Is college worth it?
To me, yes, college is worth it. I didn’t go to college expecting to graduate and make $50K in my first job (or even $30K for that matter). I didn’t go to college expecting the school to make me more savvy as an entrepreneur. I went to college because it was logically the next step in my life (maybe not the best reason, but it’s the truth) and because I knew I needed more life experience and further education before I was ready to be out in the ‘real world’.
I may be beating a dead horse with this post, but it is really interesting to me to see some of the recent posts about college and questioning whether getting a degree is worth it. Campus Entrepreneurship countered the WSJ article about the declining value of a college degree and how it no longer guarantees a certain wage level. And Tim Berry discussed a post from YoungEntrepreneur.com regarding whether or not college is worth the time for an entrepreneurial minded individual.
I certainly understand that college is not for everyone, but I also strongly agree with what Tim Berry had to say:
Education is good for you, long term, for living your life. You should study what you want to study, not what will get you the best job.
Separate education from job training. They are different things.
I couldn’t agree more. College taught me such different things than what I have learned since graduating and entering the job market. The lessons I learned in college are not better or worse than the lessons I have learned while in business, but I wouldn’t have given up those four years of learning for anything.
Kristen Langham
Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software
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I attended college for many reasons, e.g. to stay in America for a longer period and to learn about the college life. It was a natural phase of my life. I had been working for about 9 years and it was time to continue the development of my career. I also wanted to get an international perspective and in the long run to establish a foundation for my future career in America. I am glad that I went to an university in America, instead of staying at “home” in Sweden. After I graduated from Southern New Hampshire University, I got a job offer from a company in Ohio. My education has been useful when I started my own company back in Sweden and I intend to use my contacts from the college life, e.g., Delta Mu Delta, the National Honor Society in Business Administration, in order to achieve my long-range goal to return the Land of Opportunity – America.
All the Best,
Martin Lindeskog – American in Spirit.
Gothenburg, Sweden.
Thanks for your comment, Martin. It is great to hear that you, as an entrepreneur, have benefited from attending college. I wish you all the best as you work to achieve your goal of returning to the US.