It may already be here.

We mentioned in our last issue how our senses have been assaulted by the campus demonstrations supporting the terrorist organization Hamas and calling for the eradication of Israel, in some cases.  This speaks to a long standing trend in an alarming number of cases of what Bari Weiss called the rot inside our universities. Dr. Jordan Peterson has an even more scathing rebuke. There are seemingly an endless numbers of news reports documenting this rot. Those who want to go deeper can read an equally growing number of books on the subject. I have about six in my study. Earlier works are Freefall of the American University by Jim Nelson Black and Brainwashed by Ben Shapiro. These works have a short list of recommendations for reform. Later works call for more radical steps, including The College Scam by Charlie Kirk and Don’t Go to College, A Case for Revolution by Timothy Gordon and Michael Robillard. The coauthors, both with doctorate degrees, recommend foregoing college altogether, unless it is necessary as a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, as does Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk says we need a 50% drop in college enrollment in order to save our nation, as the colleges’ radical ideas have been infecting most of our institutions at some level.

Even conservative pundits are reluctant to recommend such a radical step as foregoing college, though they seldom have much to offer in the way of substantive solutions in the middle of their hand wringing. I suspect that is because they themselves are graduates of these elite institutions and still have some sentimental attachment to them. The ‘patient can still be saved’ they seem to be implying.

A large number of the rest of the country is not so sure. Enrollment is significantly continuing to drop, despite a growing population. The quality has continued to decline while the costs have skyrocketed. A high school graduate 40 years ago knows about as much as a college graduate today, as ‘woke’ indoctrination has taken over real education in many places. Student loan debt meanwhile has severely mortgaged the futures of recent graduates. Despite the recent firings of deans at Harvard and UPenn, there is little evidence that radical professors have any intention of backing away from their cult like indoctrination of anti-Christian morality and Marxism.

We have to get rid of the ‘stigma’ of not going to college, as if something went wrong.

We say ‘college isn’t for everyone, but it really isn’t. We have to completely throw off the stigma that society has put upon us. Especially now that we’re seeing not only the lack of content but the corruption that is coming from many campuses today.

The good news is that the free market works, even in education. A growing number of prominent corporations are no longer requiring a college degree, as graduates are many times not only incompetent and emotionally immature, they think their role is to be the new social justice warrior inside the company. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg proved a college degree is not a prerequisite for success. Right now the trades and even truck driving is beating out entry and mid level white collar jobs, sometimes with over six figure incomes. Parents and prospective students are waking up to sensible options. I go into more detail on this in my chapter on education in my book (Modern Paganism), but I want to highlight some current options and trends here:

Christian Universities and universities known to be more conservative.

This is the first place I would look if want to attend a four year university on site. The authors give an extensive list of recommended institutions in the book Don’t Go to College, A Case for Revolution if you do decide to go to college. One of my favorites is Liberty University, which has extensive resident and online degree programs. My sons attended Oral Roberts University with a good liberal arts as well as theological degree tracks. It was a wonderful experience for both of them. Locally (here in East Texas) we have LeTourneau University, a Christian institution with an emphasis on engineering and aviation, and a growing business and psychology track as well. A popular ‘secular’ option in my state is Texas A&M University. They have this crazy idea of providing a quality education without the pagan anti-Christian indoctrination. It is a very ‘Christian friendly’ campus. As a result, they added more students than any other public university system in the state of Texas in the most recent year. There are over 100,000 enrolled now in their system. Seems the only people interested in woke indoctrination are radical college professors.

Online Degrees and Courses

There are both 4 year institutions and community colleges offering online degrees. The Christian universities cited above have online degree programs at a much reduced cost. There is an exploding number of secular versions as well, with most universities offering online degree opportunities. A lot of prominent universities are offering online courses free or for a nominal fee to obtain certification, such as edX, coursera (where Google certification is found), and Alison. Charlie Kirk offers a longer list of options in his book. The day may be fast approaching where short term certification courses will become more of a credentialing resource than the old four year degree. Even ‘woke’ universities will have a hard time indoctrinating students from a distance, in the presence of saner influences such as parents, churches, and workplaces. I personally love the online option for this reason as well as the cost difference. Yes, this requires a higher degree of self motivation. But isn’t that what employers are looking for? The student loan crisis is a direct result of the out of control costs of tuition.

Other good options include trade schools, vocational training and apprenticeships, formal and informal.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart but is more popular than many think. 14.7% of people own a business and 22.2% are freelancers. This is a trend accelerated by Covid. While it is good to usually get some work experience in your chosen industry, such as in restaurants or construction, I recently met a 13 year old who sold us our last horse. She trains mustangs and other horses for resale and is under the tutelage of her grandfather, who told me his goal was to teach all of his grandchildren how to run their own business and be self supporting by the time they were 18. This is the kind of spirit that built America, not the extended adolescence perpetrated in many in our present college experience. Young people matured much faster in earlier times, because they entered the work force earlier.

There is evidence that the tide is shifting away from college being the ‘credentialing’ institution of the future. Employers are waking up to the toxic nature of ‘woke’ colleges and the kind of students they produce. Instead, they will be looking for what has always worked – an attitude of determination, resilience, humility, and diligence, which will often be found more off of the campus than on it.