Dreams Deterred: How Federal Policies Keep the Poor Out of College
This presupposes that a college education is actually necessary for most jobs in the first place, when it is simply not true. With the exception of technical fields, law and certain business specializations such as accounting, most jobs just don’t require a college education to do them. The only reason that a college degree is thrown into the mix is because of an elitist attitude that sees those without degrees as inferior in social standing to those who do. That is very ironic when one considers that with so many students going to college today, the threshold for being considered college educated barely rises above what used to be considered a high school education with a focus in a certain field of study.
Government regulation is what holds back many of the working poor. Barbers are required to have state licensing in most states I’ve lived in, and taxis are notoriously regulated in most jurisdictions as well. Why the government regulation, except to ensure that health codes are followed in the former, and that the latter has an accurate meter? Why can’t any former welfare recipient who can cut their family’s hair and has a driver’s license perform either of these businesses without getting the state’s blessing?
Most college educations are a waste of time, as they don’t even serve to fundamentally raise up the student intellectually, let alone prepare them for a career that will make rigorous use of what they spent four or more years getting. The poor would be better served with far fewer barriers to entry from the government, something that could be changed in a single session of the state legislature if the legislators agreed to make going through the professional regulations like Attila the Hun their one priority.
With the increasing cost of college today, there is just no serious argument for why welfare recipients should pursue a degree unless it is in a technical field which will pay well. They would be better off pursuing a trade, especially since skilled tradesmen often make more money than their college-educated neighbors.
