Gen Z unsure about college, a new poll finds

BY JASON GONZALES THE COLORADO SUN

Gen Z believes education after high school is necessary. ey’re just not so sure about going to a four-year university.

It isn’t that the generation born between 1997 and 2012 doesn’t want to get a bachelor’s degree, according to a recent study by the ECMC Foundation. e cost of tuition, student debt, and not feeling prepared keep them from heading to a university. Some are more open to certi cate programs, apprenticeships, two-year degrees, and onthe-job training as viable paths to a career.

e general attitudes of Gen Z students, documented in the report by the foundation that pushes for higher education improvements, tracks similarly to what Colorado college counseling groups hear. Advisors say students they talk to are recovering from an unprecedented pandemic and they’re more cost conscious about their education. Gen Z students are putting nancial security rst.

“ ey’ve seen so many people just operate to survive during the pandemic,” said Melissa Muniz, the Latin American Educational Foundation student services and program manager.

With those attitudes in mind, counselors say there’s a balance in helping Gen Z students understand how to approach their education. About 65% of students say post-high school education is important, the report says. And almost 60% say they can be successful without a four-year degree.

Having a four-year degree has bene ts. State data shows having a bachelor’s degree can open opportunities for more secure and higherpaying jobs that Gen Z students seek. Residents with a bachelor’s degree are also more mobile.

Nonetheless, nancial worries persist about the high cost of tuition at a four-year university or the debt students might be saddled with after they graduate. e study says six in 10 teens worry about how to pay for their education. at can hold them back.

Students do have options in Colorado, and it’s true that some students can get what they want out of their education from a shorter-term program.

But the study shows not enough students feel they get the counseling they need to make the decision. About 63% said they need guidance on nances and 48% said they need education and career guidance.

“ ey’re operating from this place where they want to nd something they love, they want to nd something they’re passionate about doing,” said Muniz, whose nonpro t pushes for greater access to higher education among Latino and Hispanic students. “But they question how they are also going to have stability so that they can provide for themselves and for their families.”

Gabriel Guindon, Denver Scholarship Foundation college access director, said counselors always make sure students know about Colorado’s talent pipeline report that says about 92% of the top jobs statewide require schooling beyond a high school diploma. e Denver foundation helps students realize their college dreams through advising and nancial aid.

Students also should get advised individually to nd the best t, whether that’s academic, nancial, or social, he said. Guindon o ers advice on how to pay for a four-year degree, but he doesn’t steer students just toward universities. He tries to help students see that an education beyond college is necessary and at their ngertips. e state has been investing more in programs that connect post-high school education and industries that need more trained workers. Sometimes these programs lead to a bachelor’s degree and sometimes they don’t. e state wants more high school students to leave with a certi cate or credential that can lead to a job and has free high school programs where students can attend collegelevel classes and earn credit. ese programs expanded on Colorado’s CareForward program, which provides free education for health care elds.

Gen Z’s openness toward other options expressed in the survey aligns with some of Colorado’s higher education priorities. Colorado’s higher education strategic plan calls for students to get a return on what they pay, help more lowincome students get into programs after high school, and for colleges to work more closely with employers.

Colorado now o ers free college and training in a range of elds where there’s a shortage of workers, such as teaching, re ghting, and law enforcement. ese programs can help students nd a track that ts their interests and o ers good job prospects after completion.

Other examples include schools such as Colorado Mountain College, which partners with local employers to create practical training for students to get jobs on the Western Slope. Community colleges such as the Community College of Aurora have also cut some arts and humanities programs to focus on courses that prepare students for jobs.

Sachs Foundation President Ben Ralston said Gen Z attitudes he’s observed are also reactions to issues that should be challenged. e national survey says students want their interests to lead to ful llment in their careers.

Ralston, whose nonpro t supports Black Colorado students, said he’s heard from many students who want to learn business or engineering because they care most about the money they’ll earn. Some students, however, have no interest in those careers and won’t nd ful llment, he said.

Adults shouldn’t forget a four-year education also can lead to jobs that may not pay as much, but help create a more robust society through art, literature, or teaching, he said. It’s on state leaders to help make jobs with high societal value worth the time students spend getting educated for them and to help students nd value in creativity.

For instance, Ralson said Colorado needs more Black educators. e foundation and Teach for America Colorado have teamed up to provide nancial and career development support to Black educators, through learning groups and a salary incentive.

Sachs Foundation Chief Operating O cer Pamela Roberts said Gen Z notions about higher ed also can be challenged simply by o ering them information. Not every student has to go to an Ivy League school and most students realize that college is more a ordable than they expect depending on where they go.

Muniz said, however, students too often don’t get the information they need to make dreams a reality.

“ ey know what it takes and they know what they might want to do,” she said. “But some of them are just lacking that con dence or lacking that ability or the resources to really understand how to take advantage of these opportunities.”