Calling All Graduates! Great Jobs Without A Four-Year Degree

It’s that time of year again–graduation. Graduates of the Class of 2017 have already made up their minds for the most part on what comes next. For many, perhaps even most, there was never any doubt about enrolling in a four-year college or university. But there are alternative programs that lead to well-paying jobs and fulfilling careers in high-tech health care, the trades and other fields–without piling up a mountain of debt.

That’s the focus of American Experiment’s recently launched “Great Jobs Without A Four-Year Degree” initiative. The Center’s Mitch Pearlstein will be in Staples next Tuesday to discuss what it means for students, parents and employers. The Brainerd Dispatch explains the goals behind the multi-year project.

The description of Pearlstein’s topic is “College debt has become a troublesome political issue in recent years. Many students enroll in college because they mistakenly believe a four-year degree is their only avenue to good jobs and solid middle-class careers when it is not. Such reluctant quests usually end sadly, with students not only dropping out, but routinely winding up unemployed or underemployed and in sizable debt. This is not good for anybody, or for the economy or for society itself.”

Pearlstein is founder and senior fellow at the Center of the American Experiment, having served until 2015 as Center of the American Experiment’s president for its first quarter century.

American Experiment welcomes the opportunity to discuss the issue of alternatives to traditional college degrees. Feel free to contact the Center if you’re interested in holding a similar dialogue in your community.