Many parents agree with the premise that not every high school graduate needs to go to college. The problem is few parents want their child to be the one who doesn’t go.
And there’s good reason and good data for the hesitation of parents. College graduates on average earn more over their lifetimes than peers without degrees. But many accrue crippling debt in the process and end up doing work that doesn’t require a pricey four-year degree.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that up to 17 million college graduates in 2020 held jobs that didn’t require a college degree. As journalist Karin Klein points out in her new book, “Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree,” a degree has become “a loose proxy for ‘smarts’ or the willingness to work hard at something (a college degree) for years.”
The overhyping of “college for all” has led to the disparagement of alternative paths that may better suit some students, she said.
“This book is not anti-college,” said Klein in a telephone interview from her home in California. “For some people, college is not the right answer right now.”
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
If a high school senior delays applying in favor of a job after graduation or a shorter-term credential, college will still be waiting down the road. “And they will know better what they want to do with their life and be much better equipped to handle it,” said Klein.
Due out next month, her book highlights dozens of young people who found successful and fulfilling careers outside the three options typically presented in high school — college, skilled trades or the military.
Not everyone wants to be a welder or mechanic, said Klein. Students need to understand there are also white-collar jobs and creative roles that don’t demand a four-year degree. Not everyone can afford college, she said, and many college students leave with no degree and lots of debt.
Antonio Santos attempted two colleges but left both owing thousands of dollars. Santos, 28, now earns more than $100,000 a year with video editing skills he first acquired through YouTube. He told Klein, “I legit learned 99% of everything I know online. Even though I went to art school for a year, nothing that I learned there has compared to the internet.” He created his own video channel to share his skills.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
Klein urges young people to join Facebook groups in their areas of interest to meet people in the fields and learn about possible careers. She talked to young people who parlayed volunteer activities into jobs, something she herself has done. Klein volunteered at a weekend wilderness park and then became a certified naturalist. That led to a contract for a book on hiking. She began to volunteer for archaeological digs, a passion she set aside years ago. Now 70 and stepping back a bit from journalism, Klein is studying archaeology.
Mario Fedelin signed onto AmeriCorps to escape his job as a barista. His AmeriCorps tenure led to a leadership role in the national organization, and in 2015, Fedelin and a friend launched Changeist, a youth-focused community nonprofit recognized by the Obama Foundation.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
As a high school student, Lanna Hernandez became involved with CareerWise, an ambitious apprenticeship program started by a Colorado business leader who believed real work experience was invaluable. Hernandez earned three certifications, underwritten by CareerWise, in marketing and management as a high schooler. At 18, Hernandez became a full-time marketing coordinator for CareerWise, drafting emails, updating the website and writing blogs.
She told Klein, “It’s the kind of job I would have gotten right out of college except I don’t have the debt. I have the credibility of someone who got out of college by doing the same role I do in the office and accomplishing the same thing. I was tired of following the path that everyone else was.”
Hernandez said her friends were skeptical at first. “Since it was different from the traditional route, they didn’t really trust it. When I told them about it, they kind of blew it off. Now that I tell them what I’m doing and how I’m succeeding, they’re saying, ‘Wow, this is such a great opportunity. I wish I had taken it.’” Hernandez has since moved into a new role at CareerWise; she is an apprentice experience coordinator, coaching students and guiding them in learning professionalism.
Credit: DUSTIN MOON VISUALS
Credit: DUSTIN MOON VISUALS
The book is not just about how young people find opportunities but also how they capitalize on them and grow their careers. Attending a school like Parsons School of Design for costuming was her dream, but Susanna A. Song couldn’t afford it and took a job out of high school in a law office. She enrolled in a beginner sewing class at a community college in Pasadena that revived her dream. “I didn’t have connections into Hollywood,” she said. “But I posted on Craigslist that I would work for free for experience.”
The unpaid assignments eventually provided connections. “I would do the work at a really low rate because it was a low-budget video. I kept saying yes to every job,” said Song. That helped her land a job on a film with an $8 million budget and her own department to oversee.
“These kids were willing to look outside the box,” said Klein. “Spending $30,000 to $90,000 a year is not the way to find out what it is that you want to do with your life. This is meant to be a practical book and a resource to show young people who have their doubts about college, at least about it right now, or who can’t afford it that they don’t need to live a substandard life if they don’t go to college.”
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