Education Roads Less Traveled

Every year, large numbers of American young people who are not terribly interested in attending a four-year college reluctantly enroll anyway, effectively pressured by combinations of parents, peers, teachers, guidance counselors, and the normative air they breathe. More than occasionally, they wind up confirming that collegiate life is not for them and, sooner or later, drop out. From there, again more than occasionally, they find themselves unemployed or underemployed, in big-time student debt, and quite possibly feeling like a failure.Cratered paths like these routinely stunt entries to middle-class jobs and careers. These are often needless delays and losses, because other education and career routes are primed to better serve millions of young men and women, especially those who enjoy working with their hands. Taking advantage of these routes also simultaneously enriches our economy.Digging deeply into issues like these is the book’s main aim. Helping teenagers think through what they want to do with their lives occupationally is its main educational mission. Recognizing the economic and other dangers posed by severe skill gaps, made worse by the retirement of skilled baby boomers, adds urgency to the mix.

Mitch Pearlstein is correct, a four-year college isn’t for everyone.  Every parent who thinks that’s’ true for other people’s kids, but not their own, should read this critically important book.  Pearlstein’s data-driven examination shows why current norms and notions that nearly everyone should go to college are recipes for disappointment for millions and serious impediments to economic growth., Mitch Pearlstein knows how to make a convincing case. This time it is about why we should expose more young Americans to the many educational opportunities and career pathways that exist outside of the traditional four-year college route., It’s a miracle that such an important book is also such a joy to read.  It is the key to improving millions of lives, financially and in terms of self-respect, and to strengthening our country as well.  Pearlstein sees a major crisis that has been overlooked for far too long.  And he tells us, wisely, how to overcome it. His message is brilliant—and urgent., Mitch Pearlstein is on to something very important: college education is not for everyone--but everyone should enter adulthood with a skill that can earn them a decent income, and help them support a family. If we are serious about making America into a country of prosperity for all, we need to give a serious listen to what Mitch has to say., Mitch Pearlstein has penned a timely and very useful book about why many now find college to be more obstacle than opportunity. Notably, in an era when many are quick to demonize higher education or rush to its defense, he manages to do neither. Instead, he thoughtfully examines the landscape, suggest practical options, and sketches a promising path forward.

Mitch Pearlstein is a Senior Fellow with Center of the American Experiment, a think tank he founded in Minnesota in 1990, and for which he served as president for nearly 25 years. His previous books include Riding into the Sunrise: Al Quie and a Life of Faith, Service, and Civility; From Family Collapse to America’s Decline: The Educational, Economic, and Social Costs of Family Fragmentation; and Broken Bonds: What Family Fragmentation Means for America’s Future.