Life with and without a college degree

As a college student right now, the thought comes to mind is college worth it. Will going to college get us further in life or will it slow us down? Some people feel like it is mandatory to get a college degree but others feel like it is just not worth the stress or money, but what are the real facts behind it? Do some people just have good luck, or do some people just know their calling?

Is college worth the money? A lot of people are very 50/50 on the topic you have the 50% of people who will tell you “You have to go to college it’s a must to be successful”, but then you have the other 50% of people who will tell you “If you don’t feel that college is for you don’t go”. Which group is correct though? Are any of them even correct to begin with? 

                                  Life without a college degree

Not having a college degree isn’t always a bad thing, no matter how many people tell you ‘You need one, or “It’ll get you so far”. That is just not always the case, there are many people who have felt that college was not for them and they are living the life that they are happy and comfortable with. The story of Glenn Edward Lee Bek “ Beck decided to skip college and acquire radio experience in various cities across the United states. At  age of twenty-one he was garnering $70,000 a year…” (Fertig, sept 2011, para 20) “He has also reached number one on the New York Times best seller… he is a millionaire many times over (Fertig, sept 11, para 20).” This is one prime example of a person who just didn’t feel like college was for them. They had a dream and they ran with it. 

There are many famous people who have dropped out of college and did not pursue a college degree. While it took hard work they still got there for example, Harry Truman, Paul Allen, and Rachel Ray. 

The story of Harry Truman. Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the United states. He did not have a college degree. When Truman was alive college was expensive just like it is right now, not as expensive but expensive enough for people who don’t have money. “Moreover, fathers financial problems, which began in the early 1900’s prevented Harry from attending a four – year college (Hamby Para 3).“ “…Dropped out of school and took a job in the mailroom of the Kansas city star in the summer of 1902, Truman subsequently worked for a construction company and as a bank clerk (Hamby para 3).” Truman’s family didn’t have enough money to send him to college but he still tried to get an education and when he had to make a choice of helping his family or continuing attending a business college he chose to help his family, but in reality he helped his family in a greater way.

By Truman making a choice of dropping out of school all the way, he got a job. Even though it looks like he struggled which he did due to the fact that everyone in life struggles he made a good decision for himself. Truman had many connections through his lifetime which led and helped him into the decision of being president. You as a reader as a person would never expect that a person without a college degree coming from a family who did not have much would be president. Shocking at its finest.

That is just one story of someone without a college degree. A lot of people believe that without a college degree you will not make it far but there are a lot different views. In 2011 “researchers found that 89 percent of high-school graduates who did not attend college said they were happy or very happy compared with 94 percent  of bachelor degree- holders (Brooks, para 14).” 

The story of Steve Madden. Steve Madden is a famous shoe designer, who was born in Queens by his father who was a textile manufacturer and his mother who was a housewife. Madden only went to college for two years, he attended the University of Miami. He left Miami to go to New York where he sold shoes. “…Madden and a partner attempted to launch souliers, a brand of womens shoes for the MCM footwear company, but this venture was unsuccessful ( Lewis, para 2).” This is just one major setback of Madden’s career. In 1990 he founded Steve Madden Ltd. His first major shoe was the Mary Lou. In 1993 he opened his first retail store, In the same year he would make a decision he would soon regret. 

“… he entrusted his company’s initial public offering of stock to the Long Island securities firm of Stratton Oakmont, where Danny Porush, a childhood friend, was a partner (lewis, para 3).” Even though Madden’s business was slowly starting to take off he still kept his decision to stay in the stock. Not knowing it would put him in jail. “In 2000 Madden was indicted on civil and criminal charges in connection with his transactions with the firm. ( Lewis, para 3).” Steve going to jail is just another major setback that he had while on his rise up. As Madden was indicted he still continued to manage Steve Madden, Ltd., though he stepped down from chairman and chief executive officer he stayed on as creative and design chief. After he was released in 2002 he took his position back and now owns one of the biggest shoe brands across the world. Even though he went through all the things he went through and has no college degree to be his back up and plan he is still one the richest people to live.

                          Life with a college degree

50% of people feel like a life with a college degree is a great life. Yes, there are many benefits to having a college degree. For example you get higher pay, you could possibly get better opportunities and you can meet a lot of new people on your journey. 

Having dreams comes with big responsibility. A lot of the time you feel madidated to get a college degree to live a good life. “Go to college, get a job, buy a house, raise a family. It may not always be that simple, but it all starts with your college education (Loveless , para 1).” “Earning a college degree is all about opening up opportunities in life. It prepares you, both intellectually and socially, for your career and your adult life (Loveless, para 1). “ A college degree leads you to learn many new things, you may never have thought you needed. A college degree will lead you to jobs where you could possibly learn good leadership skills, good communication skills, and better management skills. 

There are many people who have a college degree and live a great life or the life they wanted to live.

Adam Sandler is one of the most famous actors times have seen today but do you know how he did it? Sandler already knew his dream, he knew he wanted to be a comedian but who knew he’d do it through his movies. “Sandler took classes at the Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute in New York City and attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University (Pallardy, para 2).” He earned his bachelors in a career he loves. His bachelors would help him achieve his great movies such as The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, 50 first dates and so much more. Not only did he act in amazing movies, he has his own production company called “Happy Madison Production .” 

As society would describe it, the more education you get the better chance at survival in the world. The different salaries within the different education status. People with less than a highschool diploma only average a making of $493 a week. “That works out to $25,636 per year, assuming a year of constant earning (Josephson, May 2018, para 3).” People with a high school diploma average a making of $678 a week. “That works out to $35,256 per year (Josephson, May 2018, para 4).” People with bachelor’s degrees average $1,137. “Average earnings for workers with bachelor’s degrees work out to $59,124 per year. (Josephson, May 2018, para 7).” The point being made is that the higher up in education you get the more money you are supposed to be able to make. 

                                   Graphs and Statistics.

This graph shows the financial earnings of people with a highschool diploma, no college, a 2 year college degree, a 4 year college degree and a 6 year college degree. It shows a gradual uprise in salary with more schooling 

This graph shows the percentage of people who actually believed they should have done these things instead of going to college or changing their degree. 50% of people felt that they should have got more work experience, 38% of people felt that they should have done more research (study harder), 30% of people felt that they should have looked for work sooner, and finally 29% of people felt that they should have chosen a different major.

In this graph it talks about the degrees and their unemployment rate left behind them. As you can see The Doctoral degree has the lowest unemployment rate while less than a highschool diploma has the highest unemployment rate.

Life with and without a college degree. Sometimes It’s good with a college degree and sometimes it’s good without a college degree. It is all about how hard you work for it. It is also about how you feel. Some people just don’t think school is for them and that is perfectly fine because if you know what you want then all you have to do is follow your dreams. While some people feel that school is for them

In conclusion it is your choice if you choose to go to college. Nobody can force you to do something you do not want to do. For some people it comes easily and naturally while others have the struggle. Life is not just one way it is how you make it. Just take all information and make a choice that pleases your heart and soul. Society is not the judge of you, You are the judge of you.