The Top Five Reasons to go to College
Because a degree is just as common as a designer handbag
Story by Tyler Christopher
Hey! Welcome back to school, six weeks in and parking is still a nightmare! If you are like me, the last 42 days have been filled with adds and drops, book returns and lunch lines. Things have been so crazy it’s hard to remember that we are college students with goals. So for the fall semester, here are some great reminders and motivating factors of why you’re fighting the good fight.
The following are, “Tyler’s Top 5 Reason to Go to College.”
1. Don’t get left behind: The Permanent Trend of College Degrees
Do you have a degree? If you’re reading this, odds are you don’t, but you’re working on it. That’s great and here’s why: According to the National Center for Education, colleges and universities across America will graduate over 1.8 million people with a bachelor’s degrees this year. In essence, a bachelor’s degree is as common as a driver’s license and if you don’t have one, it may affect your trip on the Highway of Employment Success. Consider this, would you apply to be a truck driver if you didn’t have a license? No? Well consider that almost 2 million people are becoming better qualified than you yearly by obtaining their bachelor’s degree…that’s a lot of competition. Step it up!
2. The Professional World Prefers Degree Holders
So there are two constants in the world. First Matthew McConaughy has always driven Lincolns, and second employers will always ask if you have a degree. Though it’s impossible to ignore the reckless, subdued cool of a 2016 Lincoln Town Car…can I have my check now? It’s nearly impossible to ignore the fact that employers have raised the bar in terms of job requirements. As reported by CareerBuilder.com and CBS MoneyWatch, in the past 5 years, 27 percent of employers have raised their educational requirements. The survey also found that 56 percent of hiring mangers found those who had college degrees performed a higher quality of work, thereby they valued degree holding workers over all.
3. It’s all about the money: The Paper That Makes More Paper
Show me the money! If you don’t get that reference it’s because you are young! We all want money and getting a degree could be a step in the right direction. A Pew Research Center report found Millennials with a bachelor’s degree earned on average $ 45,000 a year, while those with only a high school diploma earned on average $28,000 a year. That’s a $17,000 difference! Now of course majoring in Latin or interpretive dance may not net you the income of your dreams, but not to worry, that’s what accounting degrees are for!
4. Education Equals Lower Divorce Rates
Have you ever heard the term “ring by spring?” Well many women believe that college is where they will find their future spouses — and become engaged by spring before they graduate. Now why does this matter? Well… according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, couples that both hold college degrees are more successful and 10 percent less likely to divorce. Now 10 percent may not seem like a lot, but if that’s the difference between a D and a C and I for one will take that. Break out the champagne!
5. Believe in something: Achieving Personal Goals
Here’s a fun trick, if your friends can’t make up their minds in the drive-thru on what to order at In-N-Out just yell “Come on man! Believe in something!” It’s a terrific dramatic phrase, and fits perfectly with #5 on our list. If you’re not going back to school to stay relevant, make more money, or to get divorce insurance, why not go to college for yourself? As someone who has tried to finish the community college game more than once, I often have to remind myself to just do it for me. School is tough and when we’re in the thick of mid-terms, Finals and papers, we all need to be reminded that personal achievement can be a gift greater than gold, so “Come on man believe in something!”
