Do I have to go to college?—Do you?
Certainly you’ve heard of big names like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerburg, Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, and James Cameron to name a few. They all have one thing in common—they’re college dropouts, but very successful college dropouts at that! But, are they the exception or the rule?
I am confident you’ve heard your parents, siblings, teachers or friends say something like, “You have to go to college!” But I am sure you’ve also heard people say, “You don’t need a college degree, look at Bill Gates! Look how successful he is!” Perhaps you’ve noticed that those who quote the latter (the second quote) don’t actually have a college degree and aren’t exactly what you would call, successful or wealthy. What does that tell you? It’s simple, don’t listen to them. Go to college. Now. While you’re young! You won’t be young forever and time will not wait up for you or anyone else. That’s the one constant thing we all have in life, time—it just keeps going and going whether we’re alive or not. Time is an exhaustible resource. Stop hesitating and don’t think about it too much. Playing around on social media and looking at other people be successful won’t make you successful like them. Yes, it may give you some ideas and spark some interests, but an idea is nothing without action.
The Value In Education
It’s undeniable that education’s price is at an all time high. It’s expensive, time consuming, difficult, and a pain in the butt. But remember, there is no gain without some pain. It’s a must for anyone that strives for success. There isn’t a shortcut or a way around it. You must first suffer a bit before you reap the fruits of success. Once you do, you’ll be more than glad you did it instead of regretting it one day when you’re sweating, huffing and puffing with sun scorched skin, working for someone else, making them money, while you toil from morning into late evening hours for an abysmal pay, and as you reach for that last box with your soiled hands you think to yourself, I should have gone to college and gotten my degree.
You get a lot of value from a college degree. Firstly, you get credit for being smart! It’s your very own certificate of intelligence. You did it! I know a lot of your friends, and mines, say they’re so smart and brag about how they’ve done this and done that, but really, they have no sort of credentials to back them up. If you get your Bachelors’ degree, guess what? You’ll have your credentials and could walk the talk and talk the walk.
Why A Degree Is Important
Guess who likes those credentials? Hiring managers. Do you know why higher paying jobs hire those with college degrees and a college education? Well for one, they too have a college degree and understand how difficult and complicated it was to attain it. They also know you’ve gained valuable and tested knowledge and theory. Do you think their managers will be happy when they hire someone who doesn’t have a college degree? If that hiree fails, who’s going to look bad? That’s right, the hiring manager. Even if you don’t have the most experience, or sometimes none at all—especially if you’ve just graduated—they’ll hire you over someone without a college degree because they can afford to take that risk. You’ve got the smart credentials! Sometimes, your degree major doesn’t even matter or isn’t even considered. Don’t forget, the wise quote from Confucius, “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we only have one.” Life is precious; make the best of it and get your education.
