Society's stand on College
The Society has lightened up on College somewhat, but for years a person was ostracized for going. It was always spoke of in a negative light and it was always a big no no.
5/8/1989 Pages
13-14
What Career Should I Choose?
University Education—Advantageous?
Most pioneer ministers support themselves with part-time work. But what if later on you need to support a family? Surely one would never regret devoting one’s youthful years to God’s service! Still, some ask, Would it not make sense for a youth first to obtain a university degree and perhaps pursue the ministry later?
The Bible, of course, does not spell out exactly how many years of schooling a Christian youth should obtain. Nor does it condemn education. Jehovah, the “Grand Instructor,” encourages his people to read well and to express themselves clearly. (Isaiah 30:20; Psalm 1:2; Hebrews 5:12) Moreover, education can broaden our understanding of people and the world we live in.
Nevertheless, is a university degree always worth the huge commitment of time and money it demands? While statistics indicate that university graduates earn higher salaries and suffer less unemployment than high school graduates, the book Planning Your College Education reminds us that these statistics are mere averages. Only a minority of university graduates actually receive sky-high salaries; the rest are paid wages that are far more down to earth. Besides, the high incomes attributed to university graduates may also result from such factors as “unusual abilities, motivation, area opportunities for employment, . . . special talents”—not simply the amount of their education.
“A [university] degree no longer guarantees success in the job market,” says the U.S. Department of Labor. “The proportion [of university graduates] employed in professional, technical, and managerial occupations . . . declined because these occupations did not expand rapidly enough to absorb the growing supply of graduates. As a result, roughly 1 out of 5 [university] graduates who entered the labor market between 1970 and 1984 took a job not usually requiring a degree. This oversupply of graduates is likely to continue through the mid-1990’s.”
Further Facts to Ponder
A university degree may or may not improve your employment prospects. But one fact is indisputable: “The time left is reduced”! (1 Corinthians 7:29) For all its presumed benefits, would four years or more in a university be the best use of that remaining time?—Ephesians 5:16.
Would a university education steer you toward or away from your spiritual goals? Remember, a high income is not a Christian priority. (1 Timothy 6:7, 8) Yet, a survey of U.S. university administrators described today’s students as ‘career-oriented, concerned with material success, concerned with self.’ One group of students said: “It seems like all we talk about is money.” How might being immersed in an atmosphere of intense competition and selfish materialism affect you?
Universities may no longer have the riotous scenes of the 1960’s. But a decrease in university bedlam hardly means the campus environment is wholesome. Concluded one study of campus life: “Students still have almost unlimited freedom in personal and social matters.” Drugs and alcohol are used freely, and promiscuity is the rule—not the exception. If this is true of universities in your land, might living there thwart your efforts to remain morally clean?—1 Corinthians 6:18.
Another concern is the well-documented association of exposure to higher education with decreased “adherence to core religious tenets.” (The Sacred in a Secular Age) The pressure to maintain high grades has caused some Christian youths to neglect spiritual activities and thus become vulnerable to the onslaught of secular thinking promoted by universities. Some have suffered shipwreck concerning their faith.—Colossians 2:8.
Alternatives to University Education
In view of these facts, many Christian youths have decided against a university education. Many have found that the training offered in congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses—the weekly Theocratic Ministry School in particular—has given them a real edge in finding employment. Though not possessing a university degree, such youths learn to be poised, adept at expressing themselves, and quite capable of handling responsibility. Furthermore, while in secondary school, some take courses in typing, computer programming, auto repair, machine-shop work, and so forth. Such skills may lend themselves to part-time employment and are often in high demand. And though many youths disdain ‘working with their hands,’ the Bible dignifies doing “hard work.” (Ephesians 4:28) Why, Jesus Christ himself learned a trade so well that he came to be called “the carpenter”!—Mark 6:3.
True, in some lands university graduates have so flooded the job market that it is hard to obtain even commonplace jobs without additional training. But often there are apprenticeship programs, vocational or technical schools, and short-term university courses that teach marketable skills with a minimum investment of time and money. Also, there is a factor that employment statistics do not take into account: God’s promise to provide for those who give priority to spiritual interests.—Matthew 6:33.
Employment prospects and educational systems vary from place to place. Youths have different abilities and inclinations. And while a career in the Christian ministry is recommended as being beneficial, it is still a matter of personal choice. You and your parents must thus carefully weigh all factors involved in deciding how much education is right for you. ‘Each one must carry his own load’ in making such decisions.—Galatians 6:5.
If, for example, your parents insist that you attend a university, you have no choice but to obey them as long as you are living under their supervision. (Ephesians 6:1-3) Perhaps you can continue living at home and avoid getting caught up in the university scene. Be selective in your choice of courses, for example, focusing on learning job skills rather than worldly philosophies. Guard your associations. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Keep yourself spiritually strong by meeting attendance, field service, and personal study. Some youths who have been obliged to attend university have even managed to pioneer by choosing a schedule of courses that made that possible.
Choose your career carefully and prayerfully, so that it not only will bring personal happiness but will enable you to ‘store up treasures in heaven.’—Matthew 6:20.
2/1/1967 Pages
75-6
Fruitful Christians Manifest Godly Contentment
10 Some persons
who have been bearing godly fruit, however, turn aside from that right course,
and this is often because they are no longer “content with the present
things.” Young people, for example, are easily influenced by the materialistic
outlook of the world around them, and especially is this true if their parents
are inclined to value highly the ability to command a big salary in the business
world. As a result, they may set their hearts on the education that is offered
by the world’s institutions of “higher learning.” Their desire
is not simply to learn a trade so that they can work with their hands and not
be a burden on others; no, they want to be in an upper-income bracket. (1 Thess.
4:10-12) But what is wrong with that? Jesus frankly said that it would be more
difficult for a rich man to get into the Kingdom than for a camel to get through
the eye of a sewing needle. (Luke 18:24, 25) Rather than being content with
“sustenance and covering,” those who devote themselves to getting
a “higher education” usually want to be able to enjoy “the rest
of the things” that money can buy. (Mark 4:19) If they are going to succeed
in the education they have set out to get, they have to work hard at it. Study
of the Bible, association with the Christian congregation and participation
in the Christian ministry are curtailed. Worldly associations
predominate; worldly philosophy fills their minds. What happens? Perhaps
not what they expected, though they would have known if they took seriously
what the Bible says. (1 Cor. 15:33; Col. 2:8) It may even come as a shock to
their parents. Why, just recently a man who wanted his
boy to have a “good education” so that life would be easier for him
found that, in just one year at college, the boy had lost his faith—something
that no amount of money can buy.