Do you think college is worth it?

Answer 1

Man I know this is going to be an unpopular or untraditional answer but from personal experience I know college isn't for everyone or "worth it" for everyone. I'll start out by saying I'm a college graduate- B.A.A. with a 3.7+ gpa- and the only job I could find after months of looking (keep in mind I graduated in '91 and the economy was quite bad in certain job sectors then) after graduating was a menial factory job that that paid slightly above minumum wage; and, the only reason I got the job to begin with was because my brother worked in the office for this printing company (and of course my older brother also finished college with a pretty decent gpa and this office job was in no way related to his degree either; his degree hadn't gotten him that job). I have to admit I got increasingly angry when I learned that although I had a much better g.p.a. than most of the people I graduated with in my field, they were much more successful in landing jobs because they had more actual experience and/or had "connections" in the field. After working in the factory for this company a couple/few years, I was promoted to an office job- not because of my degree but from my hard work and due to the fact the company knew me. After working with this company a couple/few more years, I went to work in the office for another printing company- where I was also promoted a couple times; this other company also didn't care anything about my degree, they were more interested in my experience/printing background and then were impressed with my work-ethic, etc.. I guess I should also mention that most of my co-workers at both these printing companies never went to/or graduated from college- and these were for the office positions. I should point out that one of my brothers best friend also was working at one of these printing companies (actually my brother had gotten him his job there too) as a machine operator because he never went to college- one day he quit his factory job and a couple of months later he had gotten a new job making about 4 times his previous wage; seems my brother's friend had a talent for graphic design and was snatched up by a very well known company that didn't seem to care one bit about his education or lack of a degree. Getting to my friends further illustrates my point that a college degree isn't always worth it. My two best friends are a pair of brothers- one slightly older and one slightly younger than myself. During high school, the older brother got decent grades and worked at the school newspaper- where he was routinely recognized for his excellent articles during various journalism awards programs. The older brother and I went to college together where he continued pursuing a degree in journalism, working at the college paper, and studying fairly hard until he graduated. The younger brother, on the other hand, made a lesser effort during high school and only went to a local community college for about 3 or 4 semesters when he decided it wasn't for him- he also thought it was a waste of his money. Well, the younger brother makes about twice as much money doing "menial labor" working as a foreman for a landscaping company (and only works about 9 months per year here in Michigan) while the older brother has worked for about 5 or 6 different small newspapers during the last 15 years and has never made "the big bucks." To be fair, I'll admit the third brother (probably the least intelligent of the three) in this family did go to a business school and makes very good money as an accountant- of course he also got his foot in the door through connections with his father. When I first met my lady friend about 10 years ago (after I had finished college), she was making about twice as much as me working as an office assistant for a real estate company and, not surprisingly, she had never gone to college either; her sister did go to college and after like 6 years finally did graduate and land a decent paying job- of course, she's way in debt for her student loans too. A couple more of my best friends never went to college and worked there way up into store management (or maybe higher for the one because I haven't heard from him in years) for a local grocery chain where they made decent wages. I also know plenty of people from my old neighborhood that never went to college and most of them ended up doing "o.k." I think maybe I can personally provide the funniest example that college isn't worth it for everyone. When I was going to college, I was working part-time doing delivery for a local pizza chain. The company liked my work-ethic, brains, etc. and kept trying to get me to quit school and come join their management trainee program- which I laughed at because I told them this was just a part-time job for me until I graduated and got a "real" job/high paying career. Anyway, I've been unemployed for some time now since I let my last (printing) employer fire me instead of accepting a demotion (THAT story would be much longer than this one). After applying to @ 150 places that match my degree and/or work experience I'm actually hoping to land a job as a pizza driver where I can get on the "fast track" into their management program- and I'm 36 now and basically starting completely over again. I can tell you that out of all the jobs I've had, my part-time pizza delivery job paid pretty much as well as any of the other jobs/positions I have worked. Considering the price of going to school for 4 years, the fact my degree in no way ever helped me obtain any subsequent position, the fact that any job I have personally had since graduating from college really never paid much better than my part-time college job did, thinking about how far I could have advanced with a company in 15 years with a company that was begging me to join them, the fact that I have personally seen plenty of people not go to college and get better paying jobs than many of us who did pay for the privilige of getting our college degrees, etc. I can whole-heartedly say a college degree isn't "worth it" for everyone. There are things to consider first about going to college. Financially, think about the costs- with the price of going to school (books, course fees, housing, food, etc.) for 4 (often more) years; had I never gone to school, I could have either made a very nice down payment on a home and/or taken this money and built a considerable nest egg by investing it fairly conservatively; not too mention that in the meantime, I could have been making monety instead of spending it. Next, ask yourself do you honestly want to go to/ are you ready for college? If not, I don't think getting a job and real work/life experience is a bad thing at all. You can always go to college at a later point and, if not, you have gained seniority and raises by working for a company for 4+ years and/or you have gained more useful actual work expereince to compete against those that have only "studied" something; if you were an employer and had to decide between an applicant with years work experience including experience that is possibly related to the position needing to be filled, or, a recent college graduate with no work experience- who would YOU pick? Anyway, I'm sure that most people will say my response is crazy; you need an education to compete; you can only suceed financially if you go to college; blah, blah, blah and all the other myths that colleges and universities have been "selling" us to make money for themselves- notice how much college costs keep rising? Yes, colleges and universities are needed and are worth it for many people. Lawyers, doctors, and people pursuing many other professions obviously do need and benefit greatly from their college educations. On the other hand, I think colleges/universities have largely tried to convince us that everyone needs to spend their time and money going to college in order to survive in the job market and on that point I strongly disagree. There is much to gain from actually working straight out of school- saving money, earning money, actual work and life expereince, etc. If you doubting you are ready for college or don't see how a college education will benefit you right now I would have to argue you shouldn't go- there is no point spending the time and money if you cannot fully commit yourself to it. If you find yourself "trapped" in your career path, or lack of one, you can always go (back) to school at a later point when you see it may actually have more importance to you- heck, I would certainly consider going back to school if someone could convince me that it would really help me financially but I guess right now I'm still turned off from my previous experiences (plus all the other examples I have cited of people succeeding without going to college and of people who have gone to college and seemingly being no better off because of their "education.")

Actually, I think Rom a Tom and Magic One make the best points out of all the responses I've seen. Out of curiousity, I've also posted a follow up question to debate whether people think work experience or a college degree is more critical- you may want to click on to my user name to see the responses to that question.

Answer 2

Yes, I think that it is worth it if that is what YOU want. Not what someone thinks that you should do. Education is the most valuable thing a person can have. If the four college "thing" isn't for you, at least look into a technical school. That is what I chose to do & now I'm putting those skills to use. College was'nt for me, but I wanted to make sure that I had a skill of some kind. I never want to be dependent on someone else.

Answer 3

If what you are asking is "Is college for everyone?" then I would have to say no. I believe that there are still opportunities like trade schools and apprenticing that are great training tools and through which someone can get good job skills and lead a fulfilling life.

I myself went to college, have a bachelor's and a master's degree and am now in the process of earning my teaching certificate. And I think its been worth it, for me. For someone else, I couldn't answer.

Answer 4

I think it really depends on you and what you want to do. I am a junior in college this year and I love it, I've met so many people and had such a positive experience, but going to college was something I always knew I wanted to do. I started college right out of high school, but I know a lot of people who traveled, did peace corp work, worked and saved money, or wandered aimlessly for a few years before they decided to come to school. I also know people who go to school for a few semesters, take a few off and travel or do whatever and then come back. Its going to take them a few extra years to finish school, but really, you can't count those years wasted if they gained valuable experiences and connections. I also know people who didn't go to school and some of them have very interesting careers. If all else fails, try college out and decide if you like it or if you want to wait and come back or not come back at all. No one ever said you have to finish in four years or go right after high school. Do what works for you, its your life. Good luck!

Answer 5

i think we all question this... at the time were going through college, we say no its not, but after you go and get a degree, and get a great paying job then you will say Yes, it is well worth it!.. im going to college to become a dermatologist, so i have a while ahead of me, what are you wanting to go for?

Answer 6

Yes

Answer 7

Yes other wise you work min wage jobs around 30 tho a year for a non college grad. If i could do it ll over again I would have stayed in college

Answer 8

Absolutely! Don't let anyone tell you different. Even if you're not certain what to major in, that's no reason not to go. I changed my major the second semester of my senior year and I didn't have to start over or anything. I was outta there in 4 years.
It was the greatest learning experience and most fun I ever had.

Answer 9

Definately. Most jobs require some kind of college training, well ones that pay more than minimum wage. But some people do get lucky and make billions with out it (Damn that Bill Gates)

Answer 10

well yes if you think about it. Don't you want to get a good job and a good education? it will be all worth it at the end.

Answer 11

Yes, you get a lot more opportunities for going to college than you do if you don't go to college