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Paige Wooden

Elizabeth Cyr

English 11

14 May 2019

College is Not That Critical

College is not for everyone, young adults do not have to go to college to make a good

living. According to the Department of Labor, as of 2008, 17 million college graduates were in

positions that did not require a college education. For example to be an electrician a four year

degree is not required. As kids have grown up, more adults than not have told us that we need to

go to college. I thought they were right until I met the few adults that showed me the truth, when

I found my interest in construction. Construction is one of many fields that does not require a

college degree to have a successful the career. We, as a society, need to understand that whether

college is the right route or not, there are options.

According to The College Board, “For an in-district student at a 2-year college, tuition

and fees come to an average of around $3,440 annually; the cost of a 4 year, private college,

averages around $32,410. The difference here is astronomical. Two year and trade programs can

be a great way for students to set themselves up for financial security” (​Lambermont​). We have

options when it comes to how to make a stable living.

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Many people go to college because they can make more money with college degree. “​A

study this summer by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce finds there are

still

30 million good jobs held by people without bachelor’s degrees. And 28 percent of people with

two-year associate degrees make more than bachelor’s degree recipients” (​MarksJarvis​).

Many jobs, such as a plumber or electrician, that people work in do not require a college

degree. Typically people who go to college make more, but that is not always the case and it all

depends on how long you have been working and how much experience you have. If you start

work right after high school instead of going to college you can have four more years of

experience on someone who goes straight to college. That is four years to earn raises!

People like to say that college is only for the smart people, but that is not the case.

“...Whenever we find ourselves ignoring someone because we’ve already determined that they

aren’t “smart” enough to say something meaningful, we’ve made a big mistake. I’ve yet to meet

someone who couldn’t teach me something” (​DiSalvo​).

Whether​ you go to college or not does not define how smart you are. For example, to be

an electrician you do an apprenticeship. Skills trade people fix things in our everyday lives and

most did not go to college.

College is not in everyone's best interest, yet it is also in some people's best interest.

Different paths can show you your best destination in life. Whether you go to college or not does

not define how smart you are. Do your research before you decide the route for you.

 
 
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Works Cited

DiSalvo, Davit. “10 Smart Things I've Learned from People Who Never Went to College.”

Forbes ,​ 2 Aug. 2012, 2:54,

www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/08/02/ten-smart-things-ive-learned-from-people-wh

o-never-went-to-college/#7b43d7a0446e. Accessed 7 May 2019. 

Lambermont, Paige. “College Isn’t for Everyone … and That’s Okay.” ​The American Spectator,​

30 June 2018, 12:00, spectator.org/college-isnt-for-everyone-and-thats-okay-2/. Accessed 7

May 2019. 

MarkJarvis, Gail. “You Can Earn a Decent Living without a Four-Year Degree.” ​Reuters,​ 1 Nov.

2017, 1:37,

www.reuters.com/article/us-column-marksjarvis-college/you-can-earn-a-decent-living-without

-a-four-year-degree-idUSKBN1D15GO. Accessed 7 May 2019.