College why go to College
Why Should You Go To College?
Who said you have to go to college? C'mon, let's face the facts. If everyone went to college who would run the fast food restaurants? Who would drive the taxis? Who would collect the trash? Don't get me wrong. I do not have anything against the three fields mentioned above. As a matter of fact, I utilize all three of those services. The point I'm making is that unless you educate yourself, you will be limiting your career options and earning potential, and we spend 2/3 of our lives working. So, you better enjoy what it is you do.
I live in Las Vegas and there are plenty of fields that do not require a college education. But who wants to valet cars at 60-years-old? I wouldn't! But hey, if that's what you truly want to do with your life, knock yourself out.
The fact of the matter is the higher your education, the more options you have in life. Wouldn't you prefer to have several choices with which to do with your life rather than one or two? It took me many, many years to figure this out.
I was expelled from high school at the age of 17. The career choices I had were selling drugs or being a busboy. And guess what I did? I did both. And yeah, I made some cool money, but what kind of life is selling drugs and cleaning someone's dirty dishes? Especially when you are capable of so much more! And each and everyone you reading this article are capable of so much more! And you know it, too! Otherwise you wouldn't be reading this article.
It wasn't until my late 20's when I realized I needed/wanted a formal education to live the life "I" truly desired. Everyone desires something different. For me, I wanted to own a big house, drive nice cars and have money in the bank. I could've continued selling drugs and possibly become financially successful, but the odds of going to prison or being killed were far greater than becoming successful and living the life I desired. Therefore, I took the smart route. The route adults kept telling I should take when I was younger. But when I was 17-Y-O, it was difficult to see my life at 30. And I'm sure it's that way for a lot of you, too. That's why it took until I was in my late 20's to realize I needed to change, and for me, the change was to go to college. The adults who kept telling me I needed to go to college, I finally realized, were right!
Though you should go to college, and at the very least, receive your bachelor's degree, I know traditional college isn't for everyone. If you choose not to go to a traditional college, you better receive some kind of education beyond high school. Otherwise, you will have the same qualification at 30-Y-O as you do as a younger person, and if that's the case, how will you earn enough money to live as a competitive wage earner? The answer isyou won't! It's that simple! There are many technical and trade colleges where you will learn a specific craft. For instance, you could go to culinary school and become world-renowned chef. You could learn graphic and web design, fashion design, music engineering. There are thousands of careers out there. As a matter of fact, there's a trade college for nearly every trade field. Bottom-line, you should continue your education well past high school. If you don't, you will be left behind.
During my research for this article, I was reading educational data from the U.S. Censes Bureau regarding the difference in income between high school dropouts, high school graduates and college graduates, and was shocked at the numbers.
A high school graduate, on average, over their lifetime, will earn over $250,000.00 more than a high school dropout.
A college graduate (bachelor's degree), also on average, over their lifetime, will earn over $750,000.00 more than a high school graduate.
Here's the real killera person with a professional degree (doctor, lawyer, etc.) will, on average, over their lifetime, earn over $2,000,000.00 more than a person holding only a bachelor's degree.
Even for the mathematically challenged, these earning differences are not difficult to understand. We are all responsible for our own choices in life. Anything truly worth having may be hard to achieve, but if you stick with it, it will be worth it. I promise! So, if you desire something more in life, do the right thing and get an education in a field you love, and live the life you desire!
You will get older, so you might as well have your education completed so you can earn a great living. Besides, Mommy and Daddy will support you for only so long, then its good-bye and good luck!
Copyright 2008Motivational Sales Speaker, Educator, Mentor/Columnist
