Growing up, there was no question that I was going to college. My parents expected me to go somewhere not too far from home and not insanely expensive either. During my freshman year of high school, I began to seriously think about what I would study. Child psychology, fashion design, pharmaceutical sciences, counseling and creative writing were all career paths that crossed my mind at one time or another.
I ended up majoring in journalism because writing is the only thing I’ve always enjoyed. Now as a senior, I look back at the past three years and think about the opportunities college has given me. Some of these opportunities include; traveling to a foreign country and being accepted into a prestigious magazine internship program in New York City for the summer. However, I don’t believe attending college is worth sacrificing my mental health, going into debt and becoming a sitting duck with no job after graduation.
College did not teach me how to think critically.
As a journalist, I believe it’s important to have critical thinking skills. It’s easy to do simple reporting and say x, y and then z happened, but it’s important to be able to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant facts and be an active listener. Also, when a journalist reports on sensitive topics like racism and sexual assault, it’s important for them to be able to confront any biases they have and think about their word choice and the connotations associated with them.
The way I learned was ineffective
All of the classes I had consisted of the professor lecturing from a PowerPoint while students were expected to take notes, memorize the information and take exams, with a few projects thrown in. My learning style is through experience and doing things. I learned more about reporting, writing and editing at my internship than I did in my three hour news writing, copy editing and reporting classes.
I did not learn how to adult
Don’t ask me to look over your cover letter because I barely know how to write one myself. College did not teach me how to apply for a job or provide me with tools that can be useful in my everyday life, but at least I’m finally learning how to use Microsoft Excel.
My mental health took a turn for the worst.
I was diagnosed with depression at 14 years old and thought once I went off to college and was away from my stressors, I would finally feel happy and free. I was wrong. During my freshman year, the girls living in my residence hall were just as catty as the ones in high school. Add in holding down a part time job, professors failing to realize students have other priorities outside of class and my 40 pound weight gain due to the excessive carbohydrates in the dining halls, and you have my depression hitting an all time time low where I’m dragging myself through the day. Now, I’m on the frustrating path of trying to find an antidepressant that will work for me.
A degree does not guarantee financial stability
College sells high school students on the notion that earning a degree will automatically get them a job. I’ve spent three years building my writing portfolio but media corporations have drastically been laying off their employees with many magazines becoming strictly digital. Even if I do find a decent job after graduation, It will still take me at least a decade to pay back the thousands of dollars I owe in student loans.
Is college really worth it?
If you plan on becoming a doctor, professor, scientist or lawyer, then of course, college is a necessity. However, you don’t need a degree to become a journalist. College has made getting access to my internship easier, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be able to write for a magazine if I didn’t’ attend college. If I wasn’t earning a flimsy degree, I would dedicate my time to writing and pitching to different media outlets while utilizing books and resources on the internet to help strengthen my writing. In fact, that was how Diana Tourjee, who only has a GED, landed her job writing for Broadly. Ultimately, I don’t regret going to college because I’m proud of the hard work I put in and and appreciate the relationships I made, but I know college was not the only path I could have taken to a successful future.