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It's not a crisis: Students are saying 'no' to low-value colleges, low-pay majors
College enrollment remains strong at high-value colleges, but young people are wary of colleges and degrees that are unlikely to pay off.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 112 min read


High schoolers are earning career credentials, but most have no value
Most career credentials offered in high school will not lead to a career, or even an entry-level job, but may provide an easier path to a diploma.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 222 min read


College dreams: Should your kid major in psychology? Cannabis studies?
Naive 18-year-olds are choosing college majors without knowing whether they're likely to finish a degree or qualify for a job that will enable them to pay their college loans.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 212 min read


Dropouts, renegades, mad scientists and billionaires
As Americans lose faith in the value of a college education, Silicon Valley is celebrating dropout entrepreneurs.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 123 min read


Why humanities don't get no respect -- except for philosophy
Humanities would get more respect -- and graduates would earn more -- if professors made classes harder.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 121 min read


Feds will fund job training for all, but will short-term programs pay off?
Federal Pell grants will find job credentials for low-income Americans, but many job programs have weak results.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 292 min read


Indiana teens combine high school, apprenticeship -- but programs are “infinitesimally small”
"Earn and learn" programs for high school students are very small.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 192 min read


Going fuzzy: NY drops exams for 'portrait of a graduate'
A fuzzy "portrait of a graduate" will replace New York's Regents exams.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 172 min read


If AI kills the market value of a degree, how many colleges will survive?
AI is destroying the value of a college degree -- everyone's cheating -- and taking entry-level jobs from new graduates.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 162 min read


Adults can turn experience to credits for a speedy degree
Giving college credits for skills learned on the job is helping adults earn degrees and colleges fill empty seats.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 123 min read


Don't wait for college: High schools can put students on track for high-demand jobs
Redesign high schools to prepare students for skilled careers in growth industries.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 262 min read


Blue-collar jobs are unfilled, but young Americans don't have skills
Demand is high for skilled technicians and manufacturing workers, but few high school or college graduates are qualified.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 261 min read


Learn to plumb: New grads are competing with AI for coding jobs
College graduates are having trouble finding entry-level jobs in computer science and finance. Some blame AI.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 62 min read


Many pathways to a diploma, but are students really prepared?
Washington state traded its exit exam for multiple graduation pathways, but still has 20% of students who aren't on track for a diploma.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 52 min read


Does college pay? Yes for nursing, engineering and econ, no for 31% of programs
Lifetime return on investment for a Stanford English degree is less than $24,000, just under $4 million for a chemical engineering bachelor's.

Joanne Jacobs
May 312 min read


Gen Z wants work to be fulfilling and flexible -- and they don't like deadlines
College students want fulfilling, flexible jobs with no deadlines and plenty of "self-care days."

Joanne Jacobs
May 252 min read


What's next for high school grads? Fewer choose college, more are 'working toward a career goal'
Fewer high school graduates are enrolling in four-year colleges, and more say they're "working toward a career goal."

Joanne Jacobs
May 241 min read


If AI is doing all the thinking, what's college for?
If a bot does the work for your college degree, the bot will get the job.

Joanne Jacobs
May 83 min read


Disgruntled graduates: 36% say college was 'a waste of time and money'
College graduates are questioning the workforce value of their degrees: Half of Gen Z grads see college as a "waste of time and money."

Joanne Jacobs
May 32 min read


Advanced math -- AP Calculus or AP Statistics -- leads to higher pay
AP Statistics students earn almost as much as AP Calculus students eight years after college.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 303 min read
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