Down With College
21st March 2023
John Hinderaker at Power Line.
For the last 50 years or so, public policy in the U.S. has trended toward the view that everyone, more or less, should go to college. This was a sharp departure from the historical norm, when higher education really was higher, and only a small minority obtained four-year degrees.
It has become increasingly evident that the payoff for sending most kids to college is minimal, both for them and for our society and economy. Hence the current trend away from four-year colleges and toward, among other things, apprenticeships. The Wall Street Journal has a long article headlined “More Students Are Turning Away From College and Toward Apprenticeships,” with the subhead “Some white-collar training programs have become as selective as Ivy League universities.” That can only be a good thing.