Republican pollster B.J. Martino suggested in an interview that aired on Thursday that a four-year higher education may not be the answer for all students.
“We have set a four-year college as the standard by which everyone should go to,” Martino, a partner at the Tarrance Group, told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons on “What America’s Thinking” on Wednesday.
“Yet there are so many high-paying jobs for people who can weld, or can operate machinery, and that doesn’t require a four-year college degree,” he continued.
“You don’t have to come out with all of that debt, and you can go get a good job that can provide a lifetime of employment,” he said.
Martino’s comments come as college tuition continues to rise in the U.S. and as a number of Democratic hopefuls in 2020, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), have proposed making college free for students.
The average cost for private four-year colleges in the 2018-2019 school year was $35,676, while at public universities an out-of-state resident paid on average $21,629 and an in-state student paid an average of $9,716.
— Julia Manchester
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