How would you go about your life after graduating high school? Would you rather be employed in a well payed job or continue through college and be in debt after getting your bachelors/masters degree?

When it comes to college, most teenagers ponder about all the parties that occur and skipping class because they’re too tired or don’t feel like going, but does anyone ever talk about their actual classes? Are students going to college to party or to study? Do they choose where they want to go based on how fun the college parties are or on how well the college is academically? Over the years, college tuition has gradually increased making it difficult for an average person to pay for college without acquiring debt; so the question is: is it still worth the cost?  

Degrees don’t pay for every profession. Not every job requires a degree from college, some simply just ask for a high school diploma. For example, to be a loan officer, you only need a high school degree to earn about $67, 960 a year, as well as detectives and criminal investigators who earn $74,300 annually. In many cases, some of those who did not attend college earn more annually than those who did attend college to get a degree. Even after graduating college, many graduates continue in jobs that do not require a college degree; this makes going to college pointless.

To begin with, people are paying an extremely high price to attend college, but after graduating, they’re still paying more. Why? Student loan debt. College students are frequently devastated by their debts after graduating. This often forces graduates to live with their parents so that they can pay it off quicker. Graduates who decide to live with their parents after college can lead to delay in their marriage, financial independence, and other adult milestones. While college graduates do have a better chance of getting a better job than those who do not attend college, college graduates are spending more time paying back all their loans, while high school graduates are already working full time.

College is not always the way to get ahead. Parents should not tell their kids college is the key to success; quite frankly, they’re wrong.  No one should be forced to go to college because anyone can be successful without a college degree. More education does not mean more money, but growing up adults have implanted that in our heads. A better education is a better education just like a degree is just a degree.  With or without a degree anyone can be successful.