As a high school senior who is about to graduate and attend a 4 year college, there is no doubt that there will be celebration for such a life changing decision. From family to friends to school teachers and staff, going to a college or university is a mark of one’s future success, so it only makes sense that they would celebrate it. After all, the alternative means not going to college and – hoo boy! If you do that, your future will look pretty grim my friend.

People rely on a person’s level of education to measure their intelligence. Graduated with a bachelor’s? That’s a well-educated person. Graduated some high school? Well this person is clearly not as ‘qualified’ as the first person. I’m sure that these are the first thoughts that come to mind when someone hears about another’s level of education. But this shouldn’t be what people think because it is simply not true.

There are many examples of famous and successful people who never graduated from college or university. Some didn’t go or dropped out early because they already had an innate intellect and did not require further education, such as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. But others found success through working and on-the-job training, such as Jaydon Thomas who had no prior experience working in IT but was hired and taught the required skills by his employer at TeamLogic IT. It’s clear that in some cases, a college degree is not necessarily required for one’s success. 

So this begs the question, ‘Is it worth going to college?”

Contrary to what I just told you about the success of some of the richest people occurring after they dropped out of college, going to college is still important. Now I’m not backtracking on my previous statements about not needing a college degree to be successful in life, but rather it is a decision that varies from person to person. A decision between attending college or pursuing a career in a different way, such as on-the-job learning. And this really depends on how successfully a person can learn in certain circumstances or environments. Erika Andersen, a contributor to Forbes, expresses how she and one of her three kids did not find college the best way to learn. And according to Andersen, they both turned out pretty well, with her son opening their very own cafe and bar in Brooklyn.

I said that I would be attending a college after graduating high school, so it is only fair that I answer my own question, especially from the other side of the non-college perspective. I am not exactly sure what I want to do with my life. I don’t mean to sound ‘lost’, I generally know my subjects of interests that would lead to a career of passion. The reason I want to go to college is to find what I want to do. You could say I’m trying to find my purpose in life. This is exactly what Forbes contributor, Brandon Busteed, argues the purpose of college is, that it’s about “helping graduates achieve purposeful work.” 

College is expensive and time consuming, but also rewarding if completed. However, it isn’t for everyone, some can find success through other means, and others simply do not succeed in this environment. But you know yourself better than anyone else. If you believe you will succeed in a college or university, go for it. If you believe that it would be a waste of time and money, there are other ways to find success. In the end, it is up to you whether or not you will succeed in the future, not the prestige of a college degree.