Recreating an Underclass: The Social Implications of No-College

An elephant in the room in the movement to steer America away from universal college is this: We're bringing back an underclass of not only uneducated. They also lack the socioeconomic markers of having the four-year "college experience." Those include free-form playing with ideas, delayed adulthood of long vacations, freedom to travel and ease of developing close friendships. 

When almost-everyone-went-to-college those without who didn't have been doomed to be outliers. Also, they usually gave themselves away through communications patterns, everything from voicing an opinion without evidence to back it up to errors in grammars/limited vocabulary. 

More to the point, before almost-everyone-went-to-college most of society consisted of an underclass. Only the elite, that is the offspring of the then-middle class and better, had access to the college experience. Then, of course, the GI bill changed that. 

For multiple reasons higher education has already experienced a 15% drop in enrollment. That could surge as the current reality of a disconnect between raw formal education and ability to earn and keep earning a middle class living hardens. Those who need to pay attention to ROI and not attend college could take on all the social markers of an underclass. That's even if they go on to make a good living. Like the underclass of former times they could be sheepish about "not being educated."

In my intuitive coaching and tarot-reading practices the non-college usually share their "shame" about not being in what they judge to be the magic circle. Some, though middle-aged, wonder if they should enroll in some form of higher education. Common is the phrase "I'm earning good money, even though I never went to college."

From my conversations with ambitious parents I anticipate that college will continue to be a must for their offspring in order to imprint all the markers of a special socioeconomic class. Unbundled are the direct career outcomes. 

Meanwhile, public education at the grade school and high school levels seems to be falling short. Those of us who orbit in myriad circles notice difficulty in reading, written communications, grammar, presenting an organized point of view and finding the "right words." Without college to correct those deficits these human beings could become a permanent underclass. Since the creation of Harvard in 1636, higher education has always been important in America.

In coaching, I urge those in the trades to take communications training. Dale Carnegie is an old brand but the instruction is effective. We are how we present ourselves. 

Career Paths? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com. 

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