Here in the US, we have this traditional model for education. The one where you get your Bachelor's, probably a Master's too, and massive amounts of debt. While technology is becoming increasingly important in every aspect of life, your classes are probably going to use outdated methods to teach you. Then the only time you seek more education is when you or your company pays for some expensive professional development class or certification training. Maybe you'll also attend a conference at a hotel where no one really learns anything, and all parties involved have a wasted a lot of money for you to sit around and consume the burnt coffee and subpar food. But you did get away from the office for a couple of days, which is delightful, because you hate your job.

This model is dying. Or if it's not in fact dying, it needs to. I'm supposedly part of this progressive (and notorious) "Generation Y", yet save a few, we're also still stuck in this last century thinking. Our parents and grandparents have always emphasized the importance of a college education, but does this mindset still make sense now that a degree is worth so much less compared to just a few decades ago? The people who are making money are the ones who thought outside the box, the creators. In these not-so-rosy economic times, we're witnessing a vicious cycle of young people unable to get the work they want, so they pay insane tuition and fees to go back to school. They believe another degree is the answer. After graduation, when they need money more than ever to pay back their loans, they still can't find an ideal job. Now the labor pool is flooded with people who have postgraduate degrees and are desperate for work. Employers are overwhelmed with the number of applicants and, in response, demand higher qualifications as a way to filter the applications. Yet higher education institutions continue selling something that doesn't exist-- a guarantee of a better future. Something's gotta give. 

We are in a higher education bubble, and it's going to burst soon. Colleges need to rethink the way they do business and how they educate their students, instead of giving them false hope that postgraduate degrees are an "investment" and that companies will be lining up to hire them. They need to do a better job of giving their students the tools and skills they need for the real world, at a cheaper price. I have faith that academic leaders are becoming more savvy and will come up with a better model, but it's not going to be a quick fix.

My peers get extremely defensive when I talk about this, because most of them went for postgraduate degrees. It isn't their fault, and they shouldn't regret it if their degree didn't get them the job they wanted. This isn't about individual cases. This is a far bigger problem. It's a national belief, and we're all seduced by colleges' promises of awesome job opportunities. There are definitely some postgraduate programs that are exceptions, but overall, higher education as it is right now is not sustainable. The system will, and has to, change. People are going to keep buying into it for the time being regardless, but at least stop and really weigh your options before you jump into an expensive postgraduate program just because you don't like your job. The slow transformation of higher education may not be in your control, but there is plenty of other things you can do to better yourself, and even better the world.

You might think this is your cue to use colleges/the economy/Wall Street/"the man" as your excuse to do nothing. There are other things you can do besides going back to school. Check back next week-- I'll be making some suggestions on what you can do.