Like most tough questions in life, it depends. You could tout college as a necessary precursor to a decent job, and be sorely mistaken in today’s economy. You could say that a college degree is worthless, and you would be wrong there as well. The truth lies with the dreams of the individual, and how much work they are willing to do.
Education Has Value
There is a Proverb that says, “In all labor there is profit.” I think we can all agree that education takes a bit of labor. If I was to average the hours of homework per week I did in college, it would amount to 30 hours a week – that is a part-time job aside from classes.
I read an article on ZeroHedge, where the author proposed that college was worthless to him. He was not using the knowledge from his Bachelors degree in any of his daily activities, and the contacts he made at school did not propel him to create the next Fortune 100 company.
While I understand where the gentleman from ZeroHedge is coming from, and frankly I agree with him a bit, the knowledge we gain does not always manifest itself right away. There are jobs that I did when I was 11, and 12, that did not prove useful for over a decade. We should always be about the business of learning, and act like sponges as we go about our day – we never know when information we have will make a difference for someone in need.
The Purpose of Education
What I believe the gentleman from ZeroHedge was getting at, and something that was discussed in the comments section, is the question of purpose. What are you seeking to gain by your college degree?
The wisdom my parents shared with me was avoiding college unless there was a vocation I wanted to learn like a lawyer, doctor, or engineer. I think we can all agree that we want to be driving on bridges that were built by educated engineers and in an operating room with distinguished doctors. In my wife’s case, learning the art of mental health counseling so she can work on me (I’m only slightly kidding).
The problem is that you are going into a six figure debt to earn your way into a profession like that. You’re probably not going to be the next Mark Zuckerberg, and make the contacts to build the next billion dollar social media platform while at Harvard. Whether your idea of success is building your self-employed company, or working for a large company, the common denominator is the people you know.
Most of us have heard that our network is our net worth, or that we are most like the 3-5 people we hang around, and it is true. A college degree can be the door opener to a lucrative career, but more often than not, the thing that stands in our way is not having a piece of paper, it’s the people we know. I believe you can do a lot more for your career aspirations by attending a vocational school than college in many instances.
Conclusion
So, is a college degree worth it? If you want to have a professional job, then yes it is worth it. Be prepared for a decade of studying and paying off student loans till your kids need loans for their own education. The knowledge you have to share with people will be as valuable as you make it in that case. There are a few friends who tell me that the people they were able to help is more than worth the years of study and debt they incurred. I applaud them for the hard work they put in, and the value they bring to people.
If your purpose in receiving a college degree is vague (because your friends are doing it) or to receive a general education, save your money and learn about what interests you on the internet. You are digging your own pit with no exit strategy when you start paying others to help you find a direction for your life.
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