In the 21st Century, Understanding the Changing Role of the 4-Year Degree is Vital to Students' Successful Career Planning

Beginning with the GI Bill in 1945 the 4-year degree become the deeply cultural symbol of the pathway to the American dream.  For 40 years, it stood the test of time and job-market reality. Holders of college degrees were viewed as having qualities of initiative and leadership worthy of high-paying roles as America reverted to a dynamic peace-time economy. During that period, "any degree would do" to fill in the job application checkbox. [ ] College Degree?

Today there are attackers of the 4-year degree who call it obsolete, outrageously expensive and a waste of time. As a blanket statement, this position is ignorant and dangerous. Our economy, social fabric and physical well-being rely heavily on those with high-value focused skills earned by one or more advanced degrees. Those degree pursuits have been and will be a vital part of American success. 

     But in today's educational environment and economic reality, it is equally ignorant to argue that "everyone should be encouraged to seek a 4-year degree," That mindset dominated 20th Century thinking where "College for All" was discussed as a social program. Even today, "percentage of graduates enrolling in college" is a key performance metric for many K12 school systems and is the presumptive starting point for guidance counseling dialog. 

     Relevantly, 40% of college degree holders are holding positions that do not require a college degree, often because a non-degree holder found a workplace opportunity and proved worthy of promotion by demonstrated performance in the workplace. 

In the 20th Century, reasonable costs of college allowed a high school graduate to find a school that would accept the application then to "give it a try." It was even possible to give it several tries by changing majors or even colleges. Drop out rates were high (about 35%) but the family piggy  bank was not broken. Second and third children still had a chance to enter college. too. That attitude toward time and expense does not exist today, victim of high cost and related student debt. 

The 4-year degree should be viewed as one of the educational options that might best fit in an overall plan that integrates education with career objective. If it is literally "the only way" based on career degree requirements -- e.g. medical doctor, scientist --  planning then turns to issues of university selection, student readiness and manageability of costs.

      If there are alternative educational options that can lead to the career objective, they should be considered as issues of effectiveness, efficiency to goal, and comparative cost. Example: a combination of community college work-study, vocational certificates even gap years can be part of a "multi-path" plan.

       In either case, the cost of education should be measured against compensation opportunity in the target career, avoiding the "underwater degree".  Advanced Guidance can be an active source of likely career compensation vs. cost of degree attainment. 

       The downside risk of dropout should also be realistically analyzed, as a motivation to succeed but also as realistic assessment of readiness to tackle the hard work on the road ahead. 

Even today there are individuals and institutions that are encouraging 4-year pursuit for reasons related to its historic status or current image. Examples can include parents, family members or acquaintances who are alums, career days, general purpose college visitations, news articles, even athletic "fan-dom." 

       In practical terms, it is not relevant to a student's education-to-career plan that grandad went to school there, or the campus is beautiful, or a good friend is going there, or the Career Day presenter was impressive.  Advanced Guidance strives to filter out factors that have little to do with college success. 

Historically, about one-third of college enrollees drop out before graduating. Today, drop-outs often have significant student debt, creating a lifetime of debt repayment with no offsetting income, meaning impact on all other aspects of lifestyle.  

     Here are the factors most associated with continuation to graduation:

• Clear goals for education and career
• Personal motivation, excitement about goals., commitment to do the work.
• Clear financial plan including , id applicable,  borrowing and repaying student loans.
• Academic readiness, including knowledge of the challenges at your chosen school.
• Emotional readiness including determination and grit in the face of adversity.
• Personal discipline:  time management, study habits, prioritizing effort
• Emotional readiness to "leave home" and become an independent adult.
• Addressing any issues of addiction -- substance or cell-phone -- that impairs behavior or focus. 

SUMMARY: These factors can be viewed as a Readiness Check List for use by student, family, and involved counselors.  Its purpose is to challenge, not discourage,  Better habits and performance can be improved by dedicated effort.  If self-assessment says, "not ready yet," alternatives to leaping into 4-year study should be considered. The path is long, expensive and risky if not prepared.