In light of the recent decision made by the California State University (CSU) system to cancel in-person instruction for the fall semester at all 23 of its universities, I wanted to share my 2 cents on the value of education, and my recommendations for students as we look toward the future. Students at all education levels have been forced into this unexpected pivot due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and should be aware of how educational institutions adapt for the foreseeable future – and anticipate changes for the unforeseeable. As someone who spent 4 years in the Chabot – Las Positas Community College District earning an AA in Business Administration, and expect to “graduate” from UC Riverside in June with a BS in Business – Finance, I have been contemplating this topic for years now, and believe I have a unique perspective to add to this discussion.

First, it’s always important to always recognize that value is an intrinsic concept. In other words, the value of something is determined by what we think something is worth. This is true from all perspectives. For example; from a simplified and purely financial perspective, we make investments because we have (hopefully) determined that its value will increase in the future. However, there are many more factors to this world aside from finance that influence our decision-making. Two people might find different values in their favorite coffees based on their own taste preferences, different values in cars based on their needs, and so on.

So if value is something that we determine on our own, what is the value of an education? If we think of ourselves as the investment, then we can logically apply the previous investment principle to conclude that we invest lots of time and lots of money into educating ourselves because we think it will make us worth more in the future, financially or otherwise. That’s pretty much why we go to college, and hundreds of articles and studies about the positive benefits of pursuing a higher education exist to support this reasoning. Easy to understand, right? Well…not really.

Aside from attending UC Riverside, there are also different options in the world of educational programs: Community college, trade schools, specialized schools, apprenticeship programs, and so much more. Another alternative that complicates this is the internet. What you’re using right now to read this is the same thing that you use to access your “peer-reviewed” Wikipedia sources, Google questions that you can’t answer within 5 seconds, and much more. A lot of people see the internet as a great equalizer in the pursuit of knowledge since we can access whatever public information we want at any time, without being discriminated against due to our background, socioeconomic status, etc. There is no doubt that the internet is a powerful tool that can be used to supplement a current academic journey, but the internet has also introduced many different, new, and disruptive learning platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and Khan Academy; even YouTube has an entire category dedicated to educational content! And these are only a tiny fraction of what the internet can offer in terms of education.

The point here is that, regardless of what path you take, education is valuable. However, there are so many different options available that it’s hard to identify what exactly makes education so valuable . That’s not to say that one learning institute or platform is inferior to another, they’re just all have different value propositions. Khan Academy is free, Coursera and Udemy allow for personalized specialization in specific fields, Year Up guarantees its students tech internships in the Silicon Valley upon completion of their curriculum, etc. 

Traditionally, the general public has always favored going to a university and getting a degree. But with all these current offerings, why choose a university? In a conversation that I had with one of my UCR club advisors, he pointed out that the value is in the word itself; “University” as a word derives its meaning from “universe”, which is defined as “a world or sphere in which something exists or prevails”. In this case, the world refers to the full spectrum of academic disciplines that the university offers, and we are what prevails on it. In other words, a university not only houses and offers a full spectrum of majors and disciplines, but is also an environment which encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. For example, UCR’s School of Business has a consultancy program that connects business students with engineering students to create business plans and pitch product ideas to investors. Phi Chi Theta is a professional organization of business students of different backgrounds who come together to build upon and apply their professional skill sets in member-exclusive events.

In contrast, when I was in community college, I went through the motions of being a full-time student without much collaboration. In my experience, for one reason or another, students didn’t really participate outside of the classroom, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing when you consider how many CC students prioritize work outside of school (i worked no less than 2 jobs during my whole time at CC), and how much we saved to receive the same or similar GE breadth courses.   

Again, that’s not to say one is better than the other. Sure, I saved money, built my own set of experiences and skills at my time in CC, and even had better classroom experiences. But I also missed out on experiences like freshman dorming & learning communities; those odd days where you attend career fairs and workshops hosted by NFL linebackers; and those odd nights where you end up at a Dennys at 3am with your best friends. I don’t ever regret choosing to go to a CC, but there’s something inherent about the university experience that will always differentiate it from its alternatives. Learning goes beyond coursework, and is expanded upon through application, collaboration, and opportunities.

I think this is the greatest value that education can bring: an environment that encourages opportunity. Opportunity to learn, challenge, and defend what they think is right. Opportunity to apply skills in practical scenarios. Opportunity to meet others, come into our own selves, and thrive.

Unfortunately though, the Covid-19 pandemic has severely limited the value universities can offer, as they scramble to adapt to this forced transition to online instruction. To be fair, I do give them credit for finding new and creative ways to offer similar events to us. I mean, how do you even coordinate an online career fair? That said, exposure to other students is obviously much more limited than pre-Covid conditions, and unless universities find a way to encourage inter-student connection soon, I think more students should look to investing their time and money in learning alternatives. Value can go up, but it can also go down. I’ll be honest, there are only 2 differences between my online classes at UCR and the ones I took at CC: 1) lectures are held online via zoom, and 2) I’m paying almost 10x as much for the same experience. The Bachelor’s degree is nice, but as I’m quickly figuring out, relevant work experience is just as good, if not better. 

As I mentioned in the beginning, value is intrinsic, and comes from what we think something is worth. Education is valuable in helping one grow, but there also isn’t necessarily a best learning option, as each option is best for different types of people depending on their circumstances. That said, with the most recent Covid-19 circumstances impacting our lives and interactions with one another, I implore you to be open-minded to changing your course slightly in order to adapt. If you’re enrolled in a university that cancels in-person instruction for the fall, maybe consider taking a quarter/semester off instead to apply for an internship or attend a community college to fulfill GE requirements at a fraction of the university tuition cost. Start by having your goal in mind, and then figure out how to get there. 

Whether you take the fastest route, the scenic route, or some other third option, I hope that you find value in it, and that the candle of knowledge guides your ship to achievement in these stormy waters.