SHOULD THERE BE A FORMAL FRESHMAN POINT-OF-REFLECTION?

We’re coming up on the annual season of university graduations. Some renowned member of industry, academia, athletics, or government stands in front of the graduating class congratulating them on their achievements, welcoming them to start their careers, and usually offering some sage advice from their career to help them be successful.

However, I wonder how many of these graduating students reach this endpoint of their college life with a mountain of student debt and doubts about the career they’ve chosen, and wishing they had taken another path? At this point it’s like closing the barn door after the horse has left the barn. They’ve invested 4-5 (or more) years in college, plus expended costs, and all they can do is go forward and work hard to pay off their debts and make it all work out.

What if they had been advised to take stock of their situation at the completion of their freshman year, when only 1 year of their life and school costs had been invested? Would they have continued down the same path towards a degree in 14th century Albanian Poetry or Norwegian Animal Husbandry? Or towards some degree their parents pushed them into for which they have no interest?

Maybe it’s time to introduce a “Freshman Point of Reflection”, with some formal advisement and a presentation by some respected business or academic individual to share with them alternatives to pursuing a 4-year university degree.

The jump from high school to college is a huge leap, and many students are not prepared for the increased challenges and distractions available at college. Perhaps once in school they start figuring out they don’t want to work in an office, or they aren’t interested in a theory-based career.

One such option would be taking their credits and transferring to a technical college to learn a manufacturing career. Often the employer will pay for classes while the employee works for the firm, so the student can earn an associate degree and saleable skills while earning money, not collecting debt. One recent statistic showed that the overall career earnings (salary minus education debt) of some technical school graduates was greater than that for degreed lawyers.

Or maybe a term in the military would suit them better, to gain valuable skills and have the government pay for college. Maybe a year in the Peace Corps to become exposed to a completely different culture. Community College. Trade Apprenticeship. There are many options.

A formal ceremony about alternative options to a 4-year degree could be led by a successful individual who’s career path wasn’t straight. So many times an executive’s career talk goes like this, “I started at X company out of college, did a good job, and was tapped on the shoulder to become a manager. I did a good job there and was tapped to become a general manager. I did a good job there and….” And so on. Unfortunately, this isn’t the typical career path and is of limited application to most workers.

Instead, have a speaker, while still ultimately successful, who shares his or her experiences of being laid off, of having their startup fail, of having their company shut down, of hating their job and leaving, of having to change jobs due to personal crises, etc. This would be much more relevant advice and more realistic of the changes to be experienced in a typical career.

I recognize it’s not in the university’s best financial interest to potentially advise students to pursue an alternative path (other than continuing to pursue a 4-year degree). However, in the best interest of their customers (the students), they should offer advice and alternatives if the current college experience isn’t working for some students. The university would receive a lot of positive press from putting their student’s needs first (and not graduating so many students with huge student loans and minimal value skills), and most freshman would probably continue on to complete their degree. (Although some number likely in a different field.)

An initiative like this could help reduce the mounting student debt issue for future students, help fill sorely needed manufacturing jobs, and end up with more workers finding happiness and success in their preferred careers faster than if they'd stayed in their initial path of study.