If you need more reasons to believe that the WCC administration should encourage students to seek associate degrees, look at the US Census Bureau’s Week 56 Household Pulse Survey. In the reasonable likelihood that you’ve never heard of the Household Pulse Survey, it is a data collection exercise that provides real-time data on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted US households.
One of the data points the Census Bureau monitors is the educational attainment of people who are not working at the time they conduct the survey. As part of the analysis, the Census Bureau sorts the data by state. In Michigan, respondents were asked why they were not working. Fewer people with associate degrees reported that they had been furloughed than any other group in the survey.
Further, three times more people who had “some college, no degree” than those with associate degrees reported that they used credit cards or loans to pay bills during the week of the survey. Keep in mind that “some college, no degree” includes people who have earned a non-degree certificate. Among the same groups, nearly twice as many “some college, no degree” respondents used their savings, sold possessions, or tapped into retirement accounts to pay bills or meet ordinary living expenses. And nearly four times as many non-degree holders reported borrowing from family or friends to pay living expenses.
Additionally, four times as many non-degree holders reported relying on SNAP benefits when compared to associate degree holders. Twelve and a half times as many non-degree holders reported using free- or reduced lunch benefits through their children’s school to provide at least some meals for their children during the week. It’s clear that for families on the edge, an associate degree means a better experience during periods of unemployment.
Associate degrees need a value check
Consistently pushing students to opt for certificates is a poor strategy for the school and a poor strategy for the student. If the purpose of community college studies is to improve one’s economic position, an associate degree offers more protection than a certificate or college coursework during periods of non-employment.
It isn’t sufficient to prepare someone for a particular job. The job needs to pay enough money to carry a worker for some period when he or she is not or cannot work. That’s why community colleges need to invest more in associate degrees for high-wage, high-demand jobs. Higher wage jobs allow people to set aside more savings to prepare for unanticipated expenses, including periods of unemployment. Offering associate degrees that don’t allow a graduate to earn a living wage, or that barely clear the workers’ weekly expenses is simply unconscionable.
It is time for a top-to-bottom review of all occupational/vocational programs to identify those that either do not pay a living wage, or that create an ALICE household. The administration needs to carefully reconsider those associate degrees – not in terms of what they can deliver to an employer, but rather the financial position they leave a graduate in.
Photo Credit: guitarfish , via Flickr
