The decision of whether to go to college, or where, is hampered by poor
information and inadequate understanding of the financial risk involved.
Adding to the confusion, the same degree can cost dramatically different
amounts for different people. A barrage of advertising offers new
degrees designed to lead to specific jobs, but we see no information on
whether graduates ever get those jobs. Mix in a frenzied applications
process, and pressure from politicians for relevant programs, and there
is an urgent need to separate myth from reality.
Peter Cappelli, an acclaimed expert in employment trends, the workforce,
and education, provides hard evidence that counters conventional wisdom
and helps us make cost-effective choices. Among the issues Cappelli
analyzes are:
What is the real link between a college degree and a job that enables
you to pay off the cost of college, especially in a market that is in
constant change?
Why it may be a mistake to pursue degrees that will land you the hottest
jobs because what is hot today is unlikely to be so by the time you
graduate.
Why the most expensive colleges may actually be the cheapest because of
their ability to graduate students on time.
How parents and students can find out what different colleges actually
deliver to students and whether it is something that employers really
want.
College is the biggest expense for many families, larger even than the
cost of the family home, and one that can bankrupt students and their
parents if it works out poorly. Peter Cappelli offers vital insight for
parents and students to make decisions that both make sense financially
and provide the foundation that will help students make their way in the
world.
