To go to college or not to go to college?
That is the question…for some. Many high school students have known throughout their whole time in high school that they will go to college after they graduate. Whether it is straight away or after a year out to experience life, work or travel is irrelevant. There are also high school students who know that they will not go to college. They may prefer an apprenticeship and learn a trade, they may go into a family business which doesn’t require a college degree and there are people who simply aren’t the academic type and much happier off getting straight to work after high school. And that is all perfectly fine. However, there is also a group of students that simply cannot decide if college is the right choice for them or not. This article is for those students and to what the benefits of getting a college education are.
The financial benefits of getting a college education
The financial benefits of getting a college education are enormous. Unless you are super brilliant and a natural inventor or entrepreneur, like Steve Jobs for example, you will getting a college a degree will help you get a better paying and more prestigious job. Even on entry level.
Even though unemployment is up and wages have gone down, unemployment is significantly lower amongst people who have a college degree and wages have gone down less for the higher educated.
Have a look at this article if you are interested in an in-debt explanation on the financial benefits of getting a college education. You’ll be quite surprised about what they have to say.
The social benefits of getting a college education
It starts with better benefits for you and your (future) family. And it’s not just healthcare. College graduates are more likely to receive such benefits as retirement matching, tuition reimbursement, travel compensation, childcare, and paid vacation. In terms of earnings, such benefits packages are significant to the extent that are worth a whole extra take-home salary.
But take a step back and imagine yourself in college. All of a sudden you are surrounded with people who have the same goals and passions as you have. People you can really talk to about things that matter to you and make lifelong friends with. College is the place for networking and make professional as well as social connections.
The hidden benefits of getting a college education
Besides the very obvious financial and social benefits of getting a college education. There are also plenty of hidden benefits like illustrated in this cool infographic below.
Regardless of what you decide to do after you finish college, make a careful decision based on proper research of the pros and cons for you. Even if you decide not to go to college right after you finish high school and you end it up regretting is, there is no harm done. You can always go the year after and if a lot of time has passed, you can start college as an adult learner.
