A Matter of Degrees

Americans value few things more than a college degree. But what exactly do they do for people? Although college graduates have higher incomes, the reasons for our ever-increasing need to acquire educational credentials are tied to social and cultural forces that go well beyond the actual skills and abilities cultivated in college.

online resources

podcast interview

Listen to an interview with Beaver about this article on the Contexts Podcast!

A waste of money?

Beaver writes that it’s hard to know the actual value of a college degree these days. Author and career counselor Marty Nemko has an even stronger opinion, arguing that most college students pursuing 4 year degrees or simply wasting their money. See his article in the Chronicle of Higher Education here and listen to his interview with npr here.

Joe the blue-collar career counselor

With degree inflation seemingly on the rise, one working Joe is encouraging people to forgo college in favor of a blue-collar career.