In the New York Times, William Cohan opines on the the worth of college degrees by discussing individuals who became successful without the “golden ticket.” The column makes good points, but anyone who wants to give human examples of “college is not for everyone” needs to move beyond Gates, Ellison, and Zuckerberg — those are the outliers of the population (as Cohan notes). Where are the Web designers, salespeople, and electricians who live a comfortable and stable life without a college degree?
Such average Joes and Janes may not own yachts, but that does not make their tales any less sexy. These people do exist. It’s time that their story is told louder.