The College Dilemma
How important do you think it is that someone go to university in order to move up in life? The standard path is to finish school and go off to university to gain the qualification that will land you the career that will get you the money that will pay the bills, but how imperative is it that one go off to university?
I never finished university, and I've thought about going back numerous times, but to study what? Honestly, not many of the degrees interest me all that much. Everybody else seems to find something that interested them... enough to stick with it for enough years to finish the units and get the qualification. Did I miss the memo along the way? I find it impressive that anyone can go to college, let alone do something they may not be 100% passionate about.
Many of my friends who went to university and got degrees now work jobs in the field they studied, but many of those mentioned that the degree seemed superfluous to the position they were applying for. In a few cases, the employers never even asked to see the qualification to verify that they'd actually earned it!
Finding something you want to do
One friend of mine offered an idea that the degree was not so much about learning prequisite skills for a given job or role, but rather to demonstrate that the applicant was able to commit time and effort consistently for a number of years. A strong work ethic is a valued asset, and studying at university can be gruelling at times, so could this be what the potential employer was looking for? I don't imagine this applies to all cases, but it is something worth thinking about.
Many entrepreneurs and people today were able to climb the ladder without a degree. Some self-study or have natural talent, or are able to negotiate their way through life and land positions through sheer force of charisma. Some even got lucky, but there's no method in luck, so I don't think I'll pay them too much mind.
I know that more and more young people are being driven away from college because it is getting too expensive, and the quality of education is diminishing. Going to university used to be something of esteem - the college would produce graduates of fine intellectual caliber and moral and ethical fiber, but such prestige seems to be waning in this day and age, especially where universities become increasingly privatized and business-oriented. The education system is set up so that it is difficult to enter the workforce without a degree, thus requiring many to go to college and take on large amounts of debt.