Bachelor's degree vs associate's degree
01/09/12 10:42
Q. Do you think that getting a bachelor’s degree is a lot better than getting an associate degree at a two-year college?
A. I do. But, I think that college degrees are overrated. Knowledge is what matters.
The issue in the 21st century is whether you will be smarter than a computer or less smart. You may have noticed that technology is playing an increasingly large role in our lives and economy. Computers are doing the work humans used to do. Computers are even putting some people right out of work. But, you already knew this.
So, that leaves two groups of people in this country; those without knowledge greater than computers, who will see their job opportunities decline in the decades ahead because of the growth of technology; and those you have the mental ability to do what computers can’t.
But looking beyond just who gets jobs, for years there has been the cry for more plumbers and more electricians. “We need them and their job pays well.” True, there will always be a need for plumbers and electricians, at least for another decade. But, when I look at all of the complex issues this world faces today – economic, environmental, political, international, educational, cultural, energy, and education issues – I see a need for very smart people. The great demand in the years ahead will be for people with the thinking skills and reasoning skills and creative thought and interpersonal skills and judgment and broad perspective to address these very complex issues. We may not have a choice about this.
Computer decisions are binary. They are either on or off, yes or no, one or zero. As Bowdoin-graduate George Mitchell struggles to make a better world in the Middle East, his decisions are not binary. As Steve Jobs struggles to create a better iPad, his decisions are not binary, even though his products are. As President Obama struggles to figure out how and whom to support in Libya and Bahrain and Yemen and Egypt, his decisions are not binary. These decisions are neither black or white, right or wrong, on or off. They are complex.
To answer your question. I like a bachelor’s degree better than an associate degree because it is more education. Are two years of post-secondary education great? They are. Four years are even greater. Whenever our economy gets bad, this country loses its courage to believe in the value of a liberal arts education – an education that develops a broad range of knowledge and thinking skills. Two years of post-secondary education may give you the skills to fix a computer. Four years may give you the ability to fix a computer and design a computer that is used in a new way that creates a new demand in new markets around the world. Is one more valuable than another? I don’t know. But, I do know that the real strength of this country is and always has been our ability to create and solve and innovate. Those are not binary. Whenever we lose our courage in this country, we start clamoring for more hard-skill training. “We are losing all our jobs to China or India or somewhere. We need better technical skills!” At the same time, countries all over the world are quietly sending their students to the US to gain the soft and higher level skills that our colleges and universities develop so well.
Can you gain these higher-level skills in two years of college? Of course you can, but more education gives you more ability to build higher-level skills from a solid foundation.
I know. Now, you are going to remind me that college is expensive, and two-year community colleges are usually a lot cheaper than four-year colleges. This country likes to whine about outrageous debt for college graduates. So, let’s talk money. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that someone with a bachelor’s degree earns on average about $14,000 each year more over a lifetime than someone with only an associate degree. Maybe a year at a community college costs about $4000. Maybe a year at a public university costs almost $20,000. I encourage you to attend whatever college offers the best program to help you pursue the career that interests you most, but before you argue that a two-year college is better than a four-year college for financial reasons, do the math.
Whatever your job, you will spend a lifetime learning. Some people choose to load up with two years of knowledge before they enter the world of work; others choose four or more. The more knowledge the better, and the better chance you have of ending up on the winning side of technology and the better chance we all have of ending up on the winning side of complex local and global issues ahead of us.
A. I do. But, I think that college degrees are overrated. Knowledge is what matters.
The issue in the 21st century is whether you will be smarter than a computer or less smart. You may have noticed that technology is playing an increasingly large role in our lives and economy. Computers are doing the work humans used to do. Computers are even putting some people right out of work. But, you already knew this.
So, that leaves two groups of people in this country; those without knowledge greater than computers, who will see their job opportunities decline in the decades ahead because of the growth of technology; and those you have the mental ability to do what computers can’t.
But looking beyond just who gets jobs, for years there has been the cry for more plumbers and more electricians. “We need them and their job pays well.” True, there will always be a need for plumbers and electricians, at least for another decade. But, when I look at all of the complex issues this world faces today – economic, environmental, political, international, educational, cultural, energy, and education issues – I see a need for very smart people. The great demand in the years ahead will be for people with the thinking skills and reasoning skills and creative thought and interpersonal skills and judgment and broad perspective to address these very complex issues. We may not have a choice about this.
Computer decisions are binary. They are either on or off, yes or no, one or zero. As Bowdoin-graduate George Mitchell struggles to make a better world in the Middle East, his decisions are not binary. As Steve Jobs struggles to create a better iPad, his decisions are not binary, even though his products are. As President Obama struggles to figure out how and whom to support in Libya and Bahrain and Yemen and Egypt, his decisions are not binary. These decisions are neither black or white, right or wrong, on or off. They are complex.
To answer your question. I like a bachelor’s degree better than an associate degree because it is more education. Are two years of post-secondary education great? They are. Four years are even greater. Whenever our economy gets bad, this country loses its courage to believe in the value of a liberal arts education – an education that develops a broad range of knowledge and thinking skills. Two years of post-secondary education may give you the skills to fix a computer. Four years may give you the ability to fix a computer and design a computer that is used in a new way that creates a new demand in new markets around the world. Is one more valuable than another? I don’t know. But, I do know that the real strength of this country is and always has been our ability to create and solve and innovate. Those are not binary. Whenever we lose our courage in this country, we start clamoring for more hard-skill training. “We are losing all our jobs to China or India or somewhere. We need better technical skills!” At the same time, countries all over the world are quietly sending their students to the US to gain the soft and higher level skills that our colleges and universities develop so well.
Can you gain these higher-level skills in two years of college? Of course you can, but more education gives you more ability to build higher-level skills from a solid foundation.
I know. Now, you are going to remind me that college is expensive, and two-year community colleges are usually a lot cheaper than four-year colleges. This country likes to whine about outrageous debt for college graduates. So, let’s talk money. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that someone with a bachelor’s degree earns on average about $14,000 each year more over a lifetime than someone with only an associate degree. Maybe a year at a community college costs about $4000. Maybe a year at a public university costs almost $20,000. I encourage you to attend whatever college offers the best program to help you pursue the career that interests you most, but before you argue that a two-year college is better than a four-year college for financial reasons, do the math.
Whatever your job, you will spend a lifetime learning. Some people choose to load up with two years of knowledge before they enter the world of work; others choose four or more. The more knowledge the better, and the better chance you have of ending up on the winning side of technology and the better chance we all have of ending up on the winning side of complex local and global issues ahead of us.