In a CNN piece, John McWhorter argues that it’s a mistake for blacks (and I’d add, anyone else) to think that getting a degree from a four-year college is the path to success in life. For many young people, some kind of vocational training is a much better choice.

Bravo, but I think McWhorter places too much emphasis on community-college training. Despite the talk about how we’re now in a “knowledge economy,” a lot of entry-level employment is open to people with no educational credentials and only calls for on-the-job training. Also, there are numerous for-profit training institutes that teach individuals the basic skills needed and then help them land jobs. We need not rely just on state-run community colleges.