Learn & Earn? Jews have always valued education — a value born of course in the beis medrash. In the workplace nowadays l’havdil a college degree — and sometimes a master’s degree — is often considered a prerequisite to a job interview. But with education costs constantly on the rise and the job market unstable is it worthwhile to invest heavily in education?   

MY TAKE: This may seem like a disconnect but it’s not necessarily a negative. If someone studies engineering and then goes into business his background provides added value to the company because of his understanding of how systems work. A lawyer may end up running a nonprofit and using his legal skills to understand complex government contracts. Of course there are many people who pursue degrees without a realistic understanding of the field — they may know a successful real estate mogul and assume they can follow the same path. That’s why when guiding young people I try to link them to a professional so they can get a better picture of their field of interest. An internship is also a good idea; it will provide them with the clarity of what the real world is like. Richard Altabe is the headmaster of Yeshivat Shaare Torah in Brooklyn New York and the executive director of TOVA mentoring program in the Five Towns.