Blog Post #3 - What is College Good For?

When deciding whether or not to go to college, one may ask “what is college good for?”  College is a huge decision in life and I think there are many pros and cons to attending college.  People may only think of a few reasons of why college is good, but I am going to list a few more answers.

College benefits you by receiving an education.  Not many people like going to school every day, but in the long run, you learn so much information.  When going into college, one usually chooses a specific major.  In the article Don't Miss the College Forest for the Career Trees, it says that 60% of people graduate with a different major than the one they decided when they came into college.  I personally feel that even if you do change your major, you walk away by gaining knowledge in another area of study as well.  Later in life, if you do decide to change your job, you have another option to choose from.  Rose, one of the authors listed on Professor: Value Of College Extends Beyond Paycheck, feels that learning things doesn't just make a living, but it lets us do things with our life. 

Another reason why college is good for you is because it makes you grow as a person.  In high school, many teachers let you turn things in late, make up work, and remind you about certain tasks.  Once you reach college, no one is there to “baby” you!  You have to take full responsibility on your own.  I think this is completely fair because once we graduate college, we are in the real world where we have to do things on our own.  There is not going to be that “friendly reminder” or turning in your work late.  No, you get fired from your job if that happens.  People don’t take these things lightly in life because if you graduated from college, you should have grown up.  As stated in the article, Live and Learn, society wants to find intelligent people early on so they can put them in the careers they should be in.  They will be able to show all the talents they are capable of and be of great use to that program.

In today’s society, money is a huge factor for everything.  If you don’t have a job, or were lucky enough to inherit a family member’s money, you will probably have a rough time with life.  After reading Why is College Good, it stated that college can help you obtain the career of your choice. People must understand that most jobs in today’s world require receiving an education, also known as going to college.  Some may feel that college is a waste of time, but if you want to work in life, you most likely need an education higher than high school.  So if you think it is just another pointless, four years of school, remember, college does help you in the long run. 

People may have a bit of financial difficulty while attending college, but afterwards, we learn the importance of balancing our money.  Living in the real world is something many of us do not know yet.  There are so many things we have to pay for: a house, mortgage, insurance, food, clothes, and so much more.  After attending college, we learn how precious every penny really is. 

So really think about the job you want to have, the salary you want to be making, or the discipline you have later in life.  Just remember, those all came from going to college.