College Isn’t for Everyone, and That’s Just Fine

Some college degrees are worth four years of your time and $100,000, and some are not. How can you decide if college is right for you before mortgaging your future and becoming a slave to student loans? Here’s a quick rundown:

Worth 4 years and massive debt*

• Sciences – Chemistry, Biology, Medicine, etc.
• Technology – Computer Science
• Engineering – Petroleum, Civil, Mechanical, etc.
• Mathematics – Accounting, Applied Mathematics, etc

Not worth 4 years and massive debt*

• Undeclared – God help you
• Liberal Arts – All of them
• Fine Arts – You’re either an artist or you’re not
• Music – Many lower-cost alternatives to learn to bang a drum
• Communication – Fancy word for “secretary”
• Everything Else

A few exceptions* impact the worthiness of pursuing a chemistry degree. Maybe you do need a degree in gender studies. After completing a bachelor’s degree, working for a decade, and getting an MBA, let me share some hindsight wisdom about the value of college and help you decide if it’s right for you.

 

The Right Reasons to Go to College

STEM Degrees

The best reason to go to college is to get a degree in a STEM field: science, technology, engineering, or math. If you want to be a scientist, doctor, engineer, or any job that relies on math, like accounting or actuarial sciences, then you must go to college. If you want the best chance at a great-paying job after you graduate, then go to college and choose a major in a STEM field.

Even if you don’t choose a STEM-related career after graduation, you can get any job that your non-STEM fellow graduates can get. The reverse is not true. No liberal arts graduate can compete with an engineering grad for an engineering job.

It’s Required for a Career Field

The second reason to go to college is to pursue a non-STEM degree in a career field that you 1. actually want to work in and 2. absolutely requires a degree, like practicing law or teaching. If you want to get a PhD in fine arts and pursue that as a career, then yes, get a fine arts degree.

But if you only think fine arts, literature, music, or some other non-STEM degree would be cool to learn about but not devote your post-college career to, and you’re not sure of what you want to do after college, then college isn’t worth your time or money. You’ll graduate with crushing debt and land a job working for a high school graduate who, while you were sleeping through useless philosophy classes, was climbing the ladder in your new career field.

Don’t pay Ivy League-tuition to work in a low-paying field like social work or teaching. If a degree is required for your chosen career field but your GPA and where the degree is from isn’t critically important, go to the lowest-cost college you can find that meets your needs.

I used to work as a lender at a credit union. I’ll never forget one customer who had just under $200,000 in student loan debt from an Ivy League school but made $35,000 per year as a teacher. That debt crippled her ability to live any type of desirable lifestyle, even to buy a car.

 

The Wrong Reasons to Go to College

“To Find Yourself”

The worst reason to attend college is to find yourself. Are you a high school senior who gave little thought to what you would do after high school? Did your parents coddle and shelter you from the real world to the point that you have little work experience or marketable skill? Is the thought of being throw out of your parents’ house and straight into the workforce frightening?

Paying tens of thousands of dollars per year as a way to figure out what you want in life is a bad, bad idea. Half of all college students fail to graduate, and top reasons include an inability to handle the academic workload, deal with stress, and not having a graduation plan in mind.

If you want time to find yourself, join the military. Sign up for a short, two year enlistment followed by a period in the reserves. You’ll learn independence, discipline, and receive valuable job training. You’ll earn decent pay, receive free housing and healthcare, and have plenty of opportunity to travel and experience life. Plus, you’ll be eligible for the GI Bill. a giant pile of college money given to military members in return for military service.

The military was the most exciting experience of my life. I joined the Marine Corps reserves and went to boot camp straight out of high school. I finished in August, just in time to start college in September. Monthly drill weekends gave me a break from the library, have fun with military hardware and weapons, and enjoy camaraderie with my fellow Marines. Plus, the GI Bill and the Post 9/11 Bill paid an enormous portion of my education and living expenses.

If the military isn’t for you, find a job with a great deal of upward mobility and opportunity, such as carpentry, solar PV installation, gas and oilfield work, truck driving, or my personal favorite, a sales job. If after working in the real world you decide that you are ready for college, you’ll at least have had time to save up some money, decide what career you want to pursue, choose the right major, and move through college efficiently for as low-cost as possible.

Someone Else Wants You To

Are you being pressured to attend college by your parents, relatives, boyfriend, or friends? Ask them if they’ll pay your tuition and bills. As long as it’s on their dime and the student loans are only in their name, take them up on the offer.

But if they expect you to pay for college with loans in your name and you aren’t interested in STEM fields or entering the workforce in a field that requires a degree, don’t go.

I wanted to be a warrant officer in the Army and fly helicopters straight out of high school. My parents talked me into going to college first. The compromise was that I would join the Marine Corps reserve, start college, and then go fly afterwards. Instead, I deployed to Iraq during college, met my wife, and eventually chose her over becoming an officer and military pilot. The government degree I picked in order to get though college as quickly as possible so I could fly for the Marines has been completely useless in my career path.

If you are not committed to completing a worthwhile degree and competing against other graduates for high-paying jobs with high educational requirements, then you are wasting your time. One out of three Americans over the age of 25 have a bachelor’s degree. There are almost twice as many people with degrees  than jobs that require one. That government degree you earned with a 2.5 GPA won’t get you anywhere in the job market. I learned that firsthand.

Socialization

Socialization is an expensive, incorrect reason to go to college. If you think college is an opportunity to meet people, drink beer, and party, you should not go to college. If you had a rough upbringing and need a challenging and uplifting environment to catch up to your peers in personal and social maturity and become a productive member of society, then join the military. Attend college afterwards, and only then after committing to a STEM field or a career that requirines a degree. Otherwise, you’ll either flunk out, quit, or end up with a useless degree and unimpressive grades.

People argue that you will make lifelong friends and maybe even your future spouse if you go to college. While this is true, it’s only a possibility and not a guarantee. You’ll find new friends and a spouse even if you don’t go to college, so this argument is moot.

 

What You Should Know

College requires an enormous investment of your time and money that will affect you for decades to come. You should expect nothing less than a STEM degree or one that will improve your access to high-paying careers.

If you don’t want a STEM degree and don’t know what career to pursue, then consider other options. Explore other interests or work opportunities until you have a solid reason to invest in college, if you ever do. Enrolling in college without a clear goal increases your odds of dropping out and saddling yourself with crippling debt.