Delaying the inevitable

With the second-highest unemployment rate in the nation, the future of this current batch of Oregonian college students looks bleak. Four-year public and private schools have become a way for people to escape the reality of their situation. While a four-year degree is usually the most desirable option, it may not be the best considering the current climate.

Oregon’s seven public universities have reached record enrollment at 91,580 students, despite state budget decreases and tuition hikes. The state’s 12 percent unemployment rate has students, young and old, seeking degrees in hope of landing jobs in a market that officials say can’t support them. Perhaps the economy will change for the better during the next two to four years but, for now, students are being trained for jobs that aren’t there. Every class students attend pushes them ever closer to the “real world” of job interviews and bills.

Art Ayre, Oregon state labor economist, explained in The Oregonian that this state has “a substantial amount of jobs that do not require higher education.” Across the nation, however, there is a shortage of people with the skills to take the place of those who retire, according to Ayre. A community college, rather than a four-year university, would provide job seekers with the skills needed to fill those roles.

As Ayre puts it, community college enrollment is a good “barometer for the state of the economy.” When there is a boom, potential students get jobs instead. During a recession, they return to school. Portland Community College’s enrollment is up 16 percent this year, a sign that job seekers are looking to make themselves more valuable in an increasingly competitive market. Pamela Murray, dean of workforce and economic development at PCC, admitted to The Oregonian, “While we are still training people, the job market isn’t going to be able to support them necessarily when they come out.”

Portland Community College has added a 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. welding class this spring to handle the large influx of students interested in learning the trade. According to the Oregon Employment Department, welding and nursing are the most highly desired occupations by employers in Oregon. But even these recession resilient jobs are bowing to the slow economy.

Another alternative to a four-year university is to find an entry-level position or internship in a field that interests you. Both are ways to learn the skills you need while networking and deciding if that particular career path is for you. Direct employment with a company will grant job seekers an understanding that can’t be learned fully in a classroom.

“There isn’t a problem finding individuals to get those jobs because Oregon is an attractive place, the question is will they have enough skills,” Ayre said in the Oregonian. “That’s not just a higher education issue, it’s a job skills issue.”

Once upon a time, college was difficult to get into. It was a privilege, not an opportunity, to duck out of the workforce for a few more years. Jobs didn’t demand that workers go back to school for postsecondary skills. A son would replace his dad in the workforce, already imbued with the basic skills needed to succeed.

While it sounds very sensible and patriotic, I have to admit that the old system had quite a few problems. Everyone, no matter their family’s income or background, deserves a chance to get as much education as they wish. A highly trained, intelligent workforce is just what Oregon needs to get out of this economic slump.

Agnes Hoffman, Portland State associate vice provost for enrollment management, explained her position on the university’s key role in the health of Oregon’s economy to The Oregonian: “If we don’t educate enough qualified Oregonians, then employers will have to go more and more out of state to recruit employees. We want Oregonians to be the educated, innovative employees of our state.”

Yes, students are being lined up for the slaughter. Yes, four-year degrees benefit some more than others and yes, graduate school is beginning to look sweeter for many who just aren’t ready for the workforce. But what’s wrong with a welder holding a degree in Renaissance drama? Or a nurse who dabbles in Eastern philosophy?

Three-quarters of our lives will be spent fighting and clawing for our piece of the American dream. Why not delay that for a few years?