Does College Matter?

Does College Matter? A Philosophical Debate
By The Liberal Arts Dude

I recently saw a blog entry that attempted to answer that question. I invite you to check it out here. I’d like to take a stab at answering that question myself.

Does college matter? I would say it depends on what perspective you look at the issue. If you consider, for example, that a college degree is pretty much your ticket to the professional, white-collar world:

1) So you can obtain your first entry-level job
2) Once you are at that job, the credential that will justify your being promoted
3) When you are in competition for the same position with a non-degree holder, will be the deciding factor in you getting the position.
4) So you can go to graduate school if you would like to do that

So from a strictly utilitarian perspective of being your ticket to the world of work, college does matter. As a credential that is needed to gain entry—like a passport, social security number, or some other important document you need to make things easier in negotiating the Real World.

There is also a school of thought, most recently represented by this article from the Chronicle of Higher Education that has a different perspective on education. Proponents of this point of view say that an education, particularly a Liberal Arts education, should be considered more than a ticket to the world of work. More than just job training, an education should teach people how to lifelong learners, how to be intellectually curious, expose them to the diversity of other cultures and intellectual perspectives that they otherwise would not encounter in life, expose them to works of art, literature, social thought and other great products of our civilization. Does this perspective of college matter?

I would say that this is an old-fashioned perspective. A classical view, even of what an education is supposed to accomplish—a thoughtful, intellectually curious, sophisticated and worldly individual. My question to the proponents of the classical view is this: are the thousands of dollars in student loans the student will collect in the process of getting an education enough to justify what they actually get? I don’t mean what they can theoretically get or potentially get—but the quality and intellectual depth of the education they actually get? Does college still matter if you put a dollar amount in the equation as the price tag of your education?

I ask these questions because part of the equation missing from the classical view is that (at least in the US) college education costs thousands and thousands of dollars. Most students take out hefty student loans and work throughout their summer breaks just to raise enough money to attend college. Is becoming a more well-rounded and sophisticated person worth all those thousands of dollars? I don’t know. But I want the proponents of the classical view to be honest about what they’re selling—and that is exactly what they do when they say these benefits of college—they’re selling the university experience as something worthwhile. Yet they often gloss over or totally ignore the fact that this worldly sophistication comes at a premium.

Sorry for being so strident but I usually encounter proponents of the classical view as looking down or even being dismissive of people who hold the utilitarian perspective. They say boiling down the benefits of college strictly along the lines of a ticket to a job is crass. I say: what happens when the job market doesn’t have a place for you after you graduate other than washing dishes, serving food in a restaurant, or flipping burgers? You can be the most erudite, sophisticated, worldly and learned person out there but if you end up at the bottom of the service economy in the job market—and with 40 grand in student loans to boot—the theoretical value of an education put forward by the classical proponents sure as hell won’t matter. You’re still making barely above minimum wage at the very bottom of the job market.

So my answer to the question “does college matter?”—yes it does. But I favor the utilitarian perspective of having your ticket punched to enter the world of work. The classical view of producing learned individuals—I would say cool if you come out of college more knowledgeable, worldly and sophisticated. More power to you. However, in seeking your intellectual bliss, don’t forget that you will eventually graduate and you will enter the job market so you can pay off your student loans. The best educational experience should have prepared you for that eventuality. If it hasn’t then there is something terribly wrong.

Copyright 2005

Book Review

Book Review: The Big Sister’s Guide to the World of Work: The Inside Rules Every Working Girl Must Know by Marcelle DiFalco and Jocelyn Greenky Herz
By The Liberal Arts Dude

If you have a kid sister about to graduate from college or who is working their first job and you are considering something to give them, this is the perfect gift. Come to think of it, I would recommend this book not just to women but to men as well. This is absolutely one of the best books I have ever read on negotiating the unwritten and often unspoken rules of workplace politics and dealing with your boss. It is a great advice book which I would recommend in a heartbeat to anyone.

The book is primarily geared to female entry-level workers—those who start out their professional lives as “Someone’s Assistant” in their job title. The authors are wildly successful by most professional standards: Jocelyn was Director of New Media for Hachette Filipacchi, a big media firm and Marcelle was editor in chief of Eating Well magazine. As of the time after the book was written and published, each has her own consulting firm. Both started out as lowly assistants and rose through the ranks of the corporate world, mentoring and giving advice on how to be successful to countless women (and men) along the way. They condensed and collected the advice they have given into a book.

I read the book cover to cover and I must say it is jampacked with excellent, practical, realistic advice. So much good stuff I would have to re-write it to give you the full scope of how good it is. Here are some highlights:

• The difference between someone who is miserable in their job and not getting anywhere and one who is happy and is going somewhere boils down to attitude and political instinct. If you have a toxic or a negative attitude, no matter how hard you work or how talented you are, people (read: including those in power and authority) will avoid and ignore you. It is up to you to create the image and attitude that will make you visible to your colleagues in a positive way.

• The Backscratch: a mutual exchange of favors from one colleague to another. “The more favors you do, the more people who favor you, the more favorable your reputation.” If you’re gonna play this game, though, be aware there are unwritten rules to it. And the authors show you those rules (p.25)

• Chat and Hum: The dreaded word “networking” defined – but in terms that are actually useful and easy to understand. Networking, according to the authors, is actually just Chatting—having meaningless conversations; and Humming—a state where as a result of favorable chats, two people establish a relationship where they mutually like each other. As with anything, there are unwritten rules to Chatting and Humming (p. 42)

There is a chapter on how to survive and perform well on a job interview. There is another chapter on how to fit in to your new environment as a new hire. Another chapter on establishing a positive and visible reputation in the office (appropriately enough, titled: “Be a Girl with a Reputation”). A particularly useful series of chapters is on verbal and nonverbal communication and how most entry-level workers flub it when it comes to saying what they mean at the office. If you notice you aren’t getting any respect at the office, chances are you are presenting yourself in an awkward, immature, or an otherwise, self-defeating way. The authors’ advice—you can change that by changing your demeanor—your posture, they way you dress, the way you carry yourself, the way you communicate both verbally and non-verbally.

Chapter 8 is titled “Who to Trust?” – the chapter is all of one page and simply says “No one.” Very wise and very true advice. There is a chapter on planning so you are always in focus of your life and where your work and career fit in it; a chapter on how to relate to your boss; how to deal with conflict and mean people; and finally, dos and donts in the office.

I can’t even begin to do justice to how spot on the advice the authors give in the book. That is why I am encouraging you to get a copy and to read it—and pass it on to anyone you know who seems like they are struggling to find their bearing in the world of office politics or who are poised to enter that arena pretty soon. I only have two criticisms of the book and they are pretty minor ones:

• The language can be somewhat too cutesy and can be off putting. I must admit I got annoyed at first when words and expressions like “sistah,” “uppity-uppers,” “nah nah nah nah goo goo” were used. But I promise if you slog through them you will find the annoyingness factor disappear and you will read the book to be the gem it is.

• For a book purporting to be supportive of women, I found that both women and men are stereotyped in many ways. Men, for example, are portrayed as being all into sports, naturally politically savvy in the office, and highly competitive and aggressive in conflicts but are able to shrug it off and not take it personally. Women are emotional, not naturally adept at office political games, and for the most part need to be conditioned and taught how to communicate effectively. Not true for many men and women I personally know.

In any case, despite these minor quibbles, I highly recommend this book. Five stars out of five.

Copyright 2005

Informational Interviews

Just thought I'd share a particularly good insight from an online chat this morning

Quote from a recent online chat at the Washington Post by Amy Joyce

Informational interviews: Amy, someone asked you at the end of a recent chat about informational interviews. I've done several this summer as part of my job search and wanted to share what I've learned.

I think they're most useful for practice interviewing (we all need that, right?) and for learning more about current issues and buzzwords in an industry, especially if you're looking to make an industry shift.

The absolute best way to get an informational interview is by getting a referral from someone you know. People seem very suspicious otherwise, but are much more willing to talk if you can say, "So-and-so suggested I contact you about my interest in your field." Do this by e-mail, then follow up by phone.

Expect the process to take a looong time. People won't get back to you right away, will be busy, will be on vacation, etc., but generally they will get back to you eventually.

Don't make the informational interview a thinly veiled job pitch. But do ask for a referral at the end of the interview: "Can you recommend anyone else who might be helpful for me to talk to?" Everyone I spoke to gave me at least one name, some gave me many, and then I had that referral I needed to call someone else.

What I got out of my informational interview quest was a lot of contacts (though no job offers) and an ability to talk really fluently about the industry I'm in, which helps me feel more confident in approaching job interviews (which I'm finding in the traditional ways, e.g., newspaper, etc.).

Good luck!

Amy Joyce: Thank you! People often ask about info interviews... how to get them, what to do with them, etc. This is great info. Thanks for sharing.

Inactive for a While

Inactive for a While

Hello all. Sorry I haven't posted much lately. Lots of things happening in the world these days, chief of which is the recent disaster of Hurricane Katrina in the Southern part of the US. I've been glued to the news for several days just watching how things unfold. Needless to say, my Liberal Arts-induced angst seems to pale in comparison to the very real and concrete tragedies that have happened due to the hurricane and I just haven't felt like writing anything lately.

Also I start a new adventure in my life next week. On September 10 I will take my first step in a classroom in 12 years as a degree student as I enter the American University weekend master's program in Public Communication. I am a bit excited but also nervous. I have been out of school for more than a decade. I feel that my study and classroom skills may be a bit rusty. Hopefully I will do OK.

Most of my classmates are like me -- working professionals in their 30s with significant work experience under their belts seeking to either move up in the field of Communications or are working adults in another profession seeking to shift their career focus from another area to Communications work. I fall a bit in between, as I already have the technical skills used in Communications -- desktop publishing, some writing and editing, graphic design skills, web development, etc. What I lack is serious training and exposure to content development. Hopefully this degree program will narrow that gap. And it doesn't hurt to boot that it's a master's degree. So for those of you who are late bloomers like me, it's not too late to get your graduate degree. I waited 12 years before I started my program. And I don't feel like my 12 years in the job market was wasted time. In fact, I feel that working for that long only made the decision to go to grad school that much easier in terms of solidifying exactly my reasons for going.

We shall find out as I go along with my masters program how often I can update the blog. I AM working a fulltime job, and juggling family life along with the masters program. And add to that making a serious stab at learning guitar really well :-) So you see I got a full plate.

Anyway please continue to read the blog. I promise to update it as much as I can and hopefully the new changes in my life will allow for some interesting writing.

The Liberal Arts Dude