Is College Education Worth Your Time and Effort?

Today’s economy, unlike previous generations, is proving to be much less student-friendly. In previous generations, college tuition was less expensive and finding employment after graduation was much easier. Now, it is typical for the average student to be over $40 000 in debt and unemployed or underemployed. At the same time, one hears countless romantic stories of self-made millionaires who had little or no college education, yet somehow they made it. This begs the question: is college education worth it? The answer depends on what you want to do with your life, and what a college education means for you. Many of the benefits that come with a college education cannot be easily measured in terms of dollars, and monetary benefits that do exist may not occur for a long period of time.

The overall experience one has in college while pursuing the degree may be of more value than the degree itself. The college environment is often a good place for high-school graduates to transition into adulthood. Many of them are on their own for the first time and they are forced to learn new skills such as time and money management, social skills and job skills. Many people often meet their future spouses there, as well as form potential life-long friendships. By joining different student bodies and being active in social and academic groups, students learn about themselves and about other people in their environment. College may be the only place a student may gain exposure to students from other countries and learn about other cultures. Thus students are able to broaden their horizons and gain a perspective that they would not have gained had they not gone to university.

A college education can help you to decide what it is you want to do (or not want to do) in life. When students are exposed to so many different courses, they can get a feel of what subject areas interest them. They may have their minds set on one major, but an elective course may cause them to go in a different direction. Sometimes an entire career might begin with just one elective course taken out of curiosity. In some cases, a student may decide that college is not what they want to do at all. The student then has the opportunity to pursue something entirely different, thus leading a life that is much happier and more fulfilling. Regardless of what the student decides in the end, he/she has a much clearer picture of where he/she wants to go in life.