If I look back on my blog, I can see that each year there were one or two ideas that just blew me away and ended up dominating my thinking. For example, 2011 my year to be obsessed with school –  homeschooling and higher ed, 2010 was my year for disillusionment with happiness research, 2009 was when [...]

The best way to understand earning power—no matter what your age—is to understand the factors that go into it. For example, most people who have careers that are plateauing usually have a learning problem that manifests itself as an earning problem.
And for parents, schooling discussions are really earning discussions. Because you can say that kids [...]

It used to be controversial to say that college is a rip off. At this point, I think the arguments have reached the mainstream. The problem is that, while some kids win the intellectual lottery, it’s too risky for most kids to skip out on the credentials.
So the question is: how can you make the most of [...]

After yesterday’s post, about how stupid grad school is, a lot of people asked,  what is an alternative to grad school?
This is a great question.
I see this picture outside my window at least once a month.

I have only a little idea of what's going on. Should I go to graduate school to figure it out? [...]

It’s pretty well established that non-science degrees are not necessary for a job. In fact, the degrees cost you too much money, require too long of a commitment, and do not teach you the real-life skills they promise.
Yet, I do tons of radio call-in shows where I say that graduate degrees in the humanities are so [...]

Our neighbor, Kathy, called to tell us to come over for prom pictures.
We had no idea what she was talking about. I told Melissa I was too happy reading Little Bee in the sun. "But," I said, "Kathy is so nice to us. One of us has to go. We have to be good neighbors."
Melissa [...]

My kids are Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2010. And I wonder: what can we see in those kids now that can tell us what they'll be like later, at work?

As a history student in college (history of political thought, for all you fans of the Republic) and still an obsessive researcher of generational [...]

The idea of paying for a liberal arts education is over. It is elitist and a rip off and the Internet has democratized access to information and communication skills to the point that paying $30K a year to get them is insane.
Ben Casnocha has one of the most thorough, self-examined discussions about the value of [...]

The best writers in the history of the world are graduating from college, right now. So everyone can just shut up about how no one can write anymore.
Newsflash: No one could write in the Middle Ages, when the good writers wrote in Latin and everyone else spoke colloquial languages like French and English, which priests [...]

It used to be that the best post-college jobs were the ones that gave you a sense of security (law, medicine) or financial windfall (banking). But the finance industry and grad-school route are both dead ends at this point.
The New York Times reports that we’re experiencing a sea change in the career department because the [...]

A recession is typically a good time for graduate schools. Their application pool goes up because people see them as safe shelter from the storm. The scariest part of a down economy is the idea of having no income. Of course, graduate school does not solve for that. But graduate school does solve the second [...]

There is no other way to figure out where you belong than to make time to do it and give yourself space to fail, give yourself time to be lost. If you think you have to get it right the first time, you won't have the space really to investigate, and you'll convince yourself that [...]

It used to be that the smart kids went to graduate school. But today, the workplace is different, and it might be that only the desperate kids go to graduate school. Today there are new rules, and new standards for success. And for most people, graduate school is the path to nowhere. Here are seven [...]

What's good timing for grad school? For some degrees, the best timing is probably never. The benefits of the degree will never outweigh the problems it creates. For some degrees, going fast is key, for others, taking your time can ward off common missteps. Here's a primer on how to approach a looming graduate application:
Timing [...]

This is a guest post from Jon Morrow, who is 25 years old. His blog is On Moneymaking.
 By Jon Morrow – I nearly killed myself in college to get straight A's.  Well, almost straight A's. I graduated with 37 A's and 3 B's for a GPA of 3.921. At the time, I thought I was hot stuff.  [...]

During the middle of the 20th century, the social fabric of community unraveled. Families fled to the suburbs, where they lived isolated lives. Baby boomers became hyper competitive – almost a necessity of being part of such a huge generation – and then baby boomers raised latchkey kids, and Generation X felt so isolated from [...]

The most prestigious place for college grads to get a job today is Deloitte, according to a Business Week story titled, The Best Places to Launch a Career, by Lindsey Gerdes. In fact, the top three choices for Generation Y are all Big 4 accounting firms.
My first thought was, are you kidding me?!?!?!
Because if you [...]

Most entry-level jobs do not pay enough to support someone living in a large city. This is a problem for recent grads. They imagine life in a big city as lots of entertainment, crowds of young people for fun, and a great dating scene. But it's a hard life to fund: The cost of college, [...]

I loved listeing to this interview with Sallie Krawcheck so much. I have been following Sallie's career for years, and I had no idea I was going to see her in person until I showed up for the Forbes Executive Women's Forum for a speaking engagement, and there she was, speaking right before I did. [...]

By Ryan Healy – According to Monster.com, 60 percent of college graduates move home with mom and dad after graduation and the trend is on the rise. The statistic holds true with my friends from the class of 2006. More than half moved back to the suburbs to start adult life, much the [...]