Post secondary education describes education that follows high school (in the U.S.). When we hear this phrase most of us probably assume the topic is college or university experiences, but other experiences should be included. A recent CBS Sunday Morning segment focused on trade schools. I would describe the purpose of the segment as increasing the prestige of these programs arguing that the professions require skill and creativity, prepare graduates for professions that can be quite lucrative, and while the programs may require as much time as college education involve paid internships not available to those running up high college debt. If you don’t watch this program, this segment is informative.
I understand the intent of the segment and agree that professions such as plumber and electrician are important, lucrative, and involve cognitive creativity and problem-solving. I also recognize that the graduates of such programs are often underappreciated.
However, in attempting to dispel myths about trade schools I fear the message of the CBS progam may have promoted other misunderstandings. I am an academic, but that bias aside I see higher education as more than job prep and starting salaries.
Certainly, we see broader goals in high school. I happen to think it is interesting that there is public disagreement about the skills and knowledge that are goals at this level, but at least the disagreement is over what knowledge and values should be developed. College experiences in and outside of the classroom extend this process of exploring culture, values, and interpersonal relationships. I believe you see some of this impact in what has been described as the political divide between college educated and non college educated adults. It would be challenging to separate the factors that led to the decision of what to do after high school from the consequences of educational experiences that follow, but it seems obvious these groups see the world very differently. It is far more than how much money you make doing whatever it is that you do.