I was reading some posts on Quora this morning and came upon this question; ” Are people who graduated college with non-professional degrees and can’t get a job really shocked that they can’t get a decent paying job with their degree?” My first thought is that anyone who uses the phrase “graduated college” instead of “graduated from college” is suspect from the get go. Lack of fundamental language skills is going to be a problem. My second thought is wondering what is meant by a “non-professional degree”. As I think through my college catalogue I can’t think of any non-professional degrees – as far as I know they all can lead to a profession, even if that profession is primarily teaching. There are no “non-professional” degrees.

However, while the question doesn’t seem to make much sense, I think it is getting at an interesting question of whether or not a degree is about getting a job in a particular field, or about something else more fundamental (and valuable) than that. My understanding is that “non-professional” jobs are probably trade related jobs. There are trade schools for the purpose of learning a trade with the intention of getting a job in that trade. Many Community Colleges and apprenticeship programs specialize in training for a specific job or specific trade. Of course many universities also focus on future jobs, but that is in addition to gaining a general education. For example, medical schools are in the business of creating doctors, forestry departments are creating foresters etc. However, most departments are doing something a little different – they are in the business of providing knowledge and skills useful for learning more. It is more about learning a way of thinking than it is about a specific body of knowledge.

My degree in physics certainly didn’t provide an education sufficient to get me a job as a physicist – it helped me gain knowledge that is indispensable for a physicist, but while that is necessary – it is not sufficient. There is still a lot of “experience” required to get a professional job as a physicist. With my degree in physics I have a background that when coupled with appropriate experience (scientific and life experiences), enthusiasm and personality helped open many doors – most of which have nothing to do with physics. The same seems to be true of all college degrees. It is just like with high school – it provides a necessary background but only allows opportunities to step onto a path forward, it is not sufficient on its own.

I wonder if perhaps the main value of a college degree is providing a background and approach to problem solving that allows a person to be accepted into a social group (network) of people that act as “gatekeepers” to a profession. If this is the case, then perhaps the “fluff” courses (English, math, basic science, history, music, theater, philosophy, etc) are as important, or often more important, than the core courses in a major field. These courses result in a much more “rounded” knowledge forming the basis of commonality, and community, with those in a chosen field. Not only can we talk about physics, but perhaps we can talk about music, history, world politics, psychology, etc. as well. (Physics might be a bad example considering the rather high percentage of physics geniuses that are pretty far into the “nerd” syndrome).

From the point of view of a society, such as America, a educated populace is the country’s most valuable asset. Almost all aspects of the world have become so complicated, complex and technical that they cannot be managed without a broad and deep understanding of many topics. I was almost going to say that a college education makes it easier, and more likely, to separate truth from fiction – but the last decade of two in America seems to disprove that contention. The willingness to accept and spread “fake news” (false information) seems to be based upon something other than “school learning.” I know several PhD’s and MD’s that seem to have trouble sorting fact from fiction. Maybe a good education doesn’t help with that, but it certainly helps do many technical, and not so technical, jobs.

The bottom line is that while a college degree is necessary for many jobs, it is not sufficient. In addition, while many jobs requiring a college degree don’t actually depend upon that knowledge, it sure makes the world a more interesting place. Obviously there are no jobs that depend upon a college background, self-learners have always been able to learn what is needed on their own. It is harder that way, but possible for those that are bright and dedicated enough to do it.

I do have a concern about the cost of a college education these days. Is it really worth it? If the reason for college from the government’s point of view is to have an educated population in order to function and be competitive, then the government should pick up much (or most) of the tab. If the purpose for a college education is to provide an educated workforce for industry, then industry should pick up the tab. If the purpose of a college education is personal interest, then perhaps the students should pick up the tab and the number of students reduced by a factor of 10,000 or so. As it is, students do all of the work, students pay all of the expenses, and the government/industry complex reaps the benefits. I think students should get paid for their efforts (“work”) in gaining an education. After-all, the main point is to enhance society – not enhance job skills for individuals.