Placing the Blame

Posted on | January 8, 2010 | 3 Comments

Over on Modite, Rebecca Thorman has posted a really interesting article in which she postulates colleges are failing Gen Y students. With dropping graduation rates and an apparent lack of “real” skills at the end of a college education, Thorman believes that colleges are doing a big disservice to the Millennials.

According to Thorman, it’s now an “anomaly” to graduate college in four years with a sense of feeling prepared for the “real” world. And she believes it’s because the colleges are failing the students.

She makes some valid points, but my first reaction was simply: why is it the colleges’ fault? I mean, I believe there is absolutely a need to overhaul education in this country, both at the university level and at the K-12 level. And college is not necessarily the right option for every student, but placing the blame solely on the schools doesn’t quite seem right.

What about personal responsibility? Why are the colleges and universities solely responsible for making sure students graduate in a specific time frame with specific skills? When did students lose their culpability?

By most accounts of the Millennial generation (roughly, those born between 1980 and 1995), when it comes to school and work, Gen Y is more likely to change majors, jobs and careers quickly and often, is less likely to show loyalty to one company over another, places a higher premium on job satisfaction and self-fulfillment and has a greater sense of entitlement than previous generations.

A stereotypical Millennial thinks he or she should have things handed to him or her, whether it’s a certain kind of college experience or a specific job. I’m a Millennial, but I don’t fit the stereotype, partly because I have this crazy idea about taking ownership over your own life, especially when it comes to education.

I’m one of those anomalies – I graduated in four years, but I didn’t just receive a degree. I earned it. I worked hard and struggled for it and I think I’m a better person as a result. I had a strong liberal arts education complete with a core curriculum. Consequently, I have a wide range of interests and feel confident about my ability to talk with anyone. (For those people who don’t think this is a “practical” skill, it is. It’s called networking and it’s how most people get jobs, promotions and accolades.)

As for those “real” world skills, I went out and found part-time jobs and internships to give me those skills. Even now, five-plus years and a very practical, application-based graduate degree later, I still push myself to learn new things. When I started my current job, there were things I didn’t know. So I figured it out and taught myself.

It’s really easy to place the blame somewhere else. It’s easy to say the blame resides with schools, the teachers, the administrators or the government. It’s much harder – but ultimately more rewarding – to take responsibility for yourself. By all means, ask for help along the way if you need it, but don’t blame someone or something else for the things you fail to do for yourself.

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