Why Should I Go To College?

Ask any college grad about his or her school years and the value of that experience, and you’ll be amazed at the wide range of responses.

But since the answer is so individual, no one can tell you in advance what the life-long memories and benefits you’ll end up taking away will be. The college experience is different for everyone. Discovering your unique meaning is one of the many pleasures and surprises of earning a college degree, but there are more commonalities shared by most graduates, including the following:

Competitive Edge In the past, a high school diploma served as the gateway into the working world. Today, a four-year degree is often considered the new normal, a necessity for landing a good entry-level office position, for example, particularly one with growth potential. A degree provides an edge over the competition in an increasingly competitive marketplace and indicates to potential employers that you are intelligent, persistent, and responsible.

Graduating from college shows you are capable of setting and meeting distant and difficult goals.

However, college is not for everyone. Today, there are trade schools, vocational schools, career colleges and specialized bootcamps that can help launch a very rewarding career for you; and today’s employers respect these types of educations more than ever before.

So, keep this in mind when deciding on your future.

Greater Earning Potential A degree often provides you with the opportunity to command a higher salary than someone who lacks a college education. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a bachelor’s degree has the potential to nearly double the annual income the same person could earn with just a high school diploma. And the higher the degree you obtain, the more valuable a resource you’ll become to an employer.

Career Advancement A degree can play a major role in moving your career forward. According to the BLS, educational attainment and income/career advancement are very closely correlated. Those with higher-ed degrees typically earn higher salaries and are often promoted before internal candidates who do not have the same level of education.

Additionally, as the BLS notes, better educated workers may see lower rates of unemployment, and having a level of higher education is especially important for people early in their careers.

However, like we said earlier, career education is now seen by employers as highly valuable as well.

Developed Sense of Culture The typical four-year college degree almost always includes a broad survey of culture from the sciences and humanities that form the basis of civilized life. Exposure to art, music, history, social sciences and the scientific method can create a deep and long-lasting appreciation for the finer things in life, as well as a finely tuned mind.

Self-Satisfaction In addition to purely financial considerations, college provides you with the opportunity to develop intangible but important personal traits like discipline, critical thinking, self-esteem and communication skills. After all, those papers don’t write themselves!

Whether you feel college is for you, or you’re better off going to a trade school, vocational school, career college or a specialized bootcamp, School Match Pro can connect you directly with the school or program that best fits your lifestyle, goals, timeframe and, perhaps most importantly… your budget.

Search the schools and programs available to you at SchoolMatchPro.com