Where The Jobs Are
by Jerry Jasinowski
Contrary to popular opinion, there are in fact many good jobs that do not require a four-year college degree – some 30 million paying more than $35,000 a year at last count. Most of these jobs can be found by getting a community college skills certificate, directly contacting companies where you want a job, applying for apprenticeships, and other avenues different than the four year university.
In this increasingly high tech world, one needs specialized skills to earn a decent living. Workers who lack higher education earn significantly less than those who do, but it is also becoming increasingly clear that even a four-year degree does not automatically lead to rewarding employment. Our world is filled with cab drivers and bartenders with college degrees.
A growing number of young people are catching on to this reality. Instead of pursuing four-year degrees, they are entering apprenticeships or signing up for community college programs that teach useful job skills. Between 2000 and 2014, the number of career-focused certificates awarded by community colleges in fields such as electronics engineering, emergency management and video production more than doubled. Many of these community college programs are designed to train workers for manufacturing careers. Often people with associate degrees from community colleges earn more money than graduates of four-year institutions.
I have long advocated more and better training programs to guide bright young people into manufacturing careers where opportunity abounds. There is also growing demand for people in high tech fields such cyber. But one cannot major in manufacturing or cyber at a four-year university. At that level, the professors are theoreticians with little practical knowledge to convey to students. The Yale psychologist Roger Shank said university faculty are generally not interested in the pragmatic concerns of their students. “I once proposed a job related course of study when I was at Yale and was told by President Bart Giamatti, “We don’t do training, Roger,’ said Shank.
The U.S. Department of Defense needs 10,000 cyber attackers and knows better than to go looking for them at universities. Likely candidates tend to be nerds estranged from the traditional education pathways. In fact, the Pentagon finds many of the best candidates in special education or reform school. Meanwhile, the U.K. offices of Ernst &Young have announced they will stop requiring degrees for prospects, but instead will offer online testing and search for talented individuals regardless of background. E&Y has determined there is no correlation between success at a university and success in careers.
In sum, there is a growing perception that traditional four-year universities not only fail to prepare students for real jobs, but are increasingly aloof from the world outside the ivied halls. Academia is increasingly seen as a place to squander large amounts of time and money if your family has time and money to squander. But for serious people who need to find lucrative employment, you need to look at community colleges, technical training schools, and companies that offer apprenticeships as the best place to find jobs today.
Jerry Jasinowski, an economist and author, served as President of the National Association of Manufacturers for 14 years and later The Manufacturing Institute. Jerry is available for speaking engagements. August 2017
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