Thoughts on the value of a university education, from a middle-aged man returning to earn one.
Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels
I think it’s fair to say going back to school was my “mid-life crisis.” It was something I always wanted to finish, having quit my music composition major many years earlier. The decision was made in the same year as my wife and I becoming pregnant with twins, after having quit a soul-sucking generic office job, and struggling quite a bit with alcoholism. In my mind it was framed as a do-or-die decision and so I chose to do.
Of course, my wife and I lucked into a very fortunate middle-class life situation so I feel like I should try to make an accurate mid-life crisis price comparison. Assuming I don’t go for an MBA, the projected cost of my education (just the class fees) is roughly $26,000. I could use that money as a 28% down payment on an over-spec’d Tesla Model S (and you know, pay $1200 a month for five years as well). It feels like I made a good choice but what do I actually consider valuable about my education?
Structure – it’s not the content of the education that you’re paying for; the internet has made that information mostly free. You pay for the structure. Most people are very poor planners and don’t understand the sequential knowledge you need to progress (i.e. how your classes all build on each other in an interdisciplinary fashion). You pay for a group of well qualified professionals and experts who meticulously plan out the content and then work to help you maximize your potential for actually learning it. If you’re a good learner just sitting on the internet watching YouTube videos you can go pretty far but that method will take much longer as you essentially hack your way through the same knowledge that a good university designs to be completed in four years.
Soft Skills – This is usually framed for typical college student as “the college experience.” Things like dorm living, all-night study sessions, parties, group projects, large term papers, sports, school activities, etc. But the cumulative results of this environment are acquiring a lot of useful life skills. Even if you’re a hermit and don’t participate in anything, just being in class and interacting with peers you are going to be exposed to many diverse backgrounds and opinions and will pick up some rudimentary people skills that a lot of people in society sorely lack.
Network – Who you know for employment opportunities is a big factor in the successes of your working life. It’s well known that people lack equality of opportunity for many aspects of society. Being a part of a University with a vibrant alumni and professional network is a huge advantage. My perspective may be skewed as I’ve spent several classes in the business college crafting, re-crafting, and perfecting my resume and interview skills but good universities have a vested interest in the success of their alumni, and thus build good relationships with many local business leaders. Thinking about the value of an education, it’s important to consider this intangible as what bridges you from theory to practical.
Do I think I purchased something valuable? Yes. Especially because I’m doing it almost as cheaply as possible (state schools FTW). I’m both challenged by course material and privileged to be learning said material from people who have spent most of their adult lives studying it. It’s taken me out of my comfort zone so often that I’ve had to re-think the idea of comfort many times over. I guess that’s one way to force yourself out of middle-aged anguish.