The Complications of a Modern College Degree
The process of getting a college education has never been simple. It takes time, it takes money, and it takes effort. However, what exactly a college degree means has been changing for the past few decades. What was once one of the single best tools for economic mobility has become a much more complicated topic.
Gone are the days of a college degree ensuring a prosperous career. Today, a degree is a tool, one which can be essential or a small bolster to an existing resume. The cost of a degree has been steadily rising, the loans taken out has been steadily rising. Yet the influence of a degree has been steadily dropping.
So why is a state like Kentucky planning to have a 60% postsecondary credential rate by 2030? Well, first off, a postsecondary credential isn’t just a college degree, it can be a range of degrees, certifications, or license. And even more importantly, college degrees operate as a fantastic economic boost for any state.
College graduates with a bachelors degree work more, make more, and utilize fewer social programs. Low-income students are enrolling at lower and lower rates, and this is worrying to see. This means a less educated population, a less prosperous population, and less overall income. Yet these rates are dropping for a reason.
Even once enrolled, the issues go far beyond the later impact or lack of impact of a degree. Most college students have insecurities around meeting their basic needs. Transfer students are overwhelmingly less likely to graduate. And ineffective intro and gateway courses significantly drop college retention rates. There are issues that can be solved, even without addressing the ever increasing cost of college. And this is exactly what states like Kentucky are trying to do.
So are college degrees less valuable than they have been, absolutely. Yet this isn’t to say that they’re worthless or not worth pursuing. Specifically on a statewide or national level, there’s actually every incentive to pursue a more educated population. This is the complication of the modern college degree.
