College Isn't For You (or Your Student, If You Are a Parent)

The Tough Realization

Every fall, millions of students head off to college. For some, it’s a thrilling rite of passage. But for many others, the excitement quickly fades. They realize the hard truth: college isn’t a good fit.

If you’re that student—or the parent of one—you know the struggle. Expectations from family, peers, and society all push in one direction: stay the course. But forcing yourself (or your child) through a path that doesn’t fit only wastes years, drains finances, and erodes confidence.

Recognizing that college isn’t the right fit isn’t a failure—it’s clarity. And clarity opens the door to better, faster, more rewarding alternatives.

The Real Costs of College

When people talk about college costs, they usually mean tuition. But the real price tag is much bigger:

• Financial Cost: Public in-state universities average $27,000/year; private schools exceed $55,000. Most graduates leave with $30,000–$50,000 in debt, sometimes much more.
• Opportunity Cost: Four years of lost wages equals $140,000+ in missed income—not counting career advancement.
• Emotional Cost: Forcing yourself into a poor fit often leads to stress, burnout, or loss of confidence.
• Relevance Cost: What’s taught freshman year may be outdated by graduation, especially in fast-moving fields.

The problem isn’t only money—it’s time, relevance, and momentum.

Why the One-Size-Fits-All Model Fails

For decades, college has been sold as the default. But “college for everyone” doesn’t hold up.

• Not every career requires a degree.
• Not every learner thrives in lecture halls.
• Not every family can or should carry the financial burden.

The system benefits from enrollment. Students don’t always benefit from the outcome.

Real Alternatives to College

The good news: alternatives are thriving. They’re practical, efficient, and increasingly respected.

Trade Schools

• Duration: 1–2 years.
• Average pay: $60K–$90K/year, six figures possible.
• Growth: Electrician demand projected to grow 11% through 2033 (twice the national average).

Coding Bootcamps

• Duration: 12–24 weeks; cost: $8K–$20K.
• Outcomes: Average starting salary ~$69K; by their third job, bootcamp grads average nearly $100K.
• Impact: Graduates earn ~51% more than before.

Apprenticeships

• Learn directly from professionals.
• Paid from day one—no debt.
• Example: Apprentices can earn ~$24/hour, adding up to nearly $200K over four years.

Certifications

• Google Career Certificates (IT, data, project management).
• AWS certifications often increase pay 25–30%; advanced roles top $150K.
• Lean Six Sigma is widely valued in operations and manufacturing.

Self-Directed Learning

• Books, podcasts, online courses, YouTube tutorials.
• Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning make world-class content accessible.

Side Projects & Hustles

• Launching a business, freelancing, or building a digital project teaches faster than any textbook.
• Even “failed” ventures build resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving.

Why Experience Outshines Theory

Employers are shifting. Increasingly, they care less about diplomas and more about skills.

• Portfolios beat transcripts: Show what you’ve built, not what you memorized.
• Paychecks over debt: Learn on the job, not just in a lecture hall.
• Speed matters: Six months of focused effort often outpaces four years of broad coursework.

The future belongs to doers, not just degree holders.

The Problems with Higher Education

Traditional higher education isn’t worthless—but it is misaligned.

• Overpriced: Tuition outpaces inflation year after year.
• Outdated: Curricula don’t keep pace with today’s workforce.
• Poor ROI: Degrees don’t guarantee jobs worth the debt.
• Delayed entry: Grads enter the workforce later, with little experience.
• Declining relevance: Companies like Google, Tesla, and IBM no longer require degrees for many roles.

The same issues plague MBA and PhD programs—more time, more cost, less return.

My Story: Taking Control

I’ve lived both sides. As a student, I often wondered why material was stretched into months that could have been covered in days. As an adjunct professor, I saw how accreditation padded courses with filler.

My breakthrough came when I self-directed my education:

• Reading books that condensed decades of wisdom.
• Taking targeted online courses.
• Earning certifications employers valued.
• Testing ideas in real-world projects.
• Using podcasts and videos to learn from global experts.
• Applying everything through side projects and trial-and-error.

That personalized, intentional curriculum accelerated my growth more than traditional classrooms ever did. It wasn’t about rejecting education—it was about reclaiming it.

Enter Myford University

That philosophy inspired Myford University.

We’re not anti-education. We’re anti-waste. Education should be practical, affordable, and immediately useful.

That’s why we focus on:

• Free resources to get started.
• Condensed programs that teach essentials in hours, not years.
• Application-first learning—every program tied to a project, deliverable, or portfolio piece.

Our mission is simple: help people learn fast, apply faster, and build skills that translate into opportunity.

The Future of Education

The world has changed. Employers no longer ask, What’s your GPA? They ask:

• What can you do today?
• What have you built?
• How quickly can you adapt?

The winners will be self-directed learners—students, professionals, or parents guiding their children—who build portfolios, stack skills, and create results.

Final Thoughts

If college isn’t working for you—or your child if you are a parent—don’t panic. You’re not broken. The system is.

Today, you have more options than ever: trades, bootcamps, certifications, apprenticeships, self-education, side hustles. The key is to take ownership of your journey.

Because the goal isn’t a diploma. It’s competence. It’s opportunity. It’s fulfillment.

Want to read the full article? Find it here.

At Myford University, that’s exactly what we exist to highlight: faster, better, more practical paths to real skills and real success.