A college education is the golden ticket out of poverty.
That narrative has been relayed to students in underserved communities for decades, reaching perhaps its highest pitch in 2009 when President Obama made history by using his first State of the Union address to urge every American to commit to at least one year of higher education beyond high school. The proposed pathways included a traditional four-year university, a community college or vocational training—framing higher education in all its forms as the surest path to the middle class.
While this narrative opened doors for many, it also left behind countless others who needed more immediate and diverse options for success. Today, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with student loan debt on a runaway train, the return on investment of a degree isn’t what it used to be.
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An especially alarming data point shows that, for nearly one-fourth of America’s colleges and universities, graduates earned less than a $15 minimum wage 10 years later. With that type of ROI, it should come as no surprise that only 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of college is worth it even if someone has to take out loans. Only one-in-four adults say it’s extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree to get a well-paying job in today’s economy.
This sentiment comes as more states and the private sector eliminate degree requirements for job posts and as high schools increasingly partner with their local workforce to push career pathways forward. Yet in an effort to course correct, some fear it’s a pivot away from equity—creating a perception that certain students are being funneled into trades instead of four-year degrees.
Indeed, old stereotypes die hard, including the notion from previous generations that only those with means and the right pedigree are cut out for a bachelor’s degree.
But that’s a dangerous line of thinking and creates a false dichotomy: It’s not college or career. It’s both, and the path forward doesn’t require progression through a linear series of steps.
‘Cultivating a thriving career’
Learners pursuing new career tracks today aren’t unmotivated or lazy, and they’re not only concerned with faster, cheaper alternatives. They’re focused on increased relevance in a world where change is constant.
It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that the media has dubbed Gen Z the next “toolbelt generation” for their open-mindedness in embracing apprenticeships and the trades over traditional college tracks; or that colleges are seeing increases in the average age of students enrolling since many are deciding to enter the workforce immediately to gain economic stability before pursuing a degree.
It’s not just the youngest generations, either. In my own family, we took a variety of routes to career. My father was a hospital boiler engineer who used the GI bill to get a college degree in his late 30s, earning his diploma when I was in kindergarten.
My mom never went to college but had her own successful career path—she earned a cosmetology license and ran her own salon for 40 years. Because of the paths that were available to them—and because they took full advantage of those pathways—I was able to follow my own route to a bachelor’s degree and later an MBA as I advanced in my career.
As Richard Kincaid, the senior executive director of college and career pathways for Maryland State Department of Education, explained when he testified before Congress: “Cultivating a thriving career is always the end goal—no matter a student’s income bracket.”
We must ensure all students have access to career-connected learning in K-12 that lets them develop goals and determine the postsecondary pathway to get there.
Equipped to choose career paths
Several states are beginning to experiment with this and direct significant investments toward effectively connecting students with workforce experiences and rigorous academic learning.
In Maryland, for example, legislators approved a multi-billion dollar state and local investment that represents a significant shift in the state’s approach to education policy, governance and accountability. Among many other things, it requires that all students have equitable access to a rigorous education that prepares them for college, career and life.
It also mandates that all high school graduates earn an industry-recognized credential and/or complete the high school level of a registered apprenticeship program by the 2030-31 school year. The new requirements have unleashed a rapid statewide scaling of industry-recognized apprenticeship opportunities, both on the industry side and in school districts.
To achieve this reality, lawmakers have also approved a significant investment in expanding and improving career and technical education programming.
Similar efforts are underway in Indiana, where the governor’s workforce cabinet is in the process of identifying and setting goals around local workforce needs and evaluating the effectiveness of K12 career readiness programs to ensure they align with employers’ needs.
Under a new law, career readiness instruction can begin as early as first grade to introduce students to the concept of jobs and employment, and then grow to include identifying their own skills and interests in middle school before putting them into practice during high school with internships and other workforce opportunities.
Under the right conditions, a college degree is still a high-upside investment. However, earnings vary widely across majors and one in five workers without a degree outearns the median college graduate. The objective, then, must be to ensure that all students are equipped to make the best choices for themselves regarding the plethora of postsecondary pathways.
Ditching an outmoded narrative
It’s no wonder that states like Maryland, Indiana, Colorado, Kentucky, Idaho, Virginia and others are making significant investments to ensure all students have access to career-connected learning from elementary school through high school.
Dual enrollment programs are spiking in popularity, too. During the 2022-23 school year, nearly 2.5 million high school students took college classes, simultaneously earning high school and college credits. That’s up from 1.5 million students in the fall of 2021 and roughly 300,000 students in the early 2000s.
Of course, the goal should never be to supply students with low-value credentials to simply get them over the graduation hump. The goal is to ensure that they have earlier access to workforce training options so they can be prepared for postsecondary success with a good-paying job that can grow into a fulfilling career that’s adaptable as the future of work changes.
In a tumultuous post-pandemic world, we owe it to students and families to ditch the outmoded narrative of college versus career. Career is the destination. College is simply one of many pathways to get there.
Instead, let’s recommit to helping schools effectively integrate college preparation and high-quality career training that empowers students to choose their futures, armed with the skills and confidence to succeed.
