Rethinking College: A Guide to Thriving Without a Degree

"A valuable reassessment of America's educational system." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

What if you didn't have to go to college?

You may have heard that a college degree is the only path to success. But many college graduates end up mired in debt and underemployed, working jobs that don't even require a degree. The good news? There are many promising career options for those who don't want to or can't attend college.

In Rethinking College, award-winning journalist Karin Klein sets out a new path for our country's students and their families. Klein examines why the traditional college-for-all model has been overhyped and is growing less relevant, then shares practical advice and real-world examples of exactly how others have succeeded without a four-year degree.

Discover an abundance of alternative paths, including white-collar apprenticeships, certificate programs, entrepreneurship, creative careers, residential public-service work, and more.

Klein will guide you step-by-step toward a broad range of fulfilling and well-paid careers that don't require a degree—ranging from pilots, costume designers, influencers, writers, computer programmers, corporate headhunters, film editors, and so many more. The breadth of possibilities is wider than you think!

Rethinking College is perfect for:

• Those who are unsure of their next education or career steps.
• Those looking to make a job pivot.
• Parents seeking guidance for their child.
• School counselors who want to offer their students more and better options.

Don't just go to college because everyone says you have to—find the path that's right for you. It's out there.

Karin Klein has been a member of the Los Angeles Times editorial board for the past 20 years, covering education, medicine, science, and environment, and was a regular columnist for the Sacramento Bee for four years. She shared in two staff Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of breaking news and was the 2006 recipient of the Eugene C. Pulliam Fellowship for Editorial Writers, the Logan Science Writing Fellowship at Woods Hole and Arctic Alaska, and the Metcalf Institute Environmental Writing Fellowship. She also has won numerous national, regional, and local journalism awards, including the Education Writers Association award for her creation of an interactive education page for The Times.