Imagine, if you will, the cold, barren expanse of 2015. Or the cold, barren expanse of 2050.
War never changes, enveloping the land in an impenetrable cloud of radiation. Survival is a daily struggle. Out of millions of American citizens, you have been saved in a bunker as a representative of your prospective field, be it Civil War history or inorganic chemistry. You are charged with rebuilding society. You have a Wal-Mart. Go.

My response: What good is a busload of bachelor degrees if no one can drive standard?
Our generation is in a bit of a pickle. Society told us college was our only path and our majors didn’t matter as much as the diploma and the job market would beg for our well-educated presence post-graduation. Our parents and guidance counselors hand-groomed us into academic machines with no foresight into basic necessity. We were told taking a few years to earn piece of paper would give us a future, and we were told wrong.

The American job market is confused. Dentists’ offices won’t hire entry-level secretaries without a college degree, but that mile-long resume can’t score you a bellhop job without two years experience. If a diploma cannot define your skills, what does it do?

I continue to believe a well-rounded liberal arts education cultivates personal introspection and lends itself towards self-actualization. The questions asked in such an institution are the questions every able-minded individual should ponder. Broad backgrounds and critical reflection lead to wider horizons and better futures. However, history presents no evidence that Plato could unclog a drain. A rift appears between what we do and how we are educated.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about China and India. According to CBS, the Indian Institute of Technology produces nearly 14,000 computer engineers a year, each one with skills comparable to many American CEO’s and CIO’s. China matriculated 4.95 million bachelor’s students this past year, many in the physical and technological sciences, and the job market has room for more.

It is astonishing that in our trying economic times less and less American students are participating in the applied sciences and skilled labors. Now, in a time where our national exports are waning considerably, we choose to exert less proficiency even in the service sector. The modern United States may be the most highly educated society in history and yet many citizens cannot cook breakfast.

I had the fortune of assisting a freshmen seminar last semester focusing on career, academic and personal goals. As I chatted with students and reviewed final papers, the same uncertainty of purpose arose again and again, the same feelings of existential dread many of my graduating friends are experiencing.

Most of the people reading this article will attend school for about 19 years without having to plan the next step. One moves from pre-K to kindergarten, college to grad school. The step after graduation is assumed to come just as naturally.

Many people come to college because society demands it, because they fear rejection for not living up to their class expectations. Because of this, many people leave uncertain and unfulfilled.

Educate your mind, develop your person, but know some skills. Please. Consider trade school.

Lewis Baker is a psychology senior. He can be reached at [email protected]

In My Opinion is a weekly column open to any Loyola student. Those who are interested can e-mail [email protected]