College is a daunting prospect for many, often delivered with a sense of certainty to most. “Attend college, make money, and make something of yourself”.
Sometimes it seems as though there’s no other option. However, despite the immense cost associated with college, many Americans must bear the burden of student loan debt.
Should you go to college? I don’t know! I’m not you. If you want some omniscient Internet sage to tell you what to do, here’s a BuzzFeed Quiz. Knock yourself out.
Still with me? Alright.
I will present the pros and cons of college, along with job prospects you can expect with and without a fancy university degree. The final decision rests with you. It is your future, after all.
The elephant in the room
College is expensive. Ungodly, abhorrently, amazingly expensive. To the tune of around $38,270 per year, all totaled between books, room and board, and miscellaneous educational expenses. In fact, when considering the lost wages invested in a degree, a simple bachelor’s degree can cost almost $500,000.
Wow.
There are other reasons to avoid college, but that’s by far the prohibitive factor. Obviously, scholarships exist (that’s how I’m affording college), but not everyone receives substantial aid.
If you aren’t able to quickly translate your degree into tangible income (i.e. a job), student loan debt can loom over you for your entire life.
Ok, what Else?
So you have the money. Student loans, daddy’s money, scholarships, it doesn’t matter. You’re in college. Do you want to be there? Why are you there?
Many students attend college as a social rite of passage. They’ve been told to be there, and so that’s where they’ll spend four years of their life. But maybe they won’t last.
According to Edweek, 74 percent of people who attended college to, “do what was expected of them”, dropped out or transferred. You can’t make someone do something they don’t want to do. For many people, college simply isn’t the right choice, not because they aren’t intelligent enough to attend, but because they don’t enter it with direction.
Floating across campus without a declared major like a freshman phantom is a sure route to being disappointed with the college experience and leaving with a few thousand in debt for your trouble.
Why should I attend college?
By now, you’ve read my bio, and you’re saying to yourself, “Why are you attending college?” That’s completely fair.
College offers a host of opportunities to those who opt to enter it with purpose and direction.
People with college degrees do tend to make more money. Straight up. Around $30,000 more than someone with a high school diploma (we’ll talk about other types of credentials later).
Many jobs won’t employ you without a college degree (that is essentially what they’re for after all), and your likelihood of landing a job once you’ve snagged a pretty white and gold certificate increases as you are qualified for more entry-level jobs.
Fun, fun, fun
College isn’t just about learning about your field; it’s about discovering who you are. Finding your crowd, your beliefs, your path. Once your home, be it a hole in the ground or a massive sprawling metropolis, the world will change.
Obviously, college isn’t the only place where you can learn about yourself, but it’s not a bad option to do so.
You also get the opportunity to do exactly what you want to do. Botany? Sure. Literature? Absolutely.
College is a land of opportunity, and filled with people who are just like you.
There’s also the fact that the connections made during college will last for the rest of your life. Friends, colleagues, maybe a special someone who you’ll eventually spend the rest of your life with.
And networking. Go to college, and you’ll hear that word a lot. I’m not kidding.
What other options do I have?
Now, if you decide against college, you do still need to pursue some way to provide value to society. Let’s go over your options and their pros and cons.
Vocational school or trade school
Welders, plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, HVAC installers, electricians, and workers in some tech fields. What do they all have in common? They didn’t have to attend college, but they still earn enough money to put food on the table.
Pros
You don’t have to go to college to get into the trades, and you can earn similar money to someone who did, with many careers rising well above $50,000-$70,000. Many tradesmen have a large amount of independence, and there’s always work available.
Cons
Working in the trades is often physically demanding and requires a great degree of tolerance for stress and on-the-job rigor. You need to be prepared to wake up at 5 AM and collapse into your bed at 11 PM after a brutal day on the job. Hard, physical work isn’t for everyone, and that’s often what a job in the trades calls for.
The military
The military’s always recruiting. Chances are, you’ve probably taken the ASVAB by now, and maybe even received a visit from a military recruiter. Maybe you’ve just brushed them off, but the military offers very real benefits for those willing to rise to the occasion.
Pros
No matter what, once you’re in the military, you’ll be taken care of. You’ll recieve a salary, per diem allowances, health care, and the GI bill to pay for your college after your tenure.
You’ll be able to travel the world and be stationed at outposts anywhere you can imagine. The government will provide training for various certifications, and you’ll be instilled with the unique sense of purpose that comes with having your autonomy briefly replaced by the orders of a superior.
You’ll be able to see what you’re really made of and come out a better person on the other side.
Cons
You could die.
Obviously, there are a host of other things that I could list here, but I’ll cut to the chase. Enlisting in the military has inherent risk. If there is a conflict and you are deployed, you could die.
I want to ensure anyone joining the military understands that. There’s a reason that they offer such enticing benefits. Service isn’t compulsory in the United States (which is the country I’m generally referring to in this article), so they have to offer benefits to actually fill out the ranks.
Entering the workforce
Certifications, degrees, and other monotonous processes aren’t for everyone. No matter what, you can always just apply at your local Walmart for an easy job that requires no qualifications whatsoever.
Pros
Upon entering the workforce, you are already well ahead of your peers in income due to your lack of student debt. You’ll be able to become independent quickly, potentially buy a car or home, and try to forge a life for yourself.
Due to the inherently tenuous nature of living on your own, you’ll be forced to mature quickly, understand your finances, and work hard. Without the “cushy” desk job that you’d otherwise be striving for, you’ll learn the value of dedication, hard work, and careful manipulation of the boons life gives you in order to succeed.
You also recieve experience on the job, and can potentially climb the corporate ladder (so the saying goes), and make a comfortable living for yourself.
Cons
No credentials means lower pay. End of story (sort of). Generally speaking, without a college degree or vocational certification, you’ll be unable to immediately tap into the enticing, rich cash flows of people with more qualifications.
But that’s the trade-off.
Unemployment
Don’t choose this one.
No matter what you choose, make that choice because it’s what you want to do. Don’t let anyone tell you to go to college if you want to be a mechanic, and vice versa. If you want to join the military, great.
This is your life, your future, and your world. Capture it. Conquer it. Make it yours. No matter what you do, do it well, do it with pride, and do it with total faith in yourself and your ability.
Choose your own path.
