Is College Worth It? That totally depends upon the student. Not all students who enroll in college directly after high school are ready for the self-discipline required in college. For many, it is the first escape from the tight disciplines of a loving, caring family where Mom took care of all their needs and Dad paid the bills. And for some, it is the desire of the parent to send them, not necessarily the desire of the student to commit to four more years of study. Certainly, it is a time for some students who have established their goals to actually further their knowledge of their chosen future.
Graduation from high school is a gateway to the future, which may have many paths. It is a time for a child, actually a young adult, to get their footing in the world. College should be only one option. For some, a gap year of either travel or work experience may be a better option until they establish within themselves the need for further education in a given field. And for others, the military serves that purpose. For some years there was talk of forming a Peace Corp where a young person could commit to serving a time in a needy foreign country. In any case, each potential college student should look at the options before signing up for the hundreds of dollars that a college education may cost.
College Tuition is Increasing.
It is true that the cost of college keeps going up, but so is everything else.
Many college professors change lives, challenge the world around us, and teach us the skills needed to improve ourselves. However, their salaries range widely — anywhere from adjunct professors earning around $30,000 to a full-time professors earning $500,000 and more. At the top of the ten highest-paid professors when I Googled The 10 Highest-Paid College Professors in the U.S is David Silvers. His annual salary is $4.33 million BUT he is also the Director of the Dermatopathology Laboratory at Columbia University. This is the equivalent of a CEO in a corporation. His salary also is comparable to many college sports coaches. Should we pay sports coaches more than academians? When Bloomberg questioned Columbia University about Silvers’ high salary the response was “David Silvers is renowned in the field and has significant responsibilities in directing a highly specialized lab at Columbia University Medical Center.”.
But it is doubtful that an entry-level college student would attend a class taught by Dr. Silvers. College tuitions cover more than just classroom lectures. In my case, many years ago, my father paid $15,000 for my first and only year at Cedar Crest College. That money covered my classroom instruction but also covered my room and board. My dormitory room and three meals a day, seven days a week. That was in 1954.
My College Experience
Above I mentioned that it was my first and only year away at college. I certainly wasn’t ready for the experience. That first year came with the challenges of learning to live in close proximity to three other people. And to try to study with people moving around both in the room and in the hallways. There was too much socialization going on. I couldn’t concentrate and felt left out when I tried to study when others weren’t.
I was always a good high school student, but I had my own room at home where it was quiet. My mother took care of my laundry, cleaned my room, and fed me. Three things that were added to my responsibilities for myself. I also found myself taking classes that I had no interest in.
Pick a Major
When I was recruited to attend that college, I was asked to pick a major – an area of study. My choice was Medical Technology. I had an interest in Medicine but definitely did not want to be a Nurse and I quickly found that I had no interest in beginning Biology and Chemistry.
Because this college was associated with a church sponsor, I was also required to take a Religion course. It was not interesting to me at the time. While I had always had good grades in English grammar and writing, my English professor did not like the way I wrote and I failed every paper. My elected course, which I did not get to select, was Art Appreciation. It consisted of the professor showing slides of buildings, statues, and other objects which we were supposed to remember. Then the exam was based on identifying 25 of those objects. I failed all my classes that first semester.
I went to the dean – actually I think I was called in. The only option I had to change anything was to select a different elected course. I asked to take Trigonometry. The Dean thought I was nuts, but math had always come easily to me. I managed a B that semester in Trig which kept me from flunking out altogether, but returning for a second year was out of the question.
College is more than Just Classes.
From my experience, you might be able to see what was going on that year. I didn’t mention that CCC was an all-women’s college. Had it been co-ed with lots more parties it would have been worse. Young people are learning to live on their own in their first years in college. It is a growing experience in addition to a learning experience. Those first-year courses are pretty much set up to separate the serious students from the others. While some people come away thinking they didn’t learn anything, I’m sure that is not true. They had valuable life experiences.
Those experiences for me led me to finally find my niche in the world with computers, which were just being born. My skill with mathematics lead me to programming, which was my career for 35 years. However, I did find myself needing further education – specialized classes at first and then core classes to meet the requirements for a degree.
Working and Night Classes
For those wishing for further education, there are always night classes and now too online classes. I did it one or two classes a semester for over twenty years. I finally got my AA and then a BSBA, but beyond that, I got a phenomenal education because I was interested in the subjects and ready to learn them. And I also gained a desire to always continue learning.
Is College Worth it? Conclusion.
Tucker Carlson on Fox News recently addressed this topic from an entirely different point of view. He stated that 45 percent of students “did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning” over the first two years of college. Close to 40 percent didn’t learn anything at all over all four years.
I suppose that may be accurate based on my own experiences that first year. For many, it is a total socialization experience. Those students probably should not have started when they did. However, when he concludes that “Clearly college is not making people smarter”, I would debate that. I’m sure they all learned something. Maybe just not what maybe their parents hoped.
College is not a guarantee of learning, nor a guarantee of getting a job when you finish. If you run up phenomenal debt during the experience, that alone should be a learning experience. Life is expensive. College cannot learn for you. They can only supply the information, which I am confident most do. Recently there have been lawsuits against some colleges that made job placement guarantees that could not or were not fulfilled.
So what is the answer?
It is up to you to learn or not learn. Life is a journey and with every journey, there are many pathways. It is imperative for you to find the pathway that meets your needs. Here are some other thoughts.
With my writing here, I am utilizing a new pathway that I found here toward the end of my life’s journey. But it can be a pathway for anyone looking for a way to work on their own. To be their own boss and to add income to their household.
It doesn’t cost thousands and thousands of dollars in tuition, but the Education you will have has a proven track record. And it doesn’t take 2, 4, or 8 years to learn. You can learn and earn within 6 months or less and start earning. Click here to learn more.
