The cover of a major news magazine featured a posed picture of two students still in their caps and gowns from college graduation digging ditches. Inside the story lamented how college graduates could not find jobs.
The date on the magazine is 1999.
Several observations come to mind:
- No one should diminish manual labor. All beneficial work contributes to the on-going of the human race. I’ve dug a few ditches in my life. Most of us have.
- No one should diminish the pain of unemployment. Clearly many people face the substantial obstacles of life without a job. All of us seek a more equitable world.
- No one should diminish a college education. The date on the magazine reminds us that our time is not unique. A degree does not guarantee a job. It never did and it never will.
A university education involves both benefits and costs.
- Benefits: Statistical studies point out that college graduates earn more over a lifetime than a person who is only a high school graduate. To the extent that education broadens one’s horizons, people with a college education generally experience the satisfaction of a wider perspective on life.
- Costs: Those who attend college must pay both the direct costs (tuition, room and board, supplies) and the indirect costs (loss income while in college) of a college degree.
Many economic studies calculate the bottom line. Despite the magazine pictures of students digging ditches and the lament over college costs, a college education is one of the most valuable investments a person can make.
My advice is to seek the cap and gown.