David Leonhardt's The College Dropout Boom

In recent discussions of “The College Dropout Boom,” David Leonhardt made some interesting points on the works of society and it’s modern day views on education. Many of the ideas he presented were controversial to me, considering my previous perspective of social status’ having nothing to do with someone’s chances at graduating college. However, there are many ideas in which he presented that I agree with, such as the belief that obtaining a college degree doesn’t necessarily promise a well-paying job. Growing up in a household where nobody has ever earned a college degree, I can say personally that it is extremely important to have one, regardless of the immediate outcome. It’s better to be safe than sorry. One of the most interesting points made by Leonhardt was the belief that someone’s economic class can greatly impact their decision on whether or not to attend college. This is controversial to me,
For example, Andy Blevins, mentioned in the article, made the decision early on to drop out of college and continue working his job in a Virginian supermarket to support the raising of his family. At the time, he was perfectly content with living a quiet life and raising his children humbly. College degree or not, this is the kind of life many Americans would aspire to. I think that if somebody finds what makes them happy in life, that’s all that matters. There’s no need to strive and work hard to succeed and become rich if you’re happy where you are. However, even Mr. Blevins eventually came to the realization that not having a college degree leaves him with very few options in life. If he were ever fired or laid-off from his job, for example, he would have no experience or credentials available to search for a new one. This is the type of situation, in my opinion, that most Americans should try to