IrrumaboMalum t1_j539iys wrote on January 20, 2023 at 2:17 AM

Reply to comment by tellmeaboutyourcat in In first act as governor, Josh Shapiro opens Pa. jobs to people without college degrees by OhmyMary

Free community college is a good start. You can do most of your basic classes there, and then transfer to a "traditional" college and get your BA or BS degree while only paying two years of tuition.

Which should be significantly lower once the government gravy train ends.

We also need to eliminate the cultural concept that "higher education" only begins with a 4-year degree. I got a 2-year degree and I'm doing nuclear engineering work after being in the field for over 10 years now. We should encourage trade programs and associates degrees as acceptable higher education as well.

In fact in some fields a 2-year degree is more valuable than a 4-year degree. I started out as a technician before working my way into being an engineer. Companies need technicians to maintain equipment, manufacture equipment, test equipment and repair equipment. Companies don't want to pay a college graduate with a BS in EE or ME to be a technician - they want to pay them to be an engineer. So schools that offer a 2-year vocational training program that offers an associates degree are highly valuable, but are few and far between.

tellmeaboutyourcat t1_j53noku wrote on January 20, 2023 at 4:04 AM

Exactly, I agree with everything you said here. I know many community colleges have trades programs built in (I took basic car repair courses at my local CC) as well as a variety of certificates available. There are a ton of ways to continue education beyond high school that doesn't require a private 4 year institution. Making more of those options free will make better jobs accessible to more people and will help a laundry list of economic issues.

Imagine what would happen if homeless vets could take trade courses for free while working the system to get back on their feet. Imagine if a single mom on disability could learn basic coding or get a certification in medical billing (an increasingly remote field).

I'm getting emotional, sorry. But education should be freely available and easily accessible for all. If we could make that investment we would see such an explosion in our economy.

IrrumaboMalum t1_j53qitx wrote on January 20, 2023 at 4:28 AM

Right - people should have a choice instead of being led to believe that you will never amount to anything unless you have at least a 4 year degree.

Union apprentice programs. Trade schools. Two year schools. Four year schools. Masters and doctorate programs. All are valid forms of higher education, but society has a whole stigmatizes some of them.

Master carpenters can easily make six figures a year, but a college graduate in a cubicle with a BA degree will make fun of him because he isn't "educated." Society has programmed us almost since birth to seek that four year degree to be successful.

I got a two year degree. I started as a technician and now I'm a reactor engineer and will likely me moving on to a position with a utility at a plant in the next few years. But my "worth" in the eyes of society is low because I only have an associates degree and not a bachelors degree, nevermind that my work is far more beneficial to society than many four year degree graduates.

Whatever you want to do, the first two years should be free. Community college or trade school or a tech school. Union apprenticeships are often compensated. And, I believe, masters and doctorates can also be paid for by the school as an exchange of labor (you work for the program while advancing your studies, providing value to the school in exchange for the education).