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Success Without College: Why Your Child May Not Have to Go to College Right Now--and May Not Have to Go At All
If your child seems indecisive about college, don't read the riot act, read this landmark book instead. College is not the only alternative. A New York Times editor and concerned parent tells you why and helps you to find happy alternatives to starting college before your child is ready.
As an educated, committed parent, Linda Lee harbored the usual expectation of a prestigious college degree as the illustrious preface to a top-flight career for her child. Some fifty thousand dollars and several disastrous report cards later, Lee recognized that her seemingly rational expectations were proving far-fetched and that her son was simply not ready for college. Moreover, she was shocked to discover that his experience was not the exception but the rule; only 26 percent of students receive a bachelor's degree within five years.
Why, then, are parents led to believe that their children must go to college immediately and that it is the right choice for everyone? If not attending college worked for Bill Gates, Harry S. Truman, Thomas Edison, and William Faulkner, why can't it work for your child and what are your alternatives?
Success Without College is a groundbreaking book that reveals the surprising facts of why many bright kids are not suited for college (or at least not right after high school). Lee's accessible, knowledgeable style informs parents why this should be more a source of pride than shame by providing profiles of students and parents from around the country and their creative, positive solutions to the college dilemma. With a college education now costing an average of a hundred thousand dollars, maybe it's time for American parents to Do you really need college to succeed?
As an educated, committed parent, Linda Lee harbored the usual expectation of a prestigious college degree as the illustrious preface to a top-flight career for her child. Some fifty thousand dollars and several disastrous report cards later, Lee recognized that her seemingly rational expectations were proving far-fetched and that her son was simply not ready for college. Moreover, she was shocked to discover that his experience was not the exception but the rule; only 26 percent of students receive a bachelor's degree within five years.
Why, then, are parents led to believe that their children must go to college immediately and that it is the right choice for everyone? If not attending college worked for Bill Gates, Harry S. Truman, Thomas Edison, and William Faulkner, why can't it work for your child and what are your alternatives?
Success Without College is a groundbreaking book that reveals the surprising facts of why many bright kids are not suited for college (or at least not right after high school). Lee's accessible, knowledgeable style informs parents why this should be more a source of pride than shame by providing profiles of students and parents from around the country and their creative, positive solutions to the college dilemma. With a college education now costing an average of a hundred thousand dollars, maybe it's time for American parents to Do you really need college to succeed?
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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December 19, 2024
In reading this book in 2024, I found myself wondering how relevant it would be to parents of Gen-Z high-schoolers (a group to which I definitely don't belong) who themselves are looking into alternatives to college, a subject now that's even more relevant than it was twenty-five years ago amidst a changing economic landscape. While the book is clearly weighed down by its many references to late '90s computer tycoons, and author Linda Lee's scathing boomer criticisms of the younger generation get real old, real fast, the core message of this book that no one, whether parent or child, should be ashamed about not going to college, still holds true.
Though I found that the first half of the book labors this point just a bit too much, the second half provides a useful starting-point for alternatives to college (the military, travel, work, etc.) and how to pursue them. The many anecdotes in the book about people from different generations who found success without college also make for interesting reading, and create compelling support for the idea that life is what we make of it on our own terms, rather than the single-track paths that no many young people pursue because they simply haven't given it much thought.
All told, if you're looking for either a time capsule of late '90s middle class cultural criticism or a practical guide for worried parents, I'd say pick this one up.
Though I found that the first half of the book labors this point just a bit too much, the second half provides a useful starting-point for alternatives to college (the military, travel, work, etc.) and how to pursue them. The many anecdotes in the book about people from different generations who found success without college also make for interesting reading, and create compelling support for the idea that life is what we make of it on our own terms, rather than the single-track paths that no many young people pursue because they simply haven't given it much thought.
All told, if you're looking for either a time capsule of late '90s middle class cultural criticism or a practical guide for worried parents, I'd say pick this one up.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review