Presidential Issue Is College Economically Worthwhile?
Are we making the best use of our vast education budgets
or just feeding the Educational Industrial Complex?  Please Share!

Few Jobs Require a Degree

Source Fall of 2008 Occupational Outlook Quarterly

"In October 2014, 68.4 percent of 2014 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported..." 4/16/15 How many are enrolled to collect Pell Grants for spending money? See Is Financial Aid Welfare?

College Graduate Supply for Most Majors Exceeds Demand

Colleges pushed out graduates even though supply was outstripping demand and fewer student were receiving an economic benefit.

About 41% of our 18- 24-year-olds are enrolled in college.  Only 27% of US jobs need formal education beyond HS (chart) so the 14 percentage point oversupply, about 50%, means a wage decreases for many graduates.

 

 

 

 

 

Only Best, Brightest, and Most Educated
Benefit Economically

21st Century Companies began paying their stars a lot more than Joe Average. In finance, high tech, and management the spread began to widen between those in the middle and the STARS.

 

 

Majors Counts, Where Not So Much!

 

 

Wages Stagnant for Most Workers

Again Its Our Best and Brightest1

"In 2011, the top 30 percent of earners with a high-school degree earned more than what 50 percent of workers with an Associate’s degree earned. This same top-earning group of high-school-degree workers also made more than a quarter of workers with bachelor’s degrees. We find that higher-paid high-school-degreed workers are represented more heavily in occupations that require technical post-secondary education attainable through certificates or apprenticeships." clevelandfed.

 

Some Say Don't Go 3 minute video

I say don't borrow!
And the Answer Is? More Relevant Questions are  

1. How much should I sacrifice to invest in college? 

2. Are there better economic investments?

3. Is academic efforts required of all HS graduates economically and socially
  worthwhile given the new normal caused by increased international competition
  for high-paying jobs requiring a maximum academic education? See

Changing Education Paradigms Video  
What We've Created from 
Royal Society For the Encouragement
 of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

How Would Experts Redesign US Education?

Should We Adjust 21st Century Education Axioms?

Educate the Class of 2030   

Reflections of a Life-Long Teacher

Jobs Requiring Education Are Not Coming Back.

"Since 2011, when the E/P ratio for those with less than a high school diploma bottomed, that metric has regained almost two-thirds of its recessionary losses (orange line in chart). But the E/P ratio for high school or college graduates - i.e., eight out of nine American adults - has not recovered any of its recessionary losses, and stands about where it started, one, two and three years ago (purple line)." Source
1 Two National Survey of Adult Literacy studies completed in the 1980's yielded the same results.
   Good students succeed whether they go to college or work. The variability would be interesting.
   

 

 

Education Reform 

 Changing Education Paradigms Video from the 
Royal Society For the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Leaders Educational Observations

 Education Axioms, Postulates and Corollaries provide the theory for this long-term 

Education Libraries

20th Century  Brief History of American Education