A huge topic that many high school juniors and seniors talk about is college. During their time in high school, they start to figure out their interests and what they want to do with their future. However, it’s difficult to determine whether someone should get a college degree or not because evidently there are successful people who do not have a higher education.

For example, Steve Jobs was well-known for being the chairman, CEO, and founder of Apple. At the same time, there are successful people who have a higher education like Vera Wang. Vera Wang is a well-known fashion designer who has a notable reputation for her wedding dresses and gowns.

With that in mind, I want to share some advice and my personal thoughts on how you can determine for yourself if college is worth it or not. Before I share my thoughts, however, I want to state a disclaimer that I am a senior in college. I can only speak from my personal experiences of being a college student. Therefore, regardless of my educational background, I aim to discuss this topic in an unbiased and honest manner.

Do Your Research

First, you have to do your research before you make any decisions about your future. The reason why the research portion is important is because you want to focus your energy in the right areas that are going to help your future. So, the first part of your research should focus on whether you need a higher education or not to be successful in your field. Then you should talk to some people who are already working in your industry. They’re going to give you specific information about your career path and valuable advice to be successful in that field. Additionally, you can gain a better understanding of what’s needed for success through job shadowing or informational interviews.

Notably, an informational interview is when you interview a professional who has your ideal job and then you ask them questions that pertain to that job. It usually takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour to do an interview, but you can make the interview as long or as short as you want it to be. As for job shadowing, you’re going to follow a professional around for one day (or more) and you get to experience what they do on a daily basis. According to Kyriaki Raouna at Career Addicts, she claims that job shadowing allows someone “to gain insight into the employer and organizational culture,” and it helps expands one’s network, too. Therefore, I encourage you to take advantage of these resources because they can help you with your future in the long run.

Money

To continue, this part is specifically for anyone who wants to go to college because it’s important to be aware of the financial aspects of a higher education. According to CNBC “Make It,” in February 2018 they claimed that “70 percent of college students graduate with a significant amount of loans. Over 44 million Americans collectively hold nearly $1.5 trillion in student debt.” This information might be the “make it or break it” point for some people who might have mixed feelings about college. At the same time, finances can be manageable as long as you have a financial plan. I recommend that you talk to your university financial aid staff so they can provide you with their assistance.

Furthermore, there are some benefits for people who do not have the means to pay for college. The most obvious benefit is financial aid and I encourage you to start looking into FAFSA as soon as possible. Within FAFSA, there are also loans and work-study opportunities that you should familiarize yourself with just in case you have to take out a loan or if you want to work on campus. There are also other opportunities to win money by applying for scholarships. Also, students who come from a low-income family, military family, or if they’re a foster youth, can access financial support, too. Because every university and individual are so different, some financial information may vary according to the university. Therefore, I encourage you to speak to your college financial aid staff to get the proper information on your situation.

In the end, it’s important to keep in mind that not every program is offered at every university. For example, not every university has a low-income program call “Extended Opportunity Programs and Services,” also known as EOPS. It’s beneficial for students who may need financial assistance, and it offers academic counseling, tutoring, and other services. It’s also worth noting that some universities offer more financial aid than others. All in all, you should ask your university for assistance, do your own research, and see what you are eligible to apply for because there are so many opportunities that you don’t want to miss out on as a college student.

Pros and Cons

Next, we’ll briefly discuss the pros and cons of attending college or going straight into the workforce. One aspect of going to college to consider is that it can provide more job opportunities and you generally will have a higher salary as you advance in your career field. Your salary can also increase if you have a master’s degree or if you have other professional certificates that are paired with your bachelor degree. Additionally, you have a higher chance of scoring an internship because most companies look for interns who are attending an accredited college or university.

On the other hand, a college degree doesn’t guarantee career success as it depends on what you do with your degree. Furthermore, it’s good to keep in mind that you might not get a job right away because getting a job is a long process that may take half a year or more to find. According to Balance Career, the higher the salary that you’re looking for in a job, the longer it takes to find a job. From my experiences of talking to different professionals, it took them roughly six months to one year to find their jobs after they graduated from college. Last but not least, you might not make a high salary because your degree does not determine your salary. After all, there are many components that make up your salary, which includes your experience, skills, and your degree combined together.

As for the workforce, the positive side to not going to college is saving a lot of money and avoiding a heavy debt. You’re also going to have more opportunities to work in different industries to gain work experience. In my opinion, you want to ensure that there are growth opportunities in your field regardless of whether you have a college degree or not; however, if you’re not in college you can gain more exposure in the workforce because you don’t have to study on the side. Additionally, you may have a chance to gain experience from working at some well-known companies like Apple, Google, and Costco because specific jobs in those companies do not require a bachelor’s degree. Careers that don’t require a college degree include product management, sales, engineering, and many others.

On the other hand, the negative side of not having a college degree is that it can limit your career options. There is no guarantee that you’ll be able to work in a prestigious, corporate office if you don’t at least have a bachelor’s degree. Also, some jobs encourage their workers to get the right professional certifications for their jobs. For example, an occupational therapy aide and an auto mechanic are encouraged to have a certificate that shows they are qualified for their jobs. Therefore, I would encourage you to have at least some sort of certificate that’s paired with your high school diploma so you can advance in your industry.

Experience It Yourself

My last piece of advice is to experience both opportunities on your own if you cannot decide which route is best for you. In my opinion, until you’ve had the chance to experience what it’s like to be a college student it’s hard to know if you’ll find value in it or not. Sure, you can read my article, listen to your friends, and hear your family’s opinions, but wouldn’t it be more exciting to experience it yourself? Remember, just because someone had a certain experience in college doesn’t mean you’re going to have the same exact experience as them, too. It’s also worth noting that you can drop out of college any time and you can come back to college any time, too.

The same advice can be applied to those who want to go straight into the workforce. You can interview people who didn’t go to college and ask them how they advanced in their career field. You can also have a summer job or a part-time job and see what it’s like to work every day. You can also start your own entrepreneurial endeavors if you have your own business plans or if you want to become your own boss for your own company. Remember, you can jump from one job to another to determine what career path works for you. Also, your first job won’t be your last job, so don’t give up and try to pursue your passions in life. If all of your plans do not work out and you want to go back to college, then you are more than welcome to start your education again.