Why do we go to college?
What do we get out of it?
Is it worth the money?
Will it make me successful?
We ask ourselves these questions everyday from a very young age to a very old age. Sometimes it feels like every single person in the universe asks us where we plan on going to college or what we want to do in life. It’s annoying, I get it. Here are my thoughts on it:
Why do We Go to College?
In my mind, people go to college in order to learn the necessary skills they need to do what they love in life. Clearly society does not portray it that way. Everyone should go to college so they can get a high paying job and work at that job for the rest of their lives. I don’t know about you guys, but that is definitely not what I plan to happen in my life. I believe everyone should go try a bunch of things out while they’re still young and get to know themselves so they can figure out what they love. From that point, you should try as hard as you can to be happy doing what you love to do everyday.
What do We Get Out of College?
Short answer: a degree. What does that do though? Do you want to be a doctor, engineer, software developer, etc.? Great, go to college and get your degree if that’s truly your passion. If you’re like me though, and you’re not necessarily sure yet but you know that you want to make money doing what you love, then that’s totally fine! I don’t think college is for everyone. Some of the most successful people dropped out of college. Heck, the person that invented college didn’t even go to college! Did you know that between 65-75% of people with a degree don’t even use their degree for what they do? Just something to think about when deciding to go to college or not.
Is College Worth the Money?
College debt is the second largest debt in America, right after mortgage. The average student in America has over $30,000 in debt. Can you make a lot of money in the end and make it worth the money? Sure, but it depends on what you want to do. If you know for sure that this investment will pay off because this is your passion, then why wouldn’t you go? If you think that you’re majoring in psychology because it’s interesting, but you’d rather be doing something else for the rest of your life, then why would you go? It all relies on if you’re willing to accept the fact that it’s not the “right thing” to do if you decide no to go. Factor in your long-term outcome and see if it’s truly worth the money.
Will it Make Me Successful?
Maybe, maybe not. Success is defined by one person and one person only, you. What is success in your eyes. Being and entrepreneur and being free? Living on a farm with animals and a cozy house? Making $40,000 a year designing skateboards in your garage because you can’t see yourself ever doing anything else in life? Your goals and success is defined by you. Don’t ever forget that. Live your life, not your parents’ life or your friends’ life, yours. Figure out what success is in your eyes. You’ll notice that your answer always ties up to what you might be passionate about. My point is, who cares what everyone else thinks, go do whatever you want to achieve your goal.
So is college worth it?
It really just depends. Do you need it for your passion? Can you handle the debt? Are you living your life and not someone else’s? Factor in everything and think about it for a little. Don’t stress, it’ll all work out in the end.
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