Should You Go To College?
Well, that depends.
Those on top of the socioeconomic food chain critique degree-granting institutions as a waste of time. Scores from SpaceX’s frontman Elon Musk to entrepreneurial giant Gary Vaynerchuk openly admit a degree is not essential or even the best use of your time. The origin stories of such venerated figures depict dropping out of college and university as a sure-fire way of getting into the real work and success of life. The collective opinion and acceptance towards opting out of a formal education has only increased in the last decade. But, perhaps, we as a society have an outdated perspective on higher education. What if we need to change our approach towards college and university in order to find success in today’s constantly advancing world?
So, should you go to college?
The simple fact may be true; you don’t need college to succeed in today’s world. But that in itself is left to idiosyncratic chance. An artist needn’t go to college, but a prospective doctor or lawyer does. Furthermore, deciding on a college’s admission also depends on what resources are already available to you. Colleges and universities now compete with mentorships, workshops, master classes, information readily available, shared, and sold on the web. Continuing your education goes way beyond traditional lecture halls.
Most importantly, it’s imperative to know what kind of career field you’re hoping to get into. That will ultimately determine if you need a college degree.
If taking the college route, college and university should not be your sole educator.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, but it must be stated: a college degree is no longer enough. Take a position in the humanities, such as an editor, writer, videographer, or one in the sciences, chemist, bacteriologist, etc., and more likely than not a set amount of experience is preferred and required to secure a job. Simply having a degree is not a fool proof way of securing an even entry level position. Typically, employers will want to see field-related quantifiable results and in-demand skills on your resumes: you increased this much profit; you know current trends and popular software systems; you’ve worked in this atmosphere for X amount of years. These selling points may not come from your experience as an undergraduate student.
Employment statistics look promising for college graduates, but a look at your specific job market will give a more accurate layout of what to expect post-graduation. The world is changing at an exponential rate thanks to technological advances, and universities can’t always keep up. Yes, a degree in your field of interest is great for an overall knowledge, but it most likely won’t teach you how to market and pitch your services using the platforms currently available to you. Nowadays, an education must be coupled with experience, and relying solely on college and university for career success would be an outdated approach in preparation for it.
Not many people will say this, but if you’re planning to go to college, do not wait to get real world experience.
It’s easy to be lured into society’s wealthiest and most dominant heads chanting, “You don’t need to go to college. Supersede the student loan debt. Set your own standards. Study what you actually care about.” But coupling a formal education with actual field experience may be the jackpot. The general education requirement for college and university means a chance at understanding the former and present world we live in. Additionally, what you learn in school is peer-reviewed and taught by qualified professionals. The material taught in higher education has been rigorously fact-checked and tested, and you will learn how to have an informed conversation with the world on topics you would have never bothered with on your own.
Colleges and universities represent a foot in the professional door, but what most will fail to tell students is this: it’s not so much about the education you have, but how you use the education you’ve got. All the theory in the world equates to nothing without action, initiative, and doing more than the bare minimum. A degree alone is no longer enough, but an education coupled with experience and in demand skills can be. You shouldn’t rely on formal schooling to prepare you for today’s world, but it can be a useful navigational advisory.
The Takeaway
Plenty of people become successful with and without a college degree. The decision to attend college should be weighed on its necessity for your chosen career path. Not all jobs require a degree. But for the professions that do require formal education, get started on related field experience as soon as possible. Theory coupled with experiment and application is the best way to make use of an education.
