Is college necessary to get by in the future?

11 Comments

I am now in my final year of high school. As I'm sure the graduates know, this time brings about the endless onslaught of questions about whether or not I plan to go to college and what I want to do with the remainder of my life. Unfortunately, I'm not too sure whether I want to go to college or not. Don't get me wrong - it has nothing to do with education or laziness; personally I enjoy learning a lot more than many of my fellow students do. I have no problem getting up early in the morning and going to school, or even the homework, but college just doesn't seem like something that I would be interested in. If I do decide to go, I do not want to go immediately after high school, which is another issue with my elders which I assume I will have to address.

I am an adventurous person. I want to travel and do a lot of things, and I do not necessarily want to be held down for another number of years. I mean of course, there lies the option of trade school being that it is only a number of months or so. Still, I just feel that once my high school education is completed, I want to be done with school and public education overall. I have no intention to stop learning - I am always at home studying things and whatnot, but as far as school goes I'm just not too sure if I want to spend thousands of dollars for something that I may find that I am displeased with and end up leaving early.

Let's make this a bit more personal. I want to become a music producer. Both my brother, sister and I are singers while I also play the drums and my brother is a guitarist and a pianist as well. We are all strongly inclined to work in the musical field; my brother and sister would prefer to break into the musical industry via singing though. Anyways, I am aware that there are schools which offer assistance in the field of audio engineering, and I am taking those into account. But at the same time, if the option of pursuing my dreams and not having to go to school is an option, do you feel that I should do it anyways?

Yes, College is necessary for a "successful" future. 15
No, college is not necessary for a "successful" future. 28
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Comments ( 11 )
  • thegypsysailor
    9 years ago | pl

    From everything I've read in the last ten years, unless you are going to school for something specific, that will actually be hiring when you graduate, college is pretty much a waste if time and money.
    I have known so many early 20's graduates with a six figure debt and no job prospects upon graduation.
    Do a great deal of research into professions that will be hiring 4 or 5 years down the road before you invest the time and money in college.
    Even in my day, though college did not leave one in massive debt, many chose aerospace and related fields in the mid 60's, only to have the industry collapse in 1970. There were a great many rocket scientists driving taxis in the 70's.

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  • AC:WWFan
    9 years ago | pl

    No. A skill you learn from a technical school or hands-on training is much more important. College may help some, but most don't need it. It's mostly just a overpriced scam to suck a person dry of their money and place them into massive debt for the rest of their lives.

    Remember, OP: Just because a person gets a degree in something does not gaurantee them a job.

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  • [Old Memory]
    9 years ago

    I dont remember writing this.

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  • sillygirl77
    9 years ago

    If you go to college as said earlier, you should study something very specific that you know will lead to a career. Otherwise, you will need some kind of trade/vocational school. Traveling sounds fun, but probably won't lead to a job, so you can do it for a bit but you have to figure out a plan of some kind of training that will lead to a career in the future.

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  • lc1988
    9 years ago

    It's not necessary these days especially with the entertainment industry. It's more about who you know which is true for a lot of jobs. Good luck to you!

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  • Zangyr
    9 years ago

    In the absolute ? no.
    In practice ? yes.
    With the actual ecenomic situation, go in College, and choose something needed and where you're good.

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  • MangoTango
    9 years ago

    College is this formal institution that = credentials on paper. Necessary? That depends on how great you are without it. Do you need it? It all depends. It can be helpful for you to have the paper trail on your resume. Do you even need a resume? Again, that depends. Some people don't ever use their college degree. It becomes an expensive wall ornament, lol!

    Think people. What do you get out of college, generally? Its all about social connections. You also need knowledge capital + financial capital. Now, if you're an IT genius? You might not need the things offered in college. It never hurts to LOOK at what these places offer. :-) Lots of lucrative stuff exists in college.

    Having said that, OMG, is it outrageously priced. Higher education is exemplifying what we call a BUBBLE INDUSTRY from the super inflation of the price. Tell me what college student do you know can pay for this stuff out of pocket? Its kind of crazy. As I say this, tuition went up, somewhere in the USA.

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  • Anonymous Post Author
    9 years ago

    Don't get me wrong, I understand that having a college degree will likely up my chances of going in the direction that I want to go. But, alongside many of the people commenting here, although money is not an issue for me, I do not want to spend tons of money on something that I may not be interested in; or even something that I may change my mind about somewhere down the road.

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  • pastor_of_muppets
    9 years ago

    Smart people go to college and dumb people get their jobs and then a recession happens and somebody creates cronuts

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  • pixie44
    9 years ago

    You get paid more if you have a good college degree. But you can also work your way up at a job and make the same amount or even more.

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  • Watashi
    9 years ago

    Well I think it is. With a college degree there are more options and possibilities. What if you're music career doesn't take off? What then? Its rare. Not everyone will achieve their dream. At least have a back up plan. College first, then music producer.

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