College for some
Higher education should only be for people who like money and living longer.
College isn't for everyone.
Said no one ever to the kids of middle-class families.
On the surface, the push for alternatives to college sounds fair, logical, inclusive, and even progressive. After all, a four-year degree isn't necessary for many pursuits that interest students.
If I graduated high school this year, none of the most common college majors on the list below would resonate with me.
I mean, boooorrring.
Each degree program is a relatively expensive career path, with starting salaries ranging from ok to pretty good. College makes sense if you are intrinsically inclined toward engineering, business, or education. If you want to own a boxing gym or fix computers, maybe not.
Americans are skeptical about the traditional college pathway as a guaranteed route to economic stability. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, only 25% of U.S. adults believe a four-year degree is significant for securing a well-paying job, while 35% say it is somewhat important, and 40% view it as not too or not at all important. Nearly half of respondents feel that a college degree is less critical for financial success now than 20 years ago, compared to 32% who think it is more important and 17% who say its importance has remained the same.
The narrative that "college isn't for everyone" is taking root, but it's not applied evenly. Middle-class and affluent families steer their kids toward four-year degrees and leadership lifestyles. Meanwhile, marginalized students are increasingly told to explore other options. That isn't just a rhetorical shift—it's a material one, and the consequences are massive.
I'm sensitive that when college alternatives become the default for marginalized students, they aren't expanding choice—they're limiting it.
The College Remains Supreme
College skepticism will predictably relieve disadvantaged students of high expectations for the tools of upward mobility.
And, yet, the benefits of a college degree are staggering. Financially, bachelor's degree holders earn an average of $32,000 more annually than those with only a high school diploma. Over a lifetime, that's about $625,000 in additional income—even after factoring in tuition and lost earnings during school.
But it's not just the paycheck.
College graduates are 47% more likely to receive employer-provided health insurance, 72% more likely to have access to retirement plans, and, during economic downturns, their unemployment rates are roughly half those of high school graduates.
And then there are the broader benefits:
College graduates live longer, report better health, volunteer, vote, and participate more actively in their communities. The value of higher education goes beyond individual gain. It ripples outward, strengthening families, neighborhoods, and entire cities.
College isn't the only path, but it's a critical one. Every student deserves the option to take it.
College vs. Career Pathways: Why Not Both?
There's a troubling history here. Decades ago, low expectations and systemic biases tracked low-income students—often Black and Latino students—into less lucrative futures. High school counselors didn't faithfully present college as an option. Vocational training was framed as their best bet. These pathways weren't empowering; they diverted too many college-qualified young people into lower earnings and reduced lives.
I won't argue against career and technical education (CTE). I support high-quality CTE programs because they are critical for providing students with practical skills and direct entry into the workforce. However, CTE programs shouldn't be seen as a substitute for college but as a viable option on their own—no, in contrast to college. Students should have access to multiple pathways and the information they need to choose the one that fits their goals.
That's the key: choice. Actual choice means not assuming that certain kids will skip college simply because it seems "not for them." True choice means ensuring all students can weigh their options equally regardless of income, race, or ZIP code.
High Standards, Better Opportunities
Here's the hard truth: saying "college isn't for everyone" often lets us off the hook. It allows us to avoid the more challenging work of making college more accessible, affordable, and effective. It shifts the focus away from the systemic changes we need to make higher education work better for more people.
Instead of selling students short, we should:
Expand access to college prep programs: Ensure all students, particularly those in underfunded schools, access advanced coursework and college counseling.
Invest in financial aid: Eliminate the barriers preventing low-income students from considering college.
Elevate career and technical education: Build high-quality CTE programs that don't limit students but open doors to further education if they choose it.
The Real Question
It's easy to say, "College isn't for everyone," especially for advocates who love finding the next education maxim that will lead to the next funding opportunity. We should balance the need for college alternatives that prepare students for gainful lives with an eye on how that focus historically tracked students into stations beneath their potential. We tracked students into certain futures based on race, class, and geography. The results were predictable: limited opportunities for many, compounding wealth and privilege for a few.
Sticking to education fundamentals and honoring that college is still among the best poverty-busting enterprises is better advice than caving to the premise that it isn't viable for as many students as we previously believed.
I concede that college isn't for everybody.
Just for people who like money and want to live longer.