Is University Education Useful?
Hey there! The article you’re about to read is a summary of what I covered in an episode of the Ideas and More podcast. If you like this post and are more interested, feel free to check out the links at the end of this blog. Enjoy!
Why do we go to university? What’s the underlying purpose driving this decision? Recently I’ve been giving this a decent amount of thought and I realised that university has become some sort of a societal norm. The norm goes something like this: you finish years 11 and 12 of high school, then go to university. In fact, in most cases, the university process begins before the end of high school. But amidst all the college applications and SAT exam results, people seem to have forgotten one crucial element. Why?
The real question
Why don’t we ask our 17–18 year old teenagers whether or not they want to go to university? The Australian Financial Review conducted a survey of around 1100 students to rate their university experience. Nearly, 50% of respondents stated that they did not believe the course they were studying was worth the money it cost; and 37% of international students felt that they had not learnt enough to be job ready (Bolton, 2019).
Rather than talking about the high rates of depression and anxiety amongst university students these days, I’d like to talk about something deeper. Is university meant for everyone? Based on what I’ve seen, definitely not. How often have you come across someone who complains about how university is a waste of time? How it doesn’t teach you any practical knowledge, or that it didn’t get them a job? Is that what university is? A one way ticket to getting a job?
The daunting choice
I remember when I was in high school, I wanted to work for a business. With time, that interest changed to consulting, to marketing and now advertising. High school graduates often come to university thinking they have to pursue one specific career path, one that is fixed for life. However, a report by the US Department of Education revealed that 33% of bachelor’s degree students in 2011–12 changed their degree at least once by 2014. One in ten students, changed majors twice; and STEM fields, i.e. (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students were more likely to switch majors vs. non-stem field students (Lederman, 2017). Why this discrepancy?
In case you’re wondering, I’m not one of those people who regrets coming to university. Frankly, I think it was one of the best decisions of my life given how much I’ve grown and learned over the past three years. I do believe though, that this societal norm of going to university, sometimes merely for the sake of going to university, can be potentially counter-productive and even a waste of time. Sure, a lot of high school graduates take a year off to travel and figure out what they want; but for the most bit, it’s simply following the herd.
What’s the point?
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