Or maybe this: if someone were to consider not going to a four-year, what would you tell them?
Are you asking because YOU are considering not going to a four year college?
If you can start your own business and make a decent living then that would be a reason. Easier said than done though!
If the student doesn’t appear to be interested in going to school and can come up with a plan to support him/herself. Going into a trade is a fine profession.
I actually edited and wrote an entire book on this subject. There are many reasons and many alternatives to 4 year college.
Why do people elect to go to college?
Because:
Depending on major, it may improve their job prospects;
They enjoy learning;
They like to share their interests with other people;
They want to learn more about themselves;
Good dialogue can be hard to find in the local night spots;
Data supports the argument that the AVERAGE college graduate generates higher income over their lifetime;
The spend of technical change is increasing and the old horse and buggy will not do the job.
You asked a great question. See if you can add to the list.
@retiredfarmer Could you define “average?”
@thumper1 No, I’m in my winter break from first semester.
Colleges are not for everyone. There’re skills that aren’t taught in colleges but you can learn to earn a decent living. Many college graduates will find what they learned aren’t useful in a society that’s increasingly automated.
Not going to college doesn’t mean never going to college. It’s not a door that closes once and forever and, indeed, can be more affordable the older one is.
There are tons of alternatives that are college-esque but are not college like national service opportunities (AmeriCorps, SCA).
I am pretty much for people not going to college if they are in doubt. It’s too d%&$ expensive to be something you have to force yourself to do. Even people who like academics struggle with the lifestyle.
Studies have also shown that college, for many students, simply does not pay off in higher wages. It just really depends.
As an architect I work with a lot of people who haven’t gone to college. They live good middle class lives. Electricians, plumbers, carpenters. Also many of the people who hire me are recent immigrants who own a lot of rental property.
Automation will replace a lot of low level manual work people do today, which will give people to do more creative work. I think it gives more of reason for people to get a college education.
Yes, but even work considered “creative” today may be replaced also. Some manual work (e.g. plumbing) may actually survive.
OP - it sounds like you are wondering about your future. Since you are on the winter break, you may be interested in reading this book. I bought it for my young adults to read.
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter–And How to Make the Most of Them Now
Learning a skilled trade will likely provide better economic returns and security than many college degrees now. If one enjoys that type of work, it can be a very good fit and fine life, and if you decide to eventually own your business, very highly compensated.
@1NJParent - I have to disagree. AI can optimize, but it can’t create. Teller, truck driver, radiologist, reporter may be replaced, but CEO, economist, columnist, artist, marketer, will likely not be replaced.
You may be interested in watching this on TED, Kai-Fu Lee: How AI can Save Our Humanity.
I saw him in person when he came to US.
I see hundreds of seniors each year. Not all go to college. Some join the military. Some opt for trade programs. Some go directly into jobs (retail, restaurant, farming, family business, factory all come to mind).
The path one chooses needs to fit them. There are students who are happy working at the above jobs which don’t require college degrees and students who see those jobs as the reason they go to college (so they can get better - for them - jobs).
Humans are different. What we are capable of and like are different. Trying to tell all humans there’s only one way to success doesn’t help. Showing folks options helps. Humans who find the path they like generally find contentment.
All that said… income seems to correlate strongly with the path one chooses. College and (good) trade programs are on the higher end with only a few of the direct jobs getting to the same level. Money isn’t everything though - and tossing someone who isn’t keen on academics into college “just because” doesn’t necessarily work out well. It’s no better than having someone who wants to go to college settle for direct entry jobs.
There are many direct career-related associate’s degrees and certificates at community college.
There are still some jobs that do on-the-job training. I have been collecting a list for one of my kids.
It is possible to volunteer and gather a resume that helps land a job. Volunteering for two years is cheaper than going to college, and you can work at the same time if needed. Volunteering or interning can also lead to a clearer path if you do return to college.
There are many ways to do college. Financial aid is based on student income once he or she turns 24, so that helps. There are countless adult learner/degree completion/continuing education/extension school paths that allow for part-time college, one or two classes at a time, including online, distance, low-residency and evenings/weekends.
If you not feeling motivated, it is okay to leave and work for awhile and see how things go. One of mine did that and over the course of the years has found her way back to college while actually working in the field she wants, child psychology. Her several years of working at low level, difficult jobs (like dry-cleaning and restaurant hostess) seemed to earn her respect wherever she applied, honestly.
My other kids did college the usual way with good results too.
Please consider that this point in freshman year is often a time of unhappiness. So if you can, wait another semester to decide. If you are depressed or unhappy to the point where it affects your grades, that is another story: try to leave before your transcript suffers.
ps college is certainly not the only way to get educated either- books are available to all!
Some acquire valuable IT or other skills in the military. My company hires them out of enlistment for low six figures.
I have a good friend that never went to college. He joined the military right out of high school. After leaving the military he became a State Trooper and continued serving in the reserves.
He’s never had any appreciable debt, until now, because his son is a freshman in college.
Currently he’s 42, makes $200,000+/year, has a full military pension waiting for him, is 6 years away from qualifying for a full State Police pension and has an IRA. He lives in a nice house. He leads a perfectly nice middle class life.
We talk sometimes about what he might have missed in college, but he knows he probably would be doing the same thing either way.
Not going to college saved him a lot of money.
Everyone can find their own way if they’re willing to work at it.
I think what’s harder now is many jobs used to only require high school diploma are now asking for college degree. But I do think we could/should promote trade schools more.