For my last session, I braved really confusing signage and a practically hidden room two floors below street level, but ultimately, it was a fitting coda to an excellent day of information overload.
“BA” discussed how the state of higher education is in flux as economic hardships and lack of jobs are causing students, faculty, and administrators to wonder how much return can be expected from an investment in college. The session didn’t really present any new information per se, since I’m fully aware of what it’s like to be a college graduate who’s not working in his specific degree field. However, it did offer some different ways of looking at the issue and nice perspectives on emerging programs that have the potential to impact educational models nationwide.
Did you know that Steve Jobs never graduated from college? Just goes to show that depending on your goals in life, a degree may or may not be required. Then again, you might want to make sure your pursuits are “relevant,” because your degree may or may not be offered! Bad news: several major state universities have been cutting cherished programs like philosophy and classical studies. Good news: there are unique, customized programs that are attempting to fill that void.
The Plan II program offered by the University of Texas at Austin was described by members of the panel as an “educational Swiss army knife” that comprises a “Renaissance education for the 21st century.” This interdisciplinary degree combines the school’s basic liberal arts requirements in the standard subjects with a specialized curriculum that encompasses courses from a variety of fields. The main idea behind Plan II is to present students with academic flexibility and more options to be hired. Rather than focus on just professional or vocational training, the program grants students the opportunity to take classes that, while perhaps opposite of their majors, still hold enough interest to receive credits for exploring. As the saying goes, they believe in “education for a life, not just for a living.”
Even more noteworthy is Thomas College in Maine, a private institution that features the only guaranteed job placement program in the country. If a student doesn’t get a job in their degree field within six months of graduating, they can go back and take more classes free of charge -- or they can have Thomas pay for their federal student loans -- for up to a year or until they get a job, whichever comes first. At the same time, if a student is employed within six months but the job isn’t in their degree field, they can go back and take an unlimited number of undergrad classes for up to two years. That’s the kind of confidence and dedication every school should have in preparing its students for the “real world”!
Then again, there are some who would argue (and a few on the panel did) that college is just as much about unlearning what you’ve been programmed to learn and accept based on someone else’s concept of the “real world.” Everything from the limitations imposed by a letter-grade system to the idea that education asks the wrong questions to the wild notion that it’s not necessarily a linear path from one’s degree to one’s job or career path. While I alternate between agreeing and disagreeing with each of those sentiments, I can’t help but see the merit in appreciating both sides of the equation.
Not everyone’s academic experience is going to be the same, even within the same major or degree program. Nor do we want these experiences to be the same if we expect to transform students into well-rounded citizens that contribute to different sectors of society. Meanwhile, for those who do choose to pursue higher education and a related career, it’s not unreasonable to expect that everyone who holds a degree has received some amount of quality, skills-based education that qualifies them to enter the workforce in the manner that they see fit.
It remains to be seen how these starkly contrasting views can be juxtaposed or reconciled. Even the panelists weren’t exactly sure how to best appeal to both sides. I guess it’s just another sign of the relativism that pervades our times. They did, however, offer some concluding bits of wisdom, while some are more cliché than others, that do warrant some thought whether you’re in or out of school.
Train yourself to do as much as you can with as little as you get. Chances are pretty good that you’ll never have the right amount of people or resources for what you're working on.
Learn about people! Most of us are “beta models that are still working out the bugs,” but it’s important to know how to interact with different personalities and when to utilize those contacts.
Be ready to kick your own ass before someone else does. Which leads right into the next one…
Be comfortable with doing stupid things for the sake of learning. As long as you own up to any fault you may have but take away something positive from the experience, how can they hold it against you?
College is/was NOT the best four years of your life! Life keeps getting better every day if we strive to continue learning and growing.
Education is an opportunity, not an obligation. Whether it's in school or in the workplace, treat those who are seriously passionate about succeeding with respect!
I wish I had reflected some of these concepts better during my own college experience, but I see their implications and applications in my life and my job. In the end, I don’t really think that my B.A. is B.S. If nothing else, it has enabled me to know myself and know what I’m capable of in a variety of subjects and settings. After all, as G.I. Joe said, “Knowing’s half the battle!”
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