During my four years as an LPN, I did financially better than many of the people who earned baccalaureate degrees in humanities-type majors such as American literature, art, English, philosophy, sociology, classics, linguistics, and theater. While their BA degrees exuded more prestige than my lowly nursing license, I typically earned more money and struggled less than them.
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Some readers might be aware that a college bubble is forming in the United States. Since so many people in this day and age have earned college degrees when compared to previous generations, the value of having one has decreased in the employment market. Graduation from college or university no longer paves the road to good income, success, or the easy life. This is evidenced by the numerous college graduates who are unemployed or underemployed during this economic climate.
I worked as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) from 2006 until 2010 and did reasonably well during those years. No one is ever going to become rich by working as an LPN, but a comfortable life with decent income and middle class comforts are definitely within reach if you do not squander whatever money you earn. My 12-month diploma of vocational nursing and LPN license enabled me to earn a decent income, buy a newer construction house, park two vehicles in the driveway, amass a five-figure nest egg, save for retirement, and avoid living from paycheck to paycheck. By the way, I was accomplishing these things as a single female in my mid-twenties with no spouse or significant other.
I feel that practical education, hands-on job training, and the learning of trades have all been pushed to the wayside. Politicians, educators, and many parents are encouraging all young people to go to college without much regard to the chosen major or concentration. According to Cohan (2012), half of freshly minted college graduates are unemployed or underemployed. And the story does not stop there, because many grads are underemployed in jobs that do not require degrees. Young adults with bachelor's degrees are increasingly scraping by in lower-wage jobs-waiter or waitress, bartender, retail clerk or receptionist, for example-and that's confounding their hopes a degree would pay off despite higher tuition and mounting student loans (USA Today, 2012).
Many of the university graduates who have earned baccalaureate degrees in art history, classics, philosophy, humanities, religious studies, liberal arts, psychology, sociology, women's studies, literature, human ecology, sculpture, fashion design, or any number of majors and concentrations are not faring that well in today's super competitive job market. The ones who do manage to find jobs must contend with very low pay and minimal career mobility. Also, many people who have attained postgraduate education, such as masters and doctorate degrees, in these types of majors are not exactly doing well.
According to Cohan (2012), those with majors "in zoology, anthropology, philosophy, art history and humanities" don't stand much of a chance of getting jobs requiring a college degree. However, according to the BLS, the median annual wage of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses was $40,380 in May 2010, and LPN employment is expected to grow faster than the national average.
By no means am I bashing higher education, since it instills a broader view of the world and inculcates critical thought. However, many young people are blindly pursuing educational pathways without an end plan or goal in sight. It is so sad to read about individuals with nearly six figures in student loan debt who must work low-paying jobs in the service industry to make their staggering monthly payments.
Stand proud, LPNs. Your licensure will eventually lead to a middle-income job and a path to a respectable life, if it has not already. While the bachelor of arts or masters degree tends to carry more prestige in society than a career certificate and practical nursing license, you will typically earn more money and struggle less than people who did not select their majors wisely. In summary, LPNs often fare better than some degree earners.
