New survey data from the nonprofit American Student Assistance shows that teen interest in college is down while interest in nondegree paths is on the rise.
Meanwhile, parents are skeptical of options outside the traditional college pathway to work.
Nearly half of all students surveyed – 45% – weren’t interested in going to college. About 14% said they planned to attend trade or technical schools, apprenticeships and technical boot camp programs, and 38% were considering those options.
66% of teens surveyed said parents supported their plans to pursue a nondegree route, compared with 82% whose parents encouraged them to attend college.
If you go to college, the degree you get also matters. Professions requiring a degree “just because” is gone. Now the only degrees worthwhile are those where that’s the only way into a specific profession, like medicine.
That’s utterly false. I still constantly see requirements listing a four-year degree, but not in any program.
Tell me you’ve never applied to medical school without telling me you’ve never applied to medical school.