No. 23: The Overton Window for high ed, college exit strategies, and proving the value of 2-year degrees
Where and how do we celebrate young adults who forgo a 4-year degree?
First, some numbers…
30,000 students - New York city schools are projecting an enrollment loss of 30,000 students this fall.
72 days - Digital nomads average length of stay in one city is 72 days.
$85k - Median income of a remote working digital nomad is $85,000 / year.
What’s the Overton Window we have for higher education?
From Codie Sanchez’s Contrarian Thinking newsletter is one of the best descriptions of the Overton Window.
There’s a concept in politics called the Overton Window. It is the acceptable window of thought that is allowed to be expressed by society at a given moment. Society moves from more free thought to less free in cycles similar to market cycles. Step outside of the window and expect public shunning, stay inside it and you’re in the safe zone.
So, what is the Overton Window for higher education? The conventional view centers around the default path of a 4-year degree.
High schools in the spring are filled with student emotions around college acceptances and rejections. Then in the fall, social media channels will be packed with freshmen leaving home, moving into their dorms, and experiencing their first college parties.
Let’s give the window a name - higher education theater.
But where do young adults go to talk and share their alternative paths? How are their unique and courageous journeys supported and embraced with equal zeal as those who chose the college experience?
What are the best exit strategies for students after college graduation?
In recent decades, research and discussion about higher education have centered on college entrance -- who, how and where applicants gain admission to colleges and universities. However, as the 21st-century workforce evolves, so, too, must higher education. Rather than focusing exclusively on entrance into postsecondary education, we need a greater focus on the best exit strategies for students leaving education and entering the workforce.
Read 3 ways higher education can meet future workforce demands [Gallup]
Saddleback College builds an employment case for 2-year liberal arts grads
[Israel Dominguez, director of economic and workforce development at Saddleback College] had the gut feeling that liberal arts students—across the US, not just at Saddleback—possess skills that prepare them for a variety of careers beyond the academic world. But he had nothing to support this intuition besides pure anecdotal evidence. Over the course of his career, Dominguez knew he had worked with many professionals in areas such as sales, marketing, or public relations who also hailed from a liberal arts background. But what could simple stories prove?
“The dean wanted data to prove my theory,” he says. “The question was, what kind of skills do our students have at the end of their AA? What are they marketable in? What occupations are they ready for? Can they get good jobs with just this two-year program, or do they have to transfer?”
Read how Dominguez’s research confirmed his hunch that Saddleback’s 2-year liberal arts students were qualified for viable careers
Till next time…
The idea of being born “weird” means you have a gift—like being born a star athlete. - Scott Belsky, The Messy Middle
Image: Warren Wong