IP: CHOOSING A SALARY OR TUITION Edupage, September 8 2000

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>
>The wealth of tech jobs and the attractive salary packages they
>offer is compelling some talented high school students to skip
>college and enter the job market.  These young workers say a
>college education can actually hurt their long-term chances
>because the tech field changes so quickly.  Many
>computer-oriented young people dislike high school, where they
>are perceived as uncool outsiders, and have no wish to continue
>into college.  They see the computer industry, where producing
>results is more important than fitting in, as an ideal and
>profitable environment for their talents and interests.  The
>median weekly salary for computer analysts and programmers is
>nearly twice the overall population's median salary, according to
>the Census Department's Current Population Survey.  There is
>little evidence to show whether this direct movement of high
>school students into the tech field is a statistically
>significant trend or merely a collection of isolated incidents.
>Educators and parents worry, however, that short-term economic
>gain may create long-term disadvantages for these young tech
>experts.  Not having a college degree may hurt them when they
>compete for promotions or try to land a better job.
>(New York Times, September 7 2000)