Many seniors just finished submitting their Common App for a variety of colleges and are eagerly awaiting their decision. There are many people who have found success who haven’t gone to college. Many people even believe that college is a waste of time and money due to the extraordinary costs of some private/public universities. However, then, you have the people
who believe that not going to college is the reason for people not succeeding in life, and without college it’s impossible to find success.

Getting a college education for a long time was seen as the only way to have an easier successful life without having to do something that required more work to get by, such as working construction. However, recently, with the newest development in social media with TikTok, there are more and more people finding easy success in life without having a college education, in some cases even without a complete high school education, dropping out of school to pursue their entertainment careers.

With TikTok there are more and more people showing easier paths to making money by hustling such as drop shipping or buying washer and dryer machines. However, even with all of these quick ways being shown, along with all of the people having success without an education, I still firmly believe that a college education is very necessary in being better off in life and sets you up better for success in the future.

One reason students still need a college education is due to the difference between salaries in college graduates at 23, and those who forwent college and decided to just start working. Those who went to college have a much higher starting pay, which will eventually lead to a higher standard of living compared to someone without the education. According to the
National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average college graduate starting salary is roughly $55,260, while for those who start working directly out of high school, the average salary is $30,000.

However,there are those who would argue that someone who graduates from college may have a higher starting salary, but they have college debt that needs to be paid off, while the person who starts working out of high school doesn’t need to pay off any debt.

An issue brought up with what I have to say is the idea of needing different levels of education for particular fields. Well, some of the higher paying jobs out there require even more than just the basic college education. Some examples of this include being a lawyer whose average salary is $87,012, and can reach even more based on experience and education.

Additionally, there are doctors whose average salary is an astonishing $224,190. These fields, while being super prestigious, require an absurd amount of dedication, education, and schooling. These are prime examples of just how necessary a college education should be.

However, it also depends on the field you want to go into. For example, being an electrician doesn’t require a college education, but it does require you to go to trade school. It all depends on what you want to do with your life, and on each person’s measure of success.

However, I disagree with this statement, and still believe getting a college education is important because the pros of going to college are unlimited. Learning to live alone without leaning on your parents, meeting new people, and networking are some of the other benefits that go beyond the monetary gain. Overall, a college education is something that we should all
strive for, unless truly, school isn’t for you and you believe you can do something else, then do that thing.