Should Everyone Go to College?

On Monday, I shared the story of me talking to two of our daughters into dropping out of college. This blog might make a little more sense if you read that blog first.

It’s almost an axiom today that you must send your kids to college to get a good job. Is that really true?

I once had a conversation with a wonderful Christian couple, struggling financially to send two of their children to college and then law school, so they could get a good job.

I really pushed back on him. “What makes you think being an attorney is a good job?” He looked at me like I was joking! “No, I’m serious”, I said. “So they get this good job and then end up working 60 hours a week and stressing themselves out like you’re doing, to send their kids to college to “get a good job!” “Really?”

A “Good Job”
First of all, let’s define what a “good job” is. Every good Christian parent should want their children, above all, to love God, be kind and thoughtful to others and to live fruitful, but contented lives for God.

If that’s what you also want for your children, then here’s my observation; lawyers, bankers, doctors and people in business are no more likely to be serious followers of Jesus and be happy or content than plumbers or carpenters.

Somehow we’ve gotten the notion that to be a college graduate and then a professional is “better” than being a person “in the trades” as it was once called. Where did we get that idea and how has it damaged some of our children?