The No "No Duh" Group discussion

Do you know that the majority of people in this world merely float through life. And even the supposedly superior people, like those going to Harvard, for instance, are mostly floaters too. A survey following a graduating class discovered that 5% made the majority of the income in that class. The difference? Obviously not education, but goal setting.

I have told my former students again and again and again, education is NOT the end-all and the cure-all to all your economical ills, especially in these economically challenging times. So let's take a look at the uber-achiever; let's look at some of the big boys, have they all degrees? Consider that almost 1/4 of our 44 U.S. presidents had no college education, even some of our best: Lincoln, Washington, Truman, Jackson. Now how about the Steves of Apple Computer: nope, no college. Bill Gates? Drop out from that big college mentioned above. And on and on and on.

There have been thousands who have succeeded without going to college. Some of the brightest people I've worked with and have as friends never went to college. And making money and education? My two richest friends were a high school dropout and one who avoids books like the plague.

And some of the people I know who have college degrees from prestigious schools or have advanced degrees are some of the dumbest I know. What gives?

What say yee of this education lie?

Of course, you are correct, at least in the narrow confines of your position. There are, to coin a cliche, a thousand exceptions for every rule. But to try to sweep broadly with a narrow broom can be deceitful and even dangerous. Those with natural ability will usually succeed in spite of an educational system which aims to raise the middle and let the top end take care of itself. There are, as you must know hundreds of studies that prove conclusively that more education tends to lead to a better life, however you define "better." And that includes those who are drifting through life.

Conversely, most of those with little or failed educations tend to wind up in prison or stuck at the lowest end of the economic and cultural ladders. What's the point? A fair question, I think. What IS the question?

A common misunderstanding, a result of failed "depth perception" of perceived fact purported by those (politicians, media, etc.) pandering to the common folk, is the definition of the term "eduction." Education as it is marketed and deployed today is relatively useless. More and more students play to the grade, along with teachers, administrators, and board members who are simply afraid of losing their jobs or careers terminating (blinders have never been the solution to any problem). Grades, for the uninformed and under-experienced, are truly over inflated and will continue to move in that direction for too many reasons to mention here. But that's only the beginning of the problem--too complex to go into detail here.

Certainly, to have an "education," here simply meaning a bachelors degree, will get one slightly more pay and economic promise than without; however, the majority of "education" (life long) comes from personal experience, self-teaching, and effort on the individual's part far beyond anything any institution can ever come close to providing. Formal education, proper definition here for the institutional variety, is limited in the long run, in the extreme, and is only the tip of the knowledge / success ice burg.

What needs to be taught in much greater volume and intensity is critical thinking (rigorous, thorough, complete) , synthesis of fact with experience / insight of individual, creativity, and problem solving, deeper self-analysis and understanding for greater long-term success, tenacity, goal planning and setting and much, much, more. These are all in limited supply in failed, formal institutions and will continue to be so as long as the majority of zombies cater to the catchall phrase, philosophy that education (current form / definition) is the end-all and cure-all. What needs to be taught are concepts that will aid the individual in self-teaching so that he / she can adapt to these economically dynamic times.

A thorough and more practical understanding of "education" will come to the forefront through other less traditional forms: entrepreneurial coaching / guidance and private schools that teach the essential 70% that is missing in our formal institutions. These are issues my business and future schools will address, for our educational system, secondary and, yes, post-secondary are archaic, outmoded, slow, and failed in these economically diverse and dynamic times.

My wife and I are attempting to get out three-year-old son to see that dinosaurs are not real, that they no longer exist, that they are not in his room and are not a threat. However, I have yet to let him know the truth about monsters. At this time and because we want him to sleep, we tell him that monsters are not real. But as we know they are all too real, and they often come in the form of the ignorant and uninformed purporting and perpetuating dangerous mis-truths. God bless the truth seekers and deliverers.

I thought that's where you were going. The institution in which I labored for years began believing that its role was to provide access to and teach basic tools of learning and evaluating. Critical Thinking being paramount among them. Unfortunately pressures to get larger and conform has finally corrupted the first mission.

Your post is intriguing. Here is my take on the value of an education. If one doesn't have any money to begin with, a college education will help them by providing access to a profession. Enumerating and achieving goals will mean a lot for success. People born into money don't really need a college education to get money. College is an early step in success for most people who are not privileged. The people and presidents that you mentioned in your first post were not lacking in land or money wealth before they became great successes and historical figures. People with money have access and access is opportunity. This is not to say that opportunity doesn't come to those without money. Opportunity is not as frequent to those without money and access. A college education is the first step for most people to be as successful as they would like to be. For most people, success is a comfortable life, not a life in the limelight.

Higher education is going through a value crisis.

First, the systemization of learning with an emphasis on learning goals and outcomes assessment has played havoc on the creativity and critical thinking skills of students. Higher ed has moved forward in making it clear to studints what they are expected to learn, but backward in critical thinking and initiative because professors are required to provide students with too much information in their assignments. They don't have to think about how to write an assignment. They don't have to think about where to find resources or how to structure their arguments. Assignment instructions and rubrics require that instructors make our expectations clear up front.

This begs the question; what is the role of higher education in allowing students to achieve their learning goals. Einstein said that "the most valuable institution is academic freedom, whereby lecturers are in no way told what to teach, and the students are able to choose what lectures to attend, without much supervision and control." Our current education system, even if it values academic freedom in research, no longer places much value on it in the classroom.

Second, the cost of education has skyrocketed to the point that students graduate from college with the equivalent of a mortgage. According to the nonprofit College Board's annual survey of college costs, financial aid for higher education has risen from $104 billion in 2002 to $149 billion in 2007. Of this $149 billion, 40% comes from Federal loans, 28% from institutional and private endowments, 21% from Federal and State grants, 4% from tax credits/deductions and the rest from bank loans.

The average tuition and fees at four year institutions in the United States has also increased. In 2007, students paid on average $5,784 for in-state tuition at a four year public university and $22,307 at a private four year college. This year those costs increased to $6,185 and $23,712 respectively. If you include room and board, the average annual cost goes up to 13,589 and $32,307.

While the majority of borrowing comes from the federal government, more and more of the bill for higher education is being financed through private sector loans. Such borrowing has increased tenfold over the last decade. It is growing, in part, because the increases in tuition and fees have outpaced the increases in the funding programs available to pay for college. Increases in these programs only cover about one third of the increase in private school tuition and one half of the increase at public universities.

I can only conclude that Einstein is rolling over in his grave as higher education is giving students less freedom to learning and charging them more for it.

(excerpts from series of articles I wrote for the Kenosha News Money Section in August, 2008)

Mary, I address these issues and more in my book Education: A Waste of Time? and many articles over at searchwarp dot com that cover the same. I agree wholeheartedly. Keep up the good thinking. I thought I was alone, but it appears I finally have company. Thanks for the post.

college education is extremelly important to any one who wants to make something of their life. I am not saying that anyone who does not go to college does not make something of their life because my father who did not go to college has the privelege to work with and talk to big corporations such as Intel and IBM. However i believe getting a college education can improve your quality of live and how you are able to provide for your life.