Should he drop out of college?
November 5, 2005 · Print This Article
In a recent conversation, I had a friend explain how he was trying to talk someone out of going to college. The young man he was referring to was going to a community college to appease his mother who wanted him to go to a university. He was talented at computer repair and my friend thought he should drop out and focus on acquiring more computer troubleshooting skills.
I disagree with my friends assessment, but it made me wonder why I value education so much. Surely there is something to be said for someone who enters the workforce and learns everything then need to know through on the job experience. Is my belief that getting a degree is better rational or is it just because that is the path I took?
According to this article the actual wage for people without a college education dropped by 13% over the past 23 years while the actual wage of college educated individuals grew by 20%. Now I’m sure that there are people who didn’t go to college who are making millions, just like there are people who went to college who are flipping hamburgers. However, I for one would rather be in the group that does better statistically.
If the next 23 years are like the past, following my friends advice will result in an average drop in income of 13%. I hope the student in question listens to his mother.
I hope the young man listens to his own heart. I didn’t do this years ago and I failed university because I never wanted to work just with my “brain” but also with my hands. I am earning less money now but I am happier. And happiness is what counts - at least for me
Greetings from germany
Sonja
Forbes 2005 list of the top 10 of the world’s wealthiest show that many of them are college drop outs. Yes, some of them were bright enough to make it to some outstanding ivy leagues (Harvard, MIT…) but they never completed their education despite being a part of the prestine institution that enrolled them. I went to design school and a great majority of the most famous designers (Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, Donna Karen…)in my industry all dropped out of college.
School can be overrated. What’s important is to have passion and the motivation to learn. It helps to network but not neccessary. It also helps to be a product of an institution but I admire those that do well without requiring what others feel they need in life.
Dollar for dollar, I’d be interested to see a statistical analysis on the ratio of the number of working college dropouts and working people that never attended college to that of all the combined salaries of each individual who completed college.