<p>In a perfect world, it would be wonderful if education were an end in itself. But we don’t live in a perfect world. And not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth. </p>
<p>Most kids graduate college deeply in debt. They simply do not have the luxury to divorce their education from the financial necessity of supporting themselves and paying off their student loans after they graduate. </p>
<p>Nor do most college graduates desire to enter PhD programs. Why would they when an alarmingly high percentage of those who graduate from those programs fail to land tenure track teaching positions? </p>
<p>Those who regard college education as an end in itself sometimes experience life as a dead end after college. I wish it were otherwise. But if wishes were wings, we would all have trust funds that would insulate us from the harsh economic realities of life.</p>