It seems as if there is a polarized debate on this subject: on one hand there are those who believe that it is a necessary and a safer bet to choose higher education; on the other hand, there are those who maintain that universities are a scam that only select students who will benefit their schools by achieving a higher ranking.
And while near everybody around you is trying to send you off to college, is it really necessary?
Do colleges really give you skills you need to do well in the world, or do they give you meaningless facts; is the real world a better teacher?
Case in point: college-dropouts like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg revolutionized the world.
However, some professions do require higher education. Doctors need to go to medical school, lawyers need to pass the bar and usually cannot do so without formal schooling (unless you are Frank Abagnale Jr.), but computer programmers, businessmen, artists and anesthesiologists often receive more career opportunities based on experience.
College might just delay the process and supply Internet-available materials.
“I think going to college depends on a student,” said Upper School Head Tyler Hodges.
“I think it depends on their career goals, what they want to do. I wouldn’t advocate going to college simply to go to college. I think if your career choice or your profession would be best served getting into the workforce or getting some type of internship, I think that that’s what I would recommend.” Sam Brown ‘15 is not going to college. Instead, he is going to work for his father in the food industry.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily that college is overrated,” Brown said. “I personally think it is a little bit, but I think it works for lots of people and is the right path for many people. But for me, I have a family business that I am going into, and I believe it’s the right path for me. Some say that Brown’s path is unusual and argue that people with a bachelor’s degree earn twice as much annually on average than those who do not go to college, but perhaps that trend is changing due to the Internet.
Higher education is no longer the key to success. Over 40 percent of recent college graduates are underemployed, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The unemployment rate is seven percent for college graduates. For dropouts, that rate is doubled.
However, we cannot judge whether or not college will guarantee jobs. There is a limited number of jobs in the world, and if people stay in college, the number of unemployed would stay the same and all that would shift would be the percentage.
“College doesn’t help you find your passion,” Fiona Flynn ‘17 said. “If you want to find your passion, then you shouldn’t be going to college. Honestly. And that’s what you should spend your life doing.
“Everyone wants you to go to college, and get a family, get a ‘good’ job. That’s what all parents want for their children, but nothing is guaranteed anymore.”
There is also the matter of student loans, which, for most of the population, take a very long time to pay back.
“I would take that money [school loans] and start a business that generates income. But, like I said, college is great for a lot of people, it just depends on the person and I don’t think it’s the best fit for me,” Brown said.