Throughout our senior year of high school the word “college” is brought up in every other sentence. For many of us college was never a decision. Every
one just told us that we were going and to start applying. The concept of college has been repeatedly drilled into our heads and there are very few people who have anything negative to say about it. And let’s not forget about the insane price tag. The mental correlation has been made that if you don’t go to college you won’t get a good job and there’s no hope of you being successful. But is this really the case? Is college really the best option for every single one of us? I know we’re all familiar wit the famous phrase: “College is the best four years of your life!” …or is it?
One of the most controversial topics regarding college is the inevitably hefty price tag. By choosing to go to college we all automatically put ourselves at risk for some serious debt. According to Forbes, “the average cost of attending a top four-year college is rapidly approaching a quarter of a million dollars”. I’m not sure about you guys but I definitely do not have that kind of money just laying around. Paying for college is something that is not financially ideal for basically anyone. And if your family can afford to pay for it then please…adopt me…. Anyways, since most of us do not have the money to pay for school the only other option would be to take out loans. No one wants to do this. And everyone hates the thought of it. But unfortunately there really isn’t any other option. “The average 2014 graduate with student loans will have to pay back around $33,000.” (Forbes) Having to pay back that much money is pretty insane. Most people just try to not think about it, but it has to be handled eventually. One day we will all be forced to work our butts off in order to pay off all of the money we will owe thanks to the next four years of our lives.
I know for a fact that this does not sound like fun to any of us. So the big question: IS IT REALLY WORTH IT? Is it really worth our money time and effort of the next four years (and probably more)? Or is this all a waste of time?
The Economist stated that, “college graduates aged 25 to 32 who are working full time earn about $17,500 more annually than their peers who have only a high school diploma”. But this statistic does not apply to everyone. They also state that “not all degrees are equally useful”. People who obtain certain degrees are more successful when compared to others. Recent Gallup research indicates that “25% of all college graduates in the U.S. fail to thrive in their overall careers and lives”. The tools they thought they were learning in college ended up leading to success in the later part of their lives. Similarly, TIME also took a poll of college graduates and the result was that only a “slim majority, 55%, think college prepares them for their job”. So imagine, after all this effort, we reach our careers to discover that we might be in over our heads.
The conclusion which can be mad from all of this would be that college can pay off for some of us but not others. Make sure you’re one of those people that gets the most out of their college experience. The main, and most important, point that Gallup states is the fact that “it’s still true that a college degree is worth its weight in gold, but only for those graduates who made the most of their higher education experience as students”. This statement is very important. As freshmen we have the opportunity to start now and be the best we can possibly be. By making the most here at Penn now we have a greater chance of being success in the future. Make your time and money spent now worth it! But with all this in mind…will we be happy with the futures we one day obtain? Maybe that’s something else that should be considered before the dive into college…
Kanye dropped out of college and look how successful he is. He even made an album about it…#KanyeForPres2020
Overall this article was a really interesting read. I’ve contemplated the same thoughts regarding my own life and whether college was where I exactly wanted to go. I figured college would open the doors and I would choose one of the doors once the time came. Financially I definitely agree that college is turning into a more exclusive, exorbitantly high in price club that not everyone can comfortably enjoy. I know many people that are struggling with the idea of loans and some of my friends are in process of paying it back now that they have graduated. It definitely comes down to deciding which major will allow you the most freedom to do what you want in the future. The link I listed is about the highest and lowest paying majors by forbes. Thanks again for the read!
http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2015/05/07/the-highest-and-lowest-paying-college-majors/
Johnna, I love the photos you included in your blog post. This was so interesting and informative; thank you! When I was younger, I would constantly beg my parents, babysitters, and friends to play my favorite board game, “Life” with me. One constant ongoing battle was whether or not it was more strategic to start out going to college and receive loans or to enter directly into the career world. In terms of the game, I concluded that in order to win fastest and with the most money, it was generally more beneficial to skip the college process due to the fact that despite popular belief, some career choices for the non-college goers had a salary higher then college graduates. Does this apply in real life? Your results seem to conclude that it is very situational. An article from USA Today states 5 jobs that pay 100k with a bachelors degree or less. You can become an agent without any type of degree. Human resources management and construction management are also plausible options. Despite this list seeming like an advertisement against wasting your money on college, all 5 of these career options do indeed “recommend” at least a bachelors degree if not higher.
I think college is so important because it teaches you such valuable skills and lessons, but many people forget about the jobs that you can have without college. Many students each year come out of tech-schools with skills to be plumbers and contractors. These people have the ability to start their own business or work for someone else. They will never have to worry about college loans and they will start making money a lot sooner then most of us who are attending 4-year college programs.
I noticed my link didn’t work! Here is the list
I liked this post and I agree that college pays for some people and not others. I do think that in today’s world is a necessity but some people are that exception. However, with some career choices we can’t afford to skip school like surgeons, lawyers ect. Here is a list of the Top 10 College Majors by The Princeton Review.
That’s a really good point you make. You also said that for some of us college will serve as a basic help towards career building and for some of us just a waste of time and money; how can i make sure that i’m the one who will extract 100% out of university knowledge? I think we have no choice, as we are all forced buy our parents to attend college.