Is College a waste of time and money?

Red Jade: Had an interesting conversation at lunch today with my co-workers. One of them, Julie (not her real name), is currently very frustrated with her life and feels that going to college was a waste of time and money. She does not feel that she is on any kind of career path and having been recently unemployed she is very concerned about her future. She is applying for nursing school in the hopes of having a more stable career.

And then my other co-worker, Madeline (also not her real name) chimed in with the news that her son has decided not to go to college, and she is really not happy about it. His plan? To attend the local community college and start working in IT. So we had a long conversation about whether it's necessary to go to college.

My thoughts were that it depends! It depends on what you are hoping to achieve by going to college. If all you want is a job that pays a decent wage then trade school is a good option. Plumbers, electricians etc. make a decent living and those jobs are not going to be outsourced. Many college grads in entry level jobs are barely making a living. However, a college education is not just a means to an income. You find yourself or at least start to find yourself in college. And that can lead to different, more satisfying choices.

Rafiki: I agree that college is the place where you find yourself. I think the greatest value is the time it allows for growing up. When people go straight to the workforce from high school, they take on responsibilities that they will have for a long time and for many of them, it then feels like they missed out on a part of life.

Red Jade: Well, the idea of going to college as the goal that everyone aspires to (or should aspire to) is a relatively new thing. In previous generations, most people went from school straight to work.

Rafiki: I think life has become complicated which makes it tough for a young person to start life so soon. People are different though, and I know some people who have no regrets about not going to college and for others it is their lifelong dream. If you choose to go to college it is important to take some time to think about what you want to achieve from your college experience and how it fits into your future plans. Other than the professional degrees, do you think any other careers need college degrees?

Red Jade: Because of the competitive job market, college degrees are used to disqualify job candidates who don't have one. But most of us never really use our college degrees until middle management. The kind of work you do on a day to basis does not require a degree. Hence Julia's frustration. She is still young and has a ways to go.

Rafiki: I hope she will find use for it or find joy in her new pursuit. I have learned that going after just money or stability grows old eventually for most people.

Red Jade: My final 2 cents at lunch were:

• Decide what kind of life you would like to live. By life I mean not only the financial aspects but also family, relationships, health, spirituality, hobbies – consider all areas of your life.
• Decide what resources you need to live the life you want - financial, educational resources etc. If you want to lead an intellectually rich life then a rigorous college education will help you get there.
  
• Decide how to get these resources e.g. how to earn the money to support the kind of life you want to live.
• Decide the best path to get there and then “just do it”.

Rafiki: I could not agree more. Some interesting facts about some very successful people. Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard had a BA in Philosophy and Medieval History from Stanford but she also went on to get an MBA at the University of Maryland. Then there is the case of people who never graduated from college at all e.g. Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, Steven Jobs, & Ted Turner.

Red Jade: Yeah, we tend to forget that there are many successful people without college degrees. That said, I think the most important value of a good college education is learning how to: think and analyze critically, communicate well, and relate positively with a wide variety of people. Those are skills that will serve you very well in life regardless of what kind of work you choose to do.