Has the decades-long march to college-for-everyone-at-18 actually closed off options for teenagers and 20-somethings, rather than opened up opportunities?
We all know teen-aged kids with potential that seem to “underperform” when pursuing a four-year degree. We also know college grads saddled with debt, who can’t find jobs in their chosen fields.
Maybe a technical certificate that can get you earning or a two-year degree in Optics & Photonics are smart investments. Monroe Community College offers both in an “in-demand” job market.
Three years ago, the Corning Incorporated Foundation invested $500,000 into improving the MCC program, matched with another $250,000 from Sydor Optics. Why do you think that is? The MCC program is the only program of its kind in the nation, and both companies, as other companies do, hire graduates of the program.
The same is true for so many technical and vocational programs offered in the region and across the country. Why then do some parents continue to spend more for their children to attend four-year colleges than they do on their house? Is it really nothing more than a gamble?
Nearly 40 percent of American workers hold a bachelor’s degree. College graduates are found in virtually every profession: 15 percent of mail carriers have a four-year degree, as do one in five clerical and sales workers and 83,000 bartenders.
