hevelboleslav-blog

[hevelboleslav-blog]

A Wild Card

You may have heard that “X is a social construct,” implying that we assign meaning to ideas based off of our society’s agreed upon definitions. In this vein, it’s obvious that college is a social construct, in the sense that college was an idea born out of the desires and structures created by society, in our case American society. However, other societies and cultures did not create the social construction of college. To say these societies are less advanced or behind would be ethnocentric. Instead, we should admire the ways other civilizations have achieved productive and fulfilling societies through methods other than college. For example, Polynesian societies did not voyage across the ocean mindlessly, but rather used a technique called wayfinding. According to Project Wayfinder, “wayfinders share a common value system: respect for the earth, an understanding of the interconnectedness of nature and people, a sense of wonder and a spirit of exploration.” This is just one way that we as a society could envision youth finding meaning and training in a skill that is not constrained to college.

[hevelboleslav-blog]

[hevelboleslav-blog]

Growth of Online Learning

Colleges often include an arbitrary and pre-planned curriculum that includes various requirements outside of one’s specific field of study. Even within one’s own field of study, students must often take classes not directly related to the work they hope to be doing. Online learning platforms have created the opportunity to bypass superfluous requirements, while still providing valuable lessons in all sorts of skills. These are often more tangible and directly applicable to a specific job. Some examples are Coursera, EdX, and Lynda, which offer professional video series on a wide range of topics.

[hevelboleslav-blog]

[hevelboleslav-blog]

Alternatives to College

One of the first and primary reasons not everyone needs to go to college is the plethora of options there are for alternative paths to a successful job. According to Forbes Magazine, vocational or tradesman school, where someone learns a specific job skill, is a perfectly viable option for most people. If someone is seeking a dependable and well-paying job, vocational school may be the best and cheapest option.

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Bio

Hello, my name is Hevel Boleslav and I am an educational expert on topics of college, vocation, and work. I study reasons why not everyone in our society should be required to go to college. I’ve learned through my experiences like going to college myself, traveling the world, and exploring the internet. Through this profile, I hope to share my reasons with the world and convince others that college is not a necessary path for everyone.