What do you really expect to get out of a college experience? Do you really need college to be successful?
It’s pretty strange that even though there is so much information about student debt and how bad colleges can be, college is still in the forefront of many young adult lives. It’s quite a shame that many kids look forward to the college experience without even realizing they can get a similar experience without high school.
Why Go Right to College Right out of High School?
Experience is the mother of all teachers
If you’ve successfully completed K-12, you’ve had 13 years of “formal” education. Shouldn’t 13 years of education make you “well educated”? Are you still excited to sit in classrooms for more years to come? They tell you that four more years are necessary. The problem with being “well educated” is that you aren’t well experienced.
Here are some questions you should ask yourself before considering heading off to college:
- Have you left your state?
- Have you traveled much?
- Have you met many people outside of your city?
- Have you worked a “regular” job?
- Have you paid bills?
The earlier in life you can have these experiences, the more you’ll know what you want to do.
Also Read: 6 Paths other than College to be Educated
When I was a bellman at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, we had a couple high schoolers who were interested in hotel management come “work” with us for a few weeks over a summer. I believe they were rotating through departments as well. I thought it was kind of cool we were letting them do that – however, they were mostly shadowing. It was also a temporary deal.
Do we need high school to give kids the same opportunity? No. These kids could’ve received this opportunity without the assistance of schools.
I wonder if one of those students met the valet attendant who got his degree in Marketing, but then went back to being a valet attendant because it was easier, less stressful, and paid a lot more money. Was that college experience worth it?
Better Career Security and Earnings
One number I’ve tried to find hard statistics on is how many college graduates are fully working in their degree’s field. Finder says 40.4%. Intelligent says 46%. You should ask yourself – how possible is it that you know what you want to do without any real world experience? We’re a bit more fortunate today since we have the internet to learn and experience. Technology has made it possible for us to get our feet wet in many different fields.
You’ll get a better job and make more money.
Pro College People
There are so many statistics out there showing you how having a bachelor’s degree will land you a more stable career and more money. One study I cannot find is whether it is the individual or the bachelor’s degree that is responsible for a person’s successes.
One “study” (I call it a “study” because it’s pretty common sense) shows students who perform well in high school are more likely to graduate from college. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come up with that statistic. Why then are students who aren’t great, focused performers in academics really encouraged to go through with harder, higher-level academics?
Education requires discipline. Getting good grades requires more discipline. It shouldn’t a surprise that those students who get good grades end up making more money. They are more disciplined.
Does a Business Prefer Education over College Experience?
Another study worth a glance at is Harvard Business School’s study of “Degree Inflation.” One thing I’ve noticed for a while now is “education or relevant work experience” in job postings. This is a huge deal for those who know what they want to do with their lives – why go to school when you can just go straight to work? Part of college is doing an internship. I once applied for a job in which I was educated for, but the TV station said because I had no experience in a TV station, they would not hire me.
In hard-to-fill jobs, employers prefer relevant work experience rather than a four-year degree.
Fuller, J., Raman, M., et al.
On page 23 of that same study, there’s a chart showing employers thoughts on attributes of degree holders vs. non-degree holders. If this chart is accurate, it’s no wonder why during my internship the owner of the company didn’t care if a new hire had a degree or not. The “Higher Absenteeism” is a number that sticks out to me. Surveyed employers felt:
- 30% of College Graduates were more likely to be absent
- 40% of College Graduates & Non-College Graduates were equally absent
- 26% of Non-College Graduates were more likely to be absent
- 6% don’t know
To me, showing up to work on time is probably the easiest part of a job. Your job is what pays your bills. Judging by the numbers above, college doesn’t instill any duty or loyalty to a job.
“Why a College Degree Could Mean a Higher Paying Job for You”
First off, this article by Florida National University is terrible. Any article that cites statistics but doesn’t provide links to sources should be a red flag.
“By the time you graduate with your associates or bachelor’s degree, you’ll be ready to work as a professional in the computer technology industry.” Doesn’t this claim make it seem like a company will hire you the day you graduate in your chosen degree field? Don’t fall for claims like these – colleges may provide you the opportunity to interview for a job, but it’s up to you to get the job.
The university also claims that being self taught through “trial and error” is a waste of time. It is true – you are paying to go to college to learn from instructors who have been through what you are going to go through. What stops you from getting the same experience online for pennies in comparison? And why did one student that graduated from The Art Institute of Las Vegas put “YouTube” in his thanks section? It was because he learned a lot of his skill through YouTube.
Also Read: List of My Experiences with The Art Institute of Las Vegas
I would also consider all the effort going to a physical college a waste of time. Using your phone or computer, you can find some videos or a course (and even reviews of the course) to learn exactly what you will be learning. You can watch the videos, and then even apply what you’ve learned. In college, you have to spend time and money just getting to class, something you already did for 13 years.
To be sure, in person instruction is a better way to learn, but how much better? Is it worth all the time getting ready and going to class? Is it worth the tens of thousands of dollars? But perhaps the biggest question of all – How do you know your chosen major is really what you want to do?
My favorite sentence from their article reads, “You’ll never know for sure unless you try.” Fortunately for them, the student attending Florida National University presents no risk. Unfortunately for the student, the student takes all of the risk attending that for-profit college.
“Does A College Degree Really Help You Make More Money?”
Again, it’s hard to follow up on the claims of Florida National University without their sources. Numbers are thrown out there without any sources in reference to teachers’ salaries. Their claim is teachers make a median of $47,380, with two factors of location and public vs. private schools.
Which pays more – public or private? Why did they select a career that requires you to have a degree? If you are making the maximum (they claim $72,000), how far does that $72,000 really go if it’s in an area with a high cost of living?
Their next big point is the unemployment rate for college graduates is at an all time low in November 2018. However, for high school graduates with no college the unemployment rate was 3.5%. They admit it is great for high school graduates, but in comparison to what? Admissionly.com says The Bureau of Labor Statistics had unemployed college graduates at 2.4% in January 2019.
Also Read: The Art Institute of Las Vegas (or College in General): Internships
So spending four years and tens of thousands of dollars doing something you’ve already been doing for 13 years is worth being in that group with the 1% more of a chance of not being unemployed? To be sure, it’s about 1.45x more of a chance you’ll be employed as a college graduate. Again, I ask if it really is because of the degree, or because of the individual. Companies also take experience into account when hiring.
The BLS also shows employment-population ratios for associate and bachelor’s degrees were about equal from 2007-2018.
Does the job requiring an associates degree pay less or more than one requiring a bachelor’s degree? Possibly. What it does do is get your foot in the door much earlier than a bachelor’s degree. Experience will not only open your doors up to new networking opportunities, but it will also show you if it is something you want to do or not. Studying in a classroom is a drastically different experience than being out in the real world living a job day-to-day.
Final Thoughts on the College Experience
A lot of kids want to go to college to get that degree they’ve been told they needed. Meeting new people and having fun (partying) are two other big reasons kids go to school.
Meeting new people and partying are not uniquely college experiences. It’s super ridiculous to think those are special reasons to go to college. Every job I’ve ever had I’ve met new people and have had fun with the people I’ve met. The college experience wasn’t so unique for me.
There are so many ways to get jobs. College could increase your chance to get one, but at what cost? Many graduates spend many years paying off their college debt. What if they never had that stressor in their lives?
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