Going to college is expected. It's expected by my religious circle, even for women. It's expected by my community, and it was certainly expected by my family. And I'm not the only one. Everyone is expected to go to college around here. That's not a bad thing at all. I'm really happy that my state values education so dearly. It has some of the most affordable education in the entire country, we love it so much here.
So it's no surprise that people get weird about it now that things have changed, especially middle-aged people. Before the economic recession, you went to school and you got a bachelors degree, or you were screwed/not doing enough/not going to get a job ever. Even though that couldn't have been true for everyone before, it was believed to be. Afterward, however, it was as if a blanket had been lifted and we could see the truth:
College isn't necessary for everyone.
I don't want to go into the story of Steve Jobs and the other "geniuses" like him. You know, the drop-outs who end up hitting it big and becoming billionaires. They're just not that common, so that is a bad argument. Aside from that, there are plenty of perfectly good reasons to prove my point.
#1: Tuition is not nearly as cheap as it used to be. Yes, inflation, sure. Fine. But that doesn't begin to cover the difference. 1,120% in 30 years to be exact. That's a lot. Yes, you're learning things people didn't even know about 10 years ago. So the quality is there, but you're still the same age people used to be. And people our age are poor. Unless mommy and daddy will pay for your schooling, you're on your own. Your choices are slim, and it's almost inevitable that you'll have to borrow money. Lots of money. And if you don't get a really, really, useful or high-paying degree - you really are screwed.
#2: Not every job requires college, and certainly not a bachelors. Right now I'm attempting to complete a mortuary science degree. It's an A.A.S. And guess what? That's all you need. There are only a handful (or less) of bachelors degrees available in the entire country, that's how much you don't need it. With an A.A.S., you can earn an average of $54,000 a year. Which brings me to my next point.
#3: Not many bachelors degrees are worth it anymore. Now that almost everyone has a bachelors degree, if someone wants higher education, you need to have higher education; a master's degree. Many bachelors degrees will end up earning you equal to or less than an associates would. My degree, nursing, countless other medical field jobs, even some certificates. It's a fact that associates degree holders out-earn bachelors degree holders in the first year after graduation.
#4: Not everyone is cut out for a bachelors degree. The purpose of college, to many people, is to prove that you can jump through hoops. Getting an A in a class just means you got an A in the class. Some people just don't do well in the schools we've set up. It's a one-size-fits-all operation, so that's bound to happen. Not everyone is mentally or physically healthy enough. Some people will just never grasp one or more general education classes. In my case, I'm even terrified of passing Math 1010. You need a higher class for a bachelors. Even public speaking is proving to be a challenge for me, just because I want nothing to do with that class.
Case and point:
#1: Don't take college advice from people who are older than you, they honestly don't know what's going on. The older ones because it's completely different, and the barely older ones because they probably wasted money on a fine arts degree.
#2: If you don't know what you want to do, don't go to college yet. Or at least take required general education first.
#3: Take advantage of community/junior colleges. There is some weird stigma associated with community colleges. I don't know why, but people think they're getting a worse education or something? It's absolutely untrue and you can save A LOT of money by getting an associates at a community college and transferring. I don't know why people would pay more money for the same class. Utah is home to a certain community college that was ranked #1 in the country. How is that worse than a university again?
#4: Get a certification or associates first. If you have a decent job while you go to school, you can save a lot of stress. If it's sensible (you could find a job), earn your associates, then work while you finish school. It will probably be less stressful for you and you can probably avoid racking up student debt.
That's my advice. You can take it or leave it. These come almost directly from my pretty bad experience so far. I'm not cut out for a bachelors. I've wasted a lot of the country's (ultimately my own) money chasing a degree that I'm ultimately not going to get - now that I've changed it. Though I did have a lot of fun, and I really loved learning what I learned. College is fun, especially at first, but it's also a big money and time investment. Be careful.
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