Should you go to college?

I had a conversation with a friend the other day that really has me thinking about the importance of education. This friend, like many others, currently has a job that she is not passionate about and desires change. Unfortunately her ideal career is not one that she qualifies for on paper. She has been enrolled part-time in community college for years and will receive an Associate Degree soon, but even that degree won’t be enough to propel her into the direction she’d like to go.

What should she do?

Since she wants to work in fashion merchandising but doesn’t do anything related to fashion aside from wear cute clothing, it’s hard for me to advise her to do anything but go to college and get an internship in that field ASAP. But this friend of mine, like so many others, wants the job now and references the tons of people who have attained success without a college degree. Why can’t she be one of the selected few who don’t need education to succeed?

I’m not certain I can answer that question and I don’t even want to try. After all, I’m not a life coach, career counselor or anything of the sort. I am, however, a person who will graduate with a Masters degree this year. I pursued a graduate degree because I thought it would increase my employment opportunities and earning potential, however I’m more than aware that college isn’t for everyone. I also believe that college is a business, one that costs too much and does not guarantee employment after completion. How do you know if college is for you and what steps should you take to reach your career goals? I’ll explore these questions in this post and I look forward to hearing your feedback regarding them.

College can open doors.

The first point I’d like to make is the fact that college can open doors and offer opportunities that a non-student would never get. These opportunities include valuable internships and organizational involvement that can later lead to job placement and/or scholarships. I place emphasis on the word “can” because nothing is guaranteed simply because you walked across the stage to obtain a degree. If you are one of those people who plan to simply take the necessary classes so you can graduate, you likely won’t get the opportunities I’m speaking of.

If not college then what?

If you truly believe that college is not for you then establish a game plan. This game plan must include working toward your ideal career. Perhaps the friend I mentioned earlier could have benefited from one of these plans many years ago. Depending on what your goal is, the work you do now will vary. Seek available internships in your career field, start a website or blog to help build your brand early, and be consistent in your efforts.

Get a job!

I get that many people want to be entrepreneurs, but don’t rule out getting valuable work experience first. There is nothing wrong with working for someone else temporarily while you are getting your ducks in a row. Working can enable you to fund your passion project and make ends meet during your transition. You may even need to get more than one job or find yourself working job and interning for free at some point. I personally did that before all while enrolled in undergraduate school. Was it easy? Absolutely not. But the work experience was worth it in the long run.

The bottom line is simple. Only you can decide if college is right for you. No matter what you decide to do, hard work and dedication is the only way to reach your goals. It’s time to get uncomfortable and do the work so that in the future you’ll be able to enjoy the ultimate reward… Success.