“You don’t go to school,” my friends usually say whenever I tell them about a mini, career-related trip to New York or my latest extracurricular project.
Jokes aside, I do go to school: I rarely miss a class, I complete all my homework and I get good grades.
Though I cherish the friendships and memories I’ve made at school, I tend to think that college is a waste of time and money.
While college used to be an option for individuals who want to learn more, it now seems like a necessary evil. According to The New York Times, the number of college applications keeps rising. Call me crazy, but I don’t think everyone creates their Common Application account because they want to sit through lectures and core curriculum classes.
Way back when, college used to be optional. It was the place for individuals who truly craved higher education. Whether you were blessed with wealth or academic superiority, college was a choice. Now, college seems more like a gateway into the new optional institution: graduate school. According to US News University Directory, the number of graduate school applicants increased by 4.3% from 2010 to 2011. If this trend continues, can we expect graduate school to become the new normal? Or is your undergraduate career already irrelevant?
So why do we endure all this higher education?
Jobs. We want to be employed. We want that awesome apartment of our own. We want money. But – as Dr. Richard Vedder told The Wall Street Journal – this goal has made getting your degree vital for most top-tiered jobs.
Though we go to college in hopes of becoming successful, that’s not always the case. According to The Huffington Post, about half of young college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed.
Not only are some college grads unemployed, the cost of tuition alone will make anyone feel a little woozy.
This summer, USA Today reported that the average cost of a four-year public college increased by 15 percent between 2008 and 2010. And the cost to learn is still climbing.
Additionally, some colleges are even cutting back on financial aid. As The Wall Street Journal reported, the 2011-2012 school year prompted a 15 percent drop in grants and scholarships.
So basically we’re spending thousands of dollars or drowning ourselves in debt – you can thank student loans for that – in hopes to make money. Yet, half of us aren’t making money. Something does not add up.
Maybe I’m too much of an idealist, but I don’t think it’s fair that some people simply cannot afford to go to school. When did the right to an education become so elitist?
Finances aside, college is even a waste of time for some who can afford to go to school.
Sure, certain career paths require tons of schooling. I wouldn’t let an uneducated doctor near me, would you?
However, as a journalism major, I know that I could be doing something else with my time.
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In the event my attitude toward school is alien to you, allow me to explain.
I’m a busy girl. I have leadership positions in several on-campus clubs, write for various publications, maintain a rocking GPA and have a great collegiette social life.
Out of all my duties, my schoolwork is my lowest priority.
While some classes will help me with my dreams of working for a major magazine – I never would’ve known how to protect myself from libel or copyright infringement suits without my media law class – I feel like most of my classes are not directly related to my anticipated career. On the contrary, my extracurriculars are preparing me more for the future and are teaching me lifelong lessons that can’t be found on a syllabus.
When I’m out of classes, I’m already living out my dream: I’m interviewing inspiring individuals, I’m editing articles, I’m networking, I’m organizing photo shoots and I’m writing. In short, I’m doing everything I hope to do in the years to come.
I’ve been so fortunate to have so many awesome opportunities in the industry thus far – internships, paid writing gigs and of course working for Her Campus, to name a few – and I feel as if I could be living my dreams more if I wasn’t stuck in a classroom.
As fruitless as college may seem, it does have its share of benefits. According to US News, the unemployment rate for engineers is significantly lower than the overall unemployment rate. Unless your high school is super special, you cannot become an engineer with a high school degree. Additionally, some internships for communication majors – such as Condé Nast’s intern program – require college credit. Since internships strengthen your resume and employability, even journalism majors like myself need college.
Though CNBC reports that some six-figure salaries don’t require a college degree, like a personal trainer or executive pastry chef- charging through those four years of school makes the job hunt a lot easier. According to The Huffington Post, the employability rate for four-year college graduates is expected to increase this year by 5 percent. Looks like there’s hope for us after all, right?
On the contrary, all majors will not be equal if Florida’s Governor Rick Scott has it his way. According to The Atlantic, the governor is proposing a law that would charge college students based on their major. Unfortunately for liberal arts majors, the STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – fields would be saving a pretty penny. Is it just me or is something seriously wrong with this?
Of course, I’m not trying to start a rebellion and propose that we all drop out of school right now. To many employers, a degree shows commitment. The fact that you can devote yourself to four years of hard work definitely makes you an attractive job applicant. Until that standard changes – if it ever does – we all just have to suck it up and make these four years count.