Thank you for this piece, Casey. This has been something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s got me reflecting on how we might need to disentangle two things we’ve conflated: college as a place to learn skills and college as the place where young people figure out who they are. The price tag becomes impossible to justify when we’re talking about 18-year-olds who are just starting to ask the big questions about life being thrust into making decisions about the entire trajectory of their careers.
One alternative that I think deserves another look was floated during Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign: a national service program that would give young people options beyond military service or expensive education. The idea was to create opportunities in areas like community health, conservation, and infrastructure alongside traditional military routes. At the time, the only conversation I heard about it was people laughing and calling it out of touch, but I think it was ahead of its time.
It addresses the problem of what kids can do to buy some time before they figure out what they want and who they are. It would give young people a chance to grow up, contribute to their communities, and explore without the pressure to make the “right” choice while committing to six figures of debt or a military career that by definition isn’t for everyone.
The current system completely ignores the kids who know college is out of reach and know military isn’t right for them. They can end up without the kinds of networks and relationships you described as one of college’s intangible benefits, left only with whatever connections they happen to make at jobs they land without a degree.
And perhaps this national service idea could also educate the students in some of the areas we most desperately need better understanding: media literacy, civics, and emotional intelligence. As a supervisor in charge of hiring, I can tell you that someone who had just a year learning basic life skills is a lot more valuable than someone who spent four years studying a subject that may or may not align with the job requirements.
A national service option could fill that gap. I hope Mr. Buttigieg is still keeping that idea in his pocket if he’s considering a 2028 run.
My son did not experience the greatest time in high school and was ready to be done with school. He bounced around jobs for a bit before I looked into AmeriCorps and encouraged him to do it if he passed all the medical stuff and got accepted. I really didn’t know what other options he would have. He did it. I was scared to send a kid who could barely keep track of his belongings from the kitchen to his bedroom, and had to send him on a plane that had flight changes. He was scared (as a game-playing, non-athlete) of the fitness program and being able to communicate effectively with his peers. The service was for 10 months, and at 30, he will tell you it’s the best thing he’s ever done. He was deeply saddened when Trump discontinued funding for the program, and I wonder if it’s even feasible to create a new program now.
Timothy, I love this vision. What if the service program also had some training in the style of apprenticeships (or pathways to them)? If participants were, like you detail in your model above, discussing the big questions within media literacy, civics, and emotional intelligence while also gaining practical skills needed in focus areas?
After we somehow rescue the Department of Education, building this would be a great start.
As someone who’s been committed to education for most of my career and just resigned from a role as Dean of instruction and faculty at a small private university - these are all factors in my decision not to seek reemployment in the field right now. We’re watching a significant cultural (as well as supply and demand) shift and an industry that appears unwilling to think strategically about the sustainability of its product.
As a parent of a teen just entering high school, most of our conversations about higher education are focused on the wide variety of options and how to discern which might make the most sense when it comes time to decide in a few years. This generation already thinks about traditional college very differently than my generation did, and it will hopefully serve them well.
I have worked at graduate schools on the research side for the majority of my career and number 4 really is so true. The researcher brings in more grants from outside sources but excellent teachers are very much needed. It's painful to watch a great researcher not be able to teach, especially when you know how intelligent they are.
I'm always glad that I went to college. I did get so many positives outside of just my education during that time. But my total cost was less than one year at my college now. And with the structure of student loans I still struggled to pay the minimum they wanted and pay off the debt. In today's world college would not be an option for me.
I think "college" is an overly broad generalization of higher education. Trade schools and other options are great alternatives for many young people, and there is a huge need. In my area it is really difficult to find trades, whether good plumbers and electricians for my home, or techs for my company. I also question the value of a four year degree for many study areas. However, in science and engineering I would argue a four year degree (or higher) is still needed, and has the payback (a lot of engineers start out at $80K or even $100K+/year depending on geography). Talking about these different scenarios differently and giving students/young people choices rather than making it an argument of college being "good" or "bad" for all would be more constructive.
Really insightful piece. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot as I start to look ahead to my son’s college path over the next five years.
One thing that’s hard to quantify but still really matters is network. I felt this personally. I went to a smaller SUNY for undergrad that was well regarded in Western New York but not very recognizable elsewhere, then later chose a nationally recognized private university with a strong alumni network for my MBA, and the biggest difference wasn’t the coursework but the visibility and connections.
I also wonder if part of the opportunity for four-year institutions going forward is leaning more intentionally into that connective value, not just job pipelines but real human relationships. We’re in a moment where we have more technology than ever and yet people feel more disconnected, especially the generations entering college now. Relational skills are one thing AI can’t replace, and they transfer across every career path, so schools that can actually name and teach that, instead of leaving it to chance, may have a real edge.
Thank you again for this - I’m glad someone on the inside is finally naming the issue!
Great analysis. Unless colleges and universities change their model to reflect changes in jobs, culture and economics they will continue to struggle. Burgat's third point about the outdated four-year-degree model was especially good. Making the goals and certification and degrees more modular and stackable is brilliant.
This piece could not be more timely for me, personally. My son is a high school freshman with a big brain and bigger dreams. His younger sister is in the 8th grade with her own plans and ambitions. He has several paths he's exploring, and he knows that we, as a family, will need to have some tough conversations about the cost of the education he wants. I want him and his sister to have the very best and to have the opportunities I didn't have. I'm also realistic about the fact that my husband and I will be closer to retirement than I would like to admit by the time they graduate high school.
My daughter is easy right now. She wants to be a photographer, so she plans to attend community college in CA to learn about business and maybe take some photography classes. She is willing to do what she needs to in order to keep it as inexpensive as possible because she knows that for the most part, college isn't entirely necessary for what she wants in life.
My son is a little more complicated. :) His dreams center around politics, education, and the law. He's considering teaching history but wants to do that at the university level which means at least a masters if not a PhD. He's considering law school with the end goal of being on the bench. He's considering running for office but thinks that with the current political climate that having a deep understanding of constitutional law would be necessary. So, as you can imagine, his dreams and plans are expensive. I will say this, he's working with his guidance counselor to plan out how to complete as many college credits as possible while he's still in high school. But even with all that, we're still looking at 3-7 years of higher education and that comes at a pretty high price tag even with scholarships.
I don't know what the future holds beyond AP Euro History, and 10th grade Honors English, but I do know that crushing debt isn't something I want for my kids. I hope that universities listen to people like you and people like me. There is no real sustainable path that will allow universities to keep driving costs through the roof if they want to stay in business. If they continue, it will be at the expense of smart kids who aren't rich. Do we really want a future where only the elite can be educated beyond a high school degree? I honestly wonder sometimes if that isn't the end goal... I hope it's not, but I do wonder.
Allow me to be cynical for a moment - businesses often require college degrees because new employees with college debt are less mobile and more desperate for the job. Desperate employees are less likely to demand better wages or be able to leave if dissatisfied. College debt works to help limit the overall rate of white collar labor costs.
My son was accepted into a 3+2 speech language program, he will finish bachelors level work in 3 years be able to use undergraduate aid for his first year of masters work. I think that is also a good idea especially for fields of study that require a masters degree
We also have a duel degree program at GWU that allows students to graduate with a bachelor's and master's within five years, and with a fairly sizable discount. It's not as popular as I wish it were, but do think it's a great option for those who know they want (or need) a grad degree.
The times are a changing and one better learn to adapt to survive. If college isn't for you, then definitely go to a trade school and learn a skill that will earn a decent living for you ( and your family, if you are thinking of marriage)
Why not attend a public college? Kamala’s husband graduated from the same public California university as I did! We both have done well. I did it without loans, working full-time, with 2 kids and most of it done at night.
If you lived on campus the public college I went to was around $8K a year in the early 2000s. Now it's close to $20K. Currently just tuition, fees and books is more than $8K a year, not including housing. That is more doable but still a lot to think about. I do think the age of 'living' on campus might be over for a lot of people. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it does change things. Not everyone has a college close to them to attend in person classes either.
Commuter schools have always been available and a good choice for some students, but not having that first opportunity to live on one's own in somewhat of a safety-net environment, and with the opportunity make many close personal connections, is something that I honestly feel would be a real loss for many young people. My oldest is only a freshman in high school, but I have several friends whose children are older and in college right now, mostly attending commuter schools, and many of them describe their children as not connected to the university community and having made few to no friends...
Oh for sure - I went to a really small school (I think it was around 3000 students?) and the commuters stood out. I didn't know many of them - certainly partly my fault! But it is just different when you live on campus. I definitely learned a lot about life living on my 'own' for the first time. I worked a campus job until my senior year (when I got a job off campus) and those jobs taught me valuable lessons. Both about working and community. I know that community colleges, trade schools, etc will hopefully find ways to teach students those same things. But it is just a very different experience. I am lucky to still be friends with the same group of women I lived with freshman year. Our friendship has meant a lot to me over the years. And I would probably not have met such a diverse group of people if I had stayed in my town and commuted to a local school.
Thank you for this piece, Casey. This has been something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and it’s got me reflecting on how we might need to disentangle two things we’ve conflated: college as a place to learn skills and college as the place where young people figure out who they are. The price tag becomes impossible to justify when we’re talking about 18-year-olds who are just starting to ask the big questions about life being thrust into making decisions about the entire trajectory of their careers.
One alternative that I think deserves another look was floated during Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 presidential campaign: a national service program that would give young people options beyond military service or expensive education. The idea was to create opportunities in areas like community health, conservation, and infrastructure alongside traditional military routes. At the time, the only conversation I heard about it was people laughing and calling it out of touch, but I think it was ahead of its time.
It addresses the problem of what kids can do to buy some time before they figure out what they want and who they are. It would give young people a chance to grow up, contribute to their communities, and explore without the pressure to make the “right” choice while committing to six figures of debt or a military career that by definition isn’t for everyone.
The current system completely ignores the kids who know college is out of reach and know military isn’t right for them. They can end up without the kinds of networks and relationships you described as one of college’s intangible benefits, left only with whatever connections they happen to make at jobs they land without a degree.
And perhaps this national service idea could also educate the students in some of the areas we most desperately need better understanding: media literacy, civics, and emotional intelligence. As a supervisor in charge of hiring, I can tell you that someone who had just a year learning basic life skills is a lot more valuable than someone who spent four years studying a subject that may or may not align with the job requirements.
A national service option could fill that gap. I hope Mr. Buttigieg is still keeping that idea in his pocket if he’s considering a 2028 run.
I think the service model will only pick up steam. The civics equivalent of "everyone should have to work a year as a waiter"...
My son did not experience the greatest time in high school and was ready to be done with school. He bounced around jobs for a bit before I looked into AmeriCorps and encouraged him to do it if he passed all the medical stuff and got accepted. I really didn’t know what other options he would have. He did it. I was scared to send a kid who could barely keep track of his belongings from the kitchen to his bedroom, and had to send him on a plane that had flight changes. He was scared (as a game-playing, non-athlete) of the fitness program and being able to communicate effectively with his peers. The service was for 10 months, and at 30, he will tell you it’s the best thing he’s ever done. He was deeply saddened when Trump discontinued funding for the program, and I wonder if it’s even feasible to create a new program now.
Timothy, I love this vision. What if the service program also had some training in the style of apprenticeships (or pathways to them)? If participants were, like you detail in your model above, discussing the big questions within media literacy, civics, and emotional intelligence while also gaining practical skills needed in focus areas?
After we somehow rescue the Department of Education, building this would be a great start.
Again, also, consider a trade school.
Small businesses have come out of someone learning a skill very well and building a company out of that .
I agree
As someone who’s been committed to education for most of my career and just resigned from a role as Dean of instruction and faculty at a small private university - these are all factors in my decision not to seek reemployment in the field right now. We’re watching a significant cultural (as well as supply and demand) shift and an industry that appears unwilling to think strategically about the sustainability of its product.
As a parent of a teen just entering high school, most of our conversations about higher education are focused on the wide variety of options and how to discern which might make the most sense when it comes time to decide in a few years. This generation already thinks about traditional college very differently than my generation did, and it will hopefully serve them well.
Many other countries have 3-year undergraduate programs as the standard. I think the pilot 3-year programs in the US are a step long overdue.
I have worked at graduate schools on the research side for the majority of my career and number 4 really is so true. The researcher brings in more grants from outside sources but excellent teachers are very much needed. It's painful to watch a great researcher not be able to teach, especially when you know how intelligent they are.
I'm always glad that I went to college. I did get so many positives outside of just my education during that time. But my total cost was less than one year at my college now. And with the structure of student loans I still struggled to pay the minimum they wanted and pay off the debt. In today's world college would not be an option for me.
I think "college" is an overly broad generalization of higher education. Trade schools and other options are great alternatives for many young people, and there is a huge need. In my area it is really difficult to find trades, whether good plumbers and electricians for my home, or techs for my company. I also question the value of a four year degree for many study areas. However, in science and engineering I would argue a four year degree (or higher) is still needed, and has the payback (a lot of engineers start out at $80K or even $100K+/year depending on geography). Talking about these different scenarios differently and giving students/young people choices rather than making it an argument of college being "good" or "bad" for all would be more constructive.
Really insightful piece. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot as I start to look ahead to my son’s college path over the next five years.
One thing that’s hard to quantify but still really matters is network. I felt this personally. I went to a smaller SUNY for undergrad that was well regarded in Western New York but not very recognizable elsewhere, then later chose a nationally recognized private university with a strong alumni network for my MBA, and the biggest difference wasn’t the coursework but the visibility and connections.
I also wonder if part of the opportunity for four-year institutions going forward is leaning more intentionally into that connective value, not just job pipelines but real human relationships. We’re in a moment where we have more technology than ever and yet people feel more disconnected, especially the generations entering college now. Relational skills are one thing AI can’t replace, and they transfer across every career path, so schools that can actually name and teach that, instead of leaving it to chance, may have a real edge.
Thank you again for this - I’m glad someone on the inside is finally naming the issue!
Great analysis. Unless colleges and universities change their model to reflect changes in jobs, culture and economics they will continue to struggle. Burgat's third point about the outdated four-year-degree model was especially good. Making the goals and certification and degrees more modular and stackable is brilliant.
Thanks for the kind words, Mary!
This piece could not be more timely for me, personally. My son is a high school freshman with a big brain and bigger dreams. His younger sister is in the 8th grade with her own plans and ambitions. He has several paths he's exploring, and he knows that we, as a family, will need to have some tough conversations about the cost of the education he wants. I want him and his sister to have the very best and to have the opportunities I didn't have. I'm also realistic about the fact that my husband and I will be closer to retirement than I would like to admit by the time they graduate high school.
My daughter is easy right now. She wants to be a photographer, so she plans to attend community college in CA to learn about business and maybe take some photography classes. She is willing to do what she needs to in order to keep it as inexpensive as possible because she knows that for the most part, college isn't entirely necessary for what she wants in life.
My son is a little more complicated. :) His dreams center around politics, education, and the law. He's considering teaching history but wants to do that at the university level which means at least a masters if not a PhD. He's considering law school with the end goal of being on the bench. He's considering running for office but thinks that with the current political climate that having a deep understanding of constitutional law would be necessary. So, as you can imagine, his dreams and plans are expensive. I will say this, he's working with his guidance counselor to plan out how to complete as many college credits as possible while he's still in high school. But even with all that, we're still looking at 3-7 years of higher education and that comes at a pretty high price tag even with scholarships.
I don't know what the future holds beyond AP Euro History, and 10th grade Honors English, but I do know that crushing debt isn't something I want for my kids. I hope that universities listen to people like you and people like me. There is no real sustainable path that will allow universities to keep driving costs through the roof if they want to stay in business. If they continue, it will be at the expense of smart kids who aren't rich. Do we really want a future where only the elite can be educated beyond a high school degree? I honestly wonder sometimes if that isn't the end goal... I hope it's not, but I do wonder.
Allow me to be cynical for a moment - businesses often require college degrees because new employees with college debt are less mobile and more desperate for the job. Desperate employees are less likely to demand better wages or be able to leave if dissatisfied. College debt works to help limit the overall rate of white collar labor costs.
My son was accepted into a 3+2 speech language program, he will finish bachelors level work in 3 years be able to use undergraduate aid for his first year of masters work. I think that is also a good idea especially for fields of study that require a masters degree
We also have a duel degree program at GWU that allows students to graduate with a bachelor's and master's within five years, and with a fairly sizable discount. It's not as popular as I wish it were, but do think it's a great option for those who know they want (or need) a grad degree.
The times are a changing and one better learn to adapt to survive. If college isn't for you, then definitely go to a trade school and learn a skill that will earn a decent living for you ( and your family, if you are thinking of marriage)
Why not attend a public college? Kamala’s husband graduated from the same public California university as I did! We both have done well. I did it without loans, working full-time, with 2 kids and most of it done at night.
If you lived on campus the public college I went to was around $8K a year in the early 2000s. Now it's close to $20K. Currently just tuition, fees and books is more than $8K a year, not including housing. That is more doable but still a lot to think about. I do think the age of 'living' on campus might be over for a lot of people. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it does change things. Not everyone has a college close to them to attend in person classes either.
Commuter schools have always been available and a good choice for some students, but not having that first opportunity to live on one's own in somewhat of a safety-net environment, and with the opportunity make many close personal connections, is something that I honestly feel would be a real loss for many young people. My oldest is only a freshman in high school, but I have several friends whose children are older and in college right now, mostly attending commuter schools, and many of them describe their children as not connected to the university community and having made few to no friends...
Oh for sure - I went to a really small school (I think it was around 3000 students?) and the commuters stood out. I didn't know many of them - certainly partly my fault! But it is just different when you live on campus. I definitely learned a lot about life living on my 'own' for the first time. I worked a campus job until my senior year (when I got a job off campus) and those jobs taught me valuable lessons. Both about working and community. I know that community colleges, trade schools, etc will hopefully find ways to teach students those same things. But it is just a very different experience. I am lucky to still be friends with the same group of women I lived with freshman year. Our friendship has meant a lot to me over the years. And I would probably not have met such a diverse group of people if I had stayed in my town and commuted to a local school.