With all the horror stories about college graduates having their lives ruined over student loan debt I felt like chiming in my opinion on traditional 4 year colleges/universities.
Conventional wisdom states high school + college degree = well paying job. Some have added grad
school to the equation. High schools across the country tout how a large percentage of their graduating seniors are going off to college. Society has tricked us teenagers and our families into believing that college is the only way to be successful. We are asked the question "Where are you applying to college?" rather than "Are you going to colleges?"
If higher education costs as much as it does in India then sure, everyone should go off to college. But in this great country of 'Murica, where tuition, fees, room and board hover around 50-60 grand a year, we need to consider the costs and benefits more closely.
Unless you're in the top 1%, affording four years of college is a daunting task for most families. Yes, for most there are financial aid and scholarships and such but the financial aid process isn't perfect. A middle class family who works hard and saves up to pay for college gets penalized with less aid while a family with the same income and nothing saved up gets more free money. And most financial aid packages (aside from a few top tier schools) include student loans as a part of the package, so some of the aid the student receives isn't really aid at all. The bottom line is that for the majority of America, affording to go to college requires saving, scrimping, and more often than not, borrowing.
Most justify this cost as an investment. You shell out $250k now, and use the degree you gained to earn $1 million over 15 years. The problem is that people call a college education an investment without treating it like one. Investing that kind of money requires knowledge, research, understanding and most importantly, direction. If you have the market acumen to invest this money properly, you could see it double, triple, and provide a steady source of income for years. However, if you just throw it all one number on a roulette in Vegas and call it an "investment", chances are you'll never see that money again.
Likewise you need to do your homework before making this financial commitment. Do you know what you want to do in life? Did you get into a higher ranked college? Does that college rank well in your specific field? How strong is their alumni network? What are possible jobs you can earn with your degree? What are the job outlooks in the next four years for those degrees? What are employment statistics from your college and major?
People go into college with no direction other the fact they "have to". They spend a year taking electives, then changing majors, filling more requirements before changing their major again. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you go into college thinking you know exactly what you want to do and find out that it's actually not, in which case go ahead and change your major. But going to college without knowing what you want to accomplish is a big no-no and waste of your parents money. You are not guaranteed a job because you have a degree. A college degree is a tool. A wrench in the hands of a mechanic is worth thousands of dollars in repairs and work. A wrench in the hands of a gender studies major is a worthless paper weight that perpetuates some harmful anti-feminist stereotype. Point being that if you don't have the communication skills, problem solving and learning abilities and other intangibles that a college doesn't teach you, a degree isn't going to magically cover up those flaws. A degree opens doors, a degree from an elite college opens more, but they're both useless if you don't get up and make the effort to walk through them.
At the same time, job potential shouldn't be the ONLY concern. You should try to find an environment you like and something you enjoy doing. You don't want to get a job but be miserable from 9-5 every day because you don't like what you do. Find the balance of job outlook, college environment, and personal enjoyment if you decide to go to college, and if you can't it may be a sign college isn't for you.
Figuring out what you want to spend the rest of your life doing is a tall order for a 17 year kid. So if you don't have an idea or direction and can't' seem to figure it out with your parents, teachers, counselors and such don't go to college. Take a year off, get a job and if you can afford to, travel around, and try new things and get a taste of what you can see yourself doing in and after college.
What people don't realize is there are many career paths that require much less expensive education. Community colleges dramatically reduce the overall 4 year cost of college and generally allow you to graduate with the same University degree that other kids have paid an extra $100,000 for. Vocational schools cost less, keep in you school less, train and certify you to perform well in in-demand career fields. Many of them even have helpful job placement services. An electrician works with something we can't live out, has good pay, and generally no to minimal student loan debt. An ASE certified mechanic spends a year, maybe two getting his certification and can now work on the 62 million passenger cars in the U.S. while a french literature and art double major with two degrees and $100k in student loan debt is working at McDonalds and living out of his parent's basement.
In the end, its not so much the degree but what you can do with that education and skills you already have. Bill Gates gave up a sure fire, well paying career when he dropped out of Harvard. College wasn't for him; he realized that and is now one of the richest men in the world. Sure you probably aren't going to be the next Bill Gates, but to have a job with the same pay as a college grad struggling to stay afloat because of debt without paying the $250,000 fee doesn't sound that bad to me. If you have direction, a sensible way to afford your education, and are a conventional classroom learner, then by all means go to college. If it works out then you probably will be better off than someone who didn't go at all. If you aren't sure, can't afford it, or didn't get into any higher ranked colleges, look at your other options and remember that a college degree is in no way a requirement to live a successful and fulfilling life.
EDIT: Shafee doesn't get bitches. Shafee is an ass.
Conventional wisdom states high school + college degree = well paying job. Some have added grad
If higher education costs as much as it does in India then sure, everyone should go off to college. But in this great country of 'Murica, where tuition, fees, room and board hover around 50-60 grand a year, we need to consider the costs and benefits more closely.
Unless you're in the top 1%, affording four years of college is a daunting task for most families. Yes, for most there are financial aid and scholarships and such but the financial aid process isn't perfect. A middle class family who works hard and saves up to pay for college gets penalized with less aid while a family with the same income and nothing saved up gets more free money. And most financial aid packages (aside from a few top tier schools) include student loans as a part of the package, so some of the aid the student receives isn't really aid at all. The bottom line is that for the majority of America, affording to go to college requires saving, scrimping, and more often than not, borrowing.
Most justify this cost as an investment. You shell out $250k now, and use the degree you gained to earn $1 million over 15 years. The problem is that people call a college education an investment without treating it like one. Investing that kind of money requires knowledge, research, understanding and most importantly, direction. If you have the market acumen to invest this money properly, you could see it double, triple, and provide a steady source of income for years. However, if you just throw it all one number on a roulette in Vegas and call it an "investment", chances are you'll never see that money again.
Likewise you need to do your homework before making this financial commitment. Do you know what you want to do in life? Did you get into a higher ranked college? Does that college rank well in your specific field? How strong is their alumni network? What are possible jobs you can earn with your degree? What are the job outlooks in the next four years for those degrees? What are employment statistics from your college and major?
People go into college with no direction other the fact they "have to". They spend a year taking electives, then changing majors, filling more requirements before changing their major again. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you go into college thinking you know exactly what you want to do and find out that it's actually not, in which case go ahead and change your major. But going to college without knowing what you want to accomplish is a big no-no and waste of your parents money. You are not guaranteed a job because you have a degree. A college degree is a tool. A wrench in the hands of a mechanic is worth thousands of dollars in repairs and work. A wrench in the hands of a gender studies major is a worthless paper weight that perpetuates some harmful anti-feminist stereotype. Point being that if you don't have the communication skills, problem solving and learning abilities and other intangibles that a college doesn't teach you, a degree isn't going to magically cover up those flaws. A degree opens doors, a degree from an elite college opens more, but they're both useless if you don't get up and make the effort to walk through them.
At the same time, job potential shouldn't be the ONLY concern. You should try to find an environment you like and something you enjoy doing. You don't want to get a job but be miserable from 9-5 every day because you don't like what you do. Find the balance of job outlook, college environment, and personal enjoyment if you decide to go to college, and if you can't it may be a sign college isn't for you.
Figuring out what you want to spend the rest of your life doing is a tall order for a 17 year kid. So if you don't have an idea or direction and can't' seem to figure it out with your parents, teachers, counselors and such don't go to college. Take a year off, get a job and if you can afford to, travel around, and try new things and get a taste of what you can see yourself doing in and after college.
What people don't realize is there are many career paths that require much less expensive education. Community colleges dramatically reduce the overall 4 year cost of college and generally allow you to graduate with the same University degree that other kids have paid an extra $100,000 for. Vocational schools cost less, keep in you school less, train and certify you to perform well in in-demand career fields. Many of them even have helpful job placement services. An electrician works with something we can't live out, has good pay, and generally no to minimal student loan debt. An ASE certified mechanic spends a year, maybe two getting his certification and can now work on the 62 million passenger cars in the U.S. while a french literature and art double major with two degrees and $100k in student loan debt is working at McDonalds and living out of his parent's basement.
In the end, its not so much the degree but what you can do with that education and skills you already have. Bill Gates gave up a sure fire, well paying career when he dropped out of Harvard. College wasn't for him; he realized that and is now one of the richest men in the world. Sure you probably aren't going to be the next Bill Gates, but to have a job with the same pay as a college grad struggling to stay afloat because of debt without paying the $250,000 fee doesn't sound that bad to me. If you have direction, a sensible way to afford your education, and are a conventional classroom learner, then by all means go to college. If it works out then you probably will be better off than someone who didn't go at all. If you aren't sure, can't afford it, or didn't get into any higher ranked colleges, look at your other options and remember that a college degree is in no way a requirement to live a successful and fulfilling life.
EDIT: Shafee doesn't get bitches. Shafee is an ass.
impressive!!
ReplyDeleteI know...jk haha thanks!
DeleteGood stuff, good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you personally were planning on attending college and also if you had a tumblr?
ReplyDeleteYes I am! I'm going to be attending Villanova University's business school next year, double majoring in economics and MIS. And sadly not, I never got into tumblr.
ReplyDelete