Not everyone can or wants to go to Harvard. According to American mathematician Dr. Jonathan Kenigson, “not everyone should go to college. But those who do attend should strive to minimize student debt and the predatory private student-loan business.” According to Kenigson, Community Colleges provide a prime alternative to immediate enrollment in four-year institutions and “often provide small class sizes and measures of support for students who need extra help to master core academic skills. A Community College can change the trajectory of a student’s life if the instructors are compassionate and helpful. In addition, students in high schools may benefit from dual-credit opportunities that are state-subsidized, thus avoiding additional debt.” Kenigson is clear that the choice of college is a difficult and very personal one, and that only rules of thumb can be held to apply to admission and financial aid decisions. “Avoidance of debt is an important aspect of college planning. Expensive education that has little return on investment is probably irrational. This does not mean that Liberal Arts education is irrational. In fact, it means that majors mean less than many students believe they do. Students in Community Colleges can gain work experience relevant to their fields of study making them quite employable in many instances. This experience is often remunerated and can defray or even eliminate student loan debt.”
Dr. Kenigson argues that students are too worried about majors when “what really matters is that you finish and that you have creditable, legitimate work-experience in your desired field so that employers know that you are ready to hit the ground running from day one. Businesses do not invest in diplomas. They invest in the people that have them. Businesses want to hire applicants that possess the skills necessary to make money. A Community College degree can very well meet this need and is in fact a very responsible choice for students of all levels of ability. I would caution that relevant work experience is very important, however. Employers are not stupid. They want to hire applicants that make their businesses run better. Having both degree and experience are very important aspects of hiring decisions at many firms. Community Colleges produce students that have both of these desiderata.”
