A while ago on my internet radio show, a listener asked me:
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“Should I go to college? There is nothing that interests me. I feel that I should go as it will increase my chances of getting a job when I leave.”
Wow, what a great question.
OK, let’s sacrifice some sacred cows right now. College is not for everyone. There, I said it. I once suggested this to a number of teenagers on a soccer team I was coaching and when the parents found out, I was fired with relish. But I stand by what I said. I never said “don’t go to college” or “college is bad.” It’s just that college is not for everyone.
College is for you if:
You have an area of interest you want to pursue.
You need a college degree as a requirement for entry into the career you have chosen.
You love learning.
College is not for you if:
You want to have the “college experience” of binge drinking and partying before your real life starts.
You get a degree because you think you should have one.
You go because you want to find your purpose in life.
You go because your parents will be upset if you don’t.
I know that in most middle class neighborhoods, anyone who does not get a degree is considered deviant. But how about these guys: Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson? They did OK without their degree certificates, didn’t they?