Are College Degrees Still Relevant?

Someone recently sent this picture to me, and I immediately thought, “boy there are so many people who could relate to this.”

A recent study done by Resume Builder found that 1 out of 5 recent grads couldn’t find jobs in their major. At the same time, college grads expect their degrees to earn them a cool $103,880 salary per year when in reality, they’ll only earn about $60,000.

So knowing all of this, you’re probably thinking, “Why in the world do people still go to college, and is a college degree even worth it?”

Should You Get a College Degree?

I say, yes and no. I see both sides, and I understand why a person may or may not choose to get a college degree.

I went to college and I loved it. So I’ll never knock college. If you want to go, please go! Just make sure you take FULL advantage of the doors that your .edu and student id unlocks for you!

If you don’t want to go to college. Don’t go. Instead, take advantage of ALL the “free” time you have and use all that saved money to explore lots of different things and be curious. Make sure you work hard to find the things that light ya up and figure out how to be the BEST at those things! (AND travel if you can!)

If you have more time, here’s an even deeper look at the college degree vs no college degree debate.

Why Earing Your College Degree Is Important

The truth is, some professions STILL require you to have a college degree. Professional doctors, lawyers, and dentists, and other careers like those make sense. Despite what Grey’s Anatomy fans might have told you, any old medical enthusiast cannot perform open heart surgery. So if being a doctor or lawyer is on your career bucket list, I say buckle up and go to school!

Now, if you want to do a job that you think you can learn on the job, but still want to go to college, I say go for it! Here’s why:

• College is essentially a giant playground and the possibilities are endless. You’re able to try out a bunch of different things in a fairly short (3-4 years) amount of time.
  
• College helps you find long-term connections and lasting memories that you’ll talk about when you’re old and gray.
  
• The alumni databases are unmatched! You get a built-in network through your alumni network. For example, Ryan Seacrest (although he dropped out), Maria Taylor (ESPNs it girl for a while), The Build-A-Bear Founder, and one of the head honchos at Delta Airlines all went to my university.
  
• College helps you develop a support system through academic advisors, a 24/7 career center, and college professors with industry connections.
  
• College gives you structure. This is especially important for someone who finds it hard to learn on their own.
  
• You’ll get a job. This is bad to say but, a lot of times, it’s easier to land a job if you go to a school that’s recognized. This is especially true if you decide to stay in a town or city that’s close to that University. For example, I went to UGA and A LOT of UGA grads stay in and work in the Atlanta, GA market. So the chances of getting an interview and even landing a job in the ATL market is HUGE.

Why Earing Your College Degree Is NOT Important

I never understood why you’d need a college degree for roles that you can easily learn on the job and with a little bit of practice! People can still have poor work ethic, poor social skills, and not know what the heck they’re doing after turning their tassels. Not to mention some companies are run by people who have been out of school for 20+ years. Like I’m pretty sure what they learned back in the day is not as relevant as it once was.

Plus, some people just pay other people to do their work in school and depend on other people the entire way through. These people take that into the workforce. Most of the things you need to be successful will never be found in the classroom. You have to be thrust into the action to learn how to manage and thrive in it!