There is an AP news story circulating under the title: Obama's call of college for all: Could it be done? in which six higher education experts offer their answers to two questions - Is the president's goal realistic? And what would it take to attain it?

I was not surprised but a bit disappointed to find that only one of the six experts questioned whether the goal was realistic. The reason I was not surprised is that I all too often see advocates for higher education assume that more is always necessarily better, seeing any student who doesn't go on to earn a college degree as a failure.  The answers given to the second question, calling for vast resources and a redoubling of our educational efforts, suggest what may be wrong with this perspective.

Rather than simply offering my answers to these two questions, I'd like to raise a more fundamental question: Is that the best goal to aim toward? As those of you who've read my book already know, my answer to that question is a resounding no.  College is not a one-size-fits-all life plan, and if you have goals which are better served by a path other than college don't feel you have to go. There are many career paths better served by vocational training and one-the-job experience than by earning a two or four year college degree.  You may know that your goal is to be a carpenter, a baker or a rock star. If that is the case, will attending college help you or distract you from what you really need to learn to master your trade? If we are willing to invest vast resources and effort in our own or our children's futures, then it may be more efficient consider and select from multiple paths to success.  Let colleges offer what they do well, and accept that some individuals will find that they are better off investing their resources in learning a trade outside of college.

My answer is probably closer to Pres. Obama's call than the misleading AP article.  What he said in his speech to congress was, "So tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship." What the President called for, in fact, was a commitment to continue learning beyond high school, whether that is through college or vocational training. He was calling on every citizen to invest in themselves in order to become more successful personally, and also in order to be able to better contribute to our collective prosperity. Despite having personally benefited from attending college (Occidental and Columbia) and law school (Harvard), Pres. Obama apparently recognizes that not everyone would thrive on the path he took, but that, whatever your path, doing the best you can with the gifts you have creates a life worthy of respect.