. As the gig economy and entrepreneurship were on the rise, there was a collective acknowledgment that access to these two things are most attainable through the mastery of skilled trade. We will always need, and are constantly searching for reliable mechanics, plumbers, pest controllers, and the like. Not to mention the hair stylists, chefs, horticulturists, and other discretionary professionals who maintain the fabric of our comfort.
When I use the term ‘lower education’ in the title of this piece, I do not mean it in a derogatory sense; simply as a juxtaposition to the ‘higher education’ one receives from a college or university. While many of the professions for which one is prepared through higher education are still very necessary, they are also no longer the exclusive path to capitalistic success.
Additionally, building upon the previous ‘AI can do it better’ article, the tactile trades are going to be the most difficult to replace with burgeoning artificial intelligence technology. Coding a robot to tighten a nut just so, or to produce a bouncy silk press without heat damage are still quite a ways off.
Until then, lower education has my vote.
