Is College Necessary for a Successful Future?
A common question people tend to ask themselves when deciding whether or not to pursue a college degree is, “Can I succeed without college?”
This question is based on the various stories of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and other successful business owners who did not acquire their college degrees. However, these experiences are the exception and not the rule, bringing into question if acquiring a degree is worth the investment for the majority of people.
To make this decision, it is important to know what you envision for your future career, the range of skills you would need to succeed, and the life experiences you would need to get there. The combination of all of these elements will inform whether or not time in college would benefit your professional journey.
1. Increased Access to Job Opportunities
Having a bachelor’s degree opens up rewarding opportunities that might have otherwise been inaccessible. For example, college graduates see 57 percent more job opportunities than non-graduates. A degree enables you to qualify for these additional opportunities and offers you more flexibility in where you choose to work.
2. Preparation for a Specialized Career
As the world changes, the job market changes with it. Technology, education, and health are three of the most rapidly growing fields for a good reason; they evolve so often that only the most accomplished individuals can do the work. Getting a bachelor’s degree will help you learn the specific skills and habits needed to make a living in these areas.
3. Increased Marketability
Having a bachelor’s degree will keep you in demand as the need for skilled, college-educated workers continues to rise.
Over 80 percent of jobs in four of the fastest-growing occupations—healthcare, STEM, education, and government services—demand postsecondary education.
4. Increased Earning Potential
There is plenty of data that suggests college graduate majors can expect their starting salaries to increase over time, giving them hope for their future earnings. The greater your level of education, the higher you can expect your salary to be.
5. Economic Stability
Of the 11.6 million jobs created since 2010, over 8.4 million jobs—95 percent—have gone to bachelor’s degree holders. Meanwhile, jobs for high school graduates have only grown by 80,000. It makes sense, then, that bachelor’s degree holders have a significantly lower rate of unemployment than high school graduates. As of 2022, the unemployment rate for those older than 25 with bachelor’s degrees is 1.9 percent, while over 3.6 percent of high school graduates in that age range remain unemployed.