Education and Wealth: You Don’t Need a College Degree, But You Need an Education
College is overrated. There, I said something you’ve
probably suspected since you were in high school and may have confirmed several
years after you entered the workforce.
You probably know many people who excelled in college and
can barely string together a cohesive thought. And you probably know many
successful people who never went to college, barely made it through college, or
work in a field unrelated to their degree.
Why is that? How can some people struggle when they have a
degree from a quality institution, while others can be successful without a
college degree or in a field unrelated to their degree?
In my opinion, it’s because a college education doesn’t
guarantee success. Success is up to many other factors – factors that colleges
often don’t teach.
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| You Don’t Need a College Degree, But You Need an Education |
You Don’t Need a College Degree
A college degree is simply a certification. In basic
terms, a degree is simply a piece of paper certifying you met a certain level of
scholastic achievement. But what happens in the classroom doesn’t always
translate into the real world.
College degrees don’t always pay well or guarantee a job.
There are many high paying degrees. But for every high paying degree, there are
two low paying degrees. There are also degrees that have a limited market.
Simply having a college degree doesn’t guarantee a job,
nor should it. Employees need to bring marketable skills to the table, as well
as the ability to continue learning, growing, and providing value for their
employer.
I am not saying people who choose low paying degrees
aren’t successful – far from it. Many people choose degrees based on what makes
them happy, and it is easy to admire someone who chooses happiness over wealth.
The truth many people aren’t willing to admit is you don’t
need a college degree to be successful. But you do need an education, along
with a desire to continue to learn, work hard, and adapt.
You Need an Education and You Need Marketable Skills
Education is different from a degree. Education can
be formal, informal, self-directed, on the job training, professional licenses, and certifications, or any other form of education.
Take technical schools for example. If you know what to
look for in a community college, you can gain a valuable education that
prepares you for the professional world at a fraction of the cost.
Considering a community college or any of the other
educational paths above can help to cut the cost of college tuition while still
giving you a solid educational foundation.
There are hundreds of careers that don’t require a
degree. And they all share one thing in common: They require results, and in
many cases, require years of hard work and study to achieve success.
It’s easy to discount athletes, musicians, actors, and
others who don’t go through a traditional four-year degree program. But the
amount of hard work, training, practice, and study they go through to achieve
their success often equals or far exceeds the amount of effort put into an
average 4-year degree. But let’s look beyond those careers, which are far too
rare to be a practical vocation for most people to aspire to.
A more realistic example. I’ll use a friend of mine as an
example. He is in his 40s and is by most measures, a successful man. How
successful? He brings in a quarter million a year as a small business owner.
“Oh, one of those…” Yes, one of those. Want to know what
he does? It’s not sexy, but it’s a great career. He is an electrician, or, I
should say he owns a small business focusing on residential and small
commercial electrical installation and repair jobs.
He built his business from the ground up in a manner that
almost anyone can do if they want to. His story is along the lines of the
tortoise and the hare – slow and steady wins the race. It just takes time, hard
work, and a continuing desire to learn and improve.
He started as an electrician’s apprentice out of high
school, achieved his license, and eventually started his own business. He now
employs a couple of people who are following in his footsteps. The best part is
his job will never go away. People will always need electricians. And plumbers,
and landscapers, and mechanics, and dozens of other jobs which don’t require a
degree.
But these jobs require an education and hard work. These
folks have marketable skills and provide services people need. Many of these
jobs also require licenses and certifications which require study and
continuing education.
Do You Have a Skill Others Will Pay For?
As you try to chart your career path, it makes sense to
stop and think about whether or not you are developing skills that others will
pay for. Instead of just going to college because you “should,” consider what
you’re accomplishing. In some cases, developing a skill set that others are
willing to pay for doesn’t require a college degree.
Developing a Marketable Skill
Stories abound of communications majors with $100,000 in
school debt and few job prospects.
However, it’s not about whether your degree is useless.
It’s about whether or not you can leverage it into a marketable skill that
others are willing to pay for.
For example, a friend of mine has a communications degree
and a journalism degree. She managed to turn the knowledge and experience
gained through earning those degrees into a successful freelance career.
But you don’t need a four-year degree or an advanced
degree to succeed in this manner. There are plenty of in-demand skills that you
can acquire through two-year programs and certifications earned in six months.
It’s also possible to develop marketable skills for free with the help of open
courseware and the discipline to read extensively.
Instead of assuming that a degree is a ticket to a good
job (in the new economy it’s not), focus on the kinds of skills you’ll develop.
What About Starting Your Own Business?
Developing skills others will pay for isn’t just about
getting a job working for someone else. If you want to start your own business,
you still need to have something to offer. I discovered that there are plenty
of people out there who are willing to pay someone to write on their behalf.
This is especially true online. There is also a demand for
freelance skills such as freelance writing and ghostwriting, digital media,
design, video editing, coding and development, technical support, optimization,
and a host of other online skills.
You can do the same if you plan to start your own
business. Think about what skills and expertise you have, and how that can
translate into a service you can provide for others. If you can offer something
that others need or want, you can make money from your skills.
It’s not about education as much as it is about the skills
your developing, and how you plan to market those skills.
A College Degree is Beneficial, but Not Always Required
It’s true that some jobs require a degree. Jobs in
science, engineering, and math often require at least a bachelor’s degree — and
you can often find a pretty good job with such a degree. Additionally,
professional jobs like those in health care and law, usually require a degree
if you want to work at the highest levels. If those are the jobs you want, you
have little choice but to pursue a degree.
However, there are plenty of jobs that don’t require long
years of schooling. Develop those skill sets with the help of other educational
options, and you can start earning money earlier and get ahead of the game, at
least a little bit.
I am not against college degrees. I have one and recommend
college for many people. But some people are better off not going to college
because it doesn’t align with their skills or career aspirations.
How to Invest In Your Education
Invest wisely: Building a business, honing a skill, or
getting your degree come at a cost. If you plan to open an investment account
to save for college, you need to strategize your asset allocation. Determine
your risk tolerance, assess how much money you’ll need, and adapt your risk
levels to maximize your investments.
Know your financing options: There are a number of strategies
to pay for college, from work-study jobs to loans, scholarships, and grants.
Know the pros and cons of each and come up with a plan to meet your goals and
budget.
Find financial success in college: Investing in your
education doesn’t stop when you sign the tuition check. The best back to school
money management tips for college students are those that anyone should use.
Live within your means, build a budget and stick to it, and work to establish
and maintain good credit.
Save where you can: Do your homework, pun intended, and
you can find plenty of ways to save money in college, from student discounts to
sites that help you with buying and selling textbooks.
Make tough decisions: Make choices that help to set you up
for future success as you pursue an education, even if they aren’t your first
choice. For instance, moving back home after graduation might not be a bad idea
as you work to find a job and save money.
Bottom Line
Success doesn’t depend on a piece of paper. And it
shouldn’t. Success is rooted in the actions you take to achieve your dreams and
goals in life.
If that means attending college to receive a traditional
4-year degree, then awesome. And if that means doing on the job training and
studying at night to get a license or certification, then that’s great too.
A lot of emphases is put on achieving a college degree,
but it’s not the right choice for everyone. And it shouldn’t be. Choose the
career path which makes you happy, work hard, continue to learn and provide
value, and success will follow.
Welcome to our blog “CYBER SUGGEST“. Debmalya Datta is a professional Blogger, Developer, Social Media Influencer, Digital Marketer and Entrepreneur. He loves doing work which makes him happy, that’s why he choose Blogging and Educate people. You will love exploring educational stuff on our blog. Live your dreams as much as you can. Be a SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTER
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