Top 6 Reasons College Is Overrated
84Introduction to Why College Is Overrated
One thing we're not short on is our large list of reasons why we don't believe college is a good option for most kids...or at the very least why they should make such a decision warily and with a lot of caution. Some people like the long detailed arguments that are put together in a well tied together format, and others like a step by step list to try and quickly make your point and let them mull it over. We've already shown our disdain for the million dollar lie, and we expect that as more people read our hubs there might be some controversy, and that's okay. If there wasn't any controversy at all, I'd be terrified with what society has come to accept as normal or okay. We thought a top 6 list of why college is overrated, or maybe even why college sucks, might be a good way to get the discussion going. Sit down, take a read through, and feel free to leave as long a comment as you need at the bottom to agree, disagree, or otherwise!
College Photos to Illustrate the Point
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Tuition Costs
Reason #1: Tuition Costs. Do you know how much it costs to go to college right now? The average cost for an in state, public university students is $18,000 per year. For out of state students attending a public college the cost increases to $29,000. For private universities, the average cost is $37,000. These numbers do include tuition, room and board, books, transportation, and other miscellaneous costs, which is what the average college student is going to pay. (Numbers provided by: Troy Onink's article, "The Financial Aid Game")
A lot of these schools will include some type of grant and/or scholarship program to reduce costs, but not eliminate. If you're not top 10%, or even 5%, of the best in the country, expect nearly half to the majority of your financial aid to be student loans. Especially when you think that the average tuition cost keeps increasing around 5% per year. You would be crazy to think that grants and scholarship programs increase by that much every year. All we can say about growing tuition costs is, "Damn that is a LOT of money."
Must Reads for College Students
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Debt After College
Reason #2: The Debt Load After College. I think people either forget, or don't know, how hard it is to live a life full of debt, especially when the piper comes to collect. Imagine getting your first job after graduating college, and you make around $35,000 a year (before taxes). It could be better, but you're pretty happy with this amount until you start getting $300.00 bills from student loans companies per month (or 500 or 600, depending how many loans you had and what the interest rates are). And guess what? Only a tiny fraction of that money is actually paying of the principal of the loans. Most of it is going to the interest you did not pay during college.
That $300.00 is maybe what you used to pay your credit card bills, which have been piling up a little bit more money since you left school because somehow that first check just isn't covering all the bills every month. You are also making sure your rent, utilities, electric, and water bills are paid-and God forbid you live without cable TV and high speed Internet! Plus the car payment for your new car, insurance for every which thing, and your fiancée is nagging you about finding a home for the two of you while you're still making monthly payments to pay off her ring....
What many college graduates find out, often too late, is that it really is not a pretty picture once all the pieces are put together, and you will be amazed at how much of an effect that $25,000 is school debt has on you. Plus you are now 23 and haven't even started a retirement fund. And when you see your high school buddy who did not go to school driving around in his new truck, inviting you to a party at his house later that night, it can really drive you crazy. Be prepared to put some of those major life decisions like a new home or a new car on hold for a while after college, because the money usually isn't there, even if more debt is.
Video: Professor Admits Education Is Not Enough
Lost Working Years
Reason #3 is lost working years. There is that very famous census that talks about the $1 earnings number, but fails to mention that they don't count any of the work done from ages 18-24. So just what the heck is a high school graduate doing from the ages of 18-22 that a college student is not doing? Working full time.
Never underestimate the importance of work experience. Think about it, while you were getting your management degree, your buddy started as a worker, became an assistant manager and thrived for two years before making manager. Were you apply for the same job, is the hiring business going to think you are ready to be a manager just because you have a piece of paper saying you graduated with a management degree, or are they going to go to the guy who already has 2-3 years of management experience? Unless you have compromising photographs of the hirer from an old frat party, you're probably not getting that job.
While you are racking up debt at college, the high school graduate is making money, and the smart ones are investing it already in a Roth IRA. That four year advantage is going to turn into a new car, possibly buying a home, traveling, and if the high school graduate is smart, $2,000 or $3,000 a year going into a retirement fund. The only thing the college graduate has after graduation is debt, and a much later start on a new car, a home, and a retirement fund.
Numbers Questionable at Best: But Shows Value of Saving Early
Not Going to College = Early Retirement
Reason #4: Not going to college can mean an early or more prosperous retirement. We all know that investing $25,000 of tuition money into an IRA or a savings account would mean that I could retire faster than spending that money on college. However, most people do not have $25,000 of tuition money just lying around, so they take out loans and pay for college with grants and scholarships. But what if I didn't go to college but invested a few thousand dollars a year, every year, in a retirement fund right out of high school? Remember, I would get basically a five year head start on a college graduate (and that's low end, it could be as high as a 6 or 7 year head start), and I would not have the debt to worry about.
Let's say both a college graduate and a high school graduate started investing their money (and let's say the market has just an average turnaround over the years) and we can earn an 8% return per year when all is said and done. If both groups start with a $1,000 and invest $2,000 a year until retirement age (age 65), a high school graduate is going to put away $1,015,496 while a college graduate only earns $682,205. Why is this? Because the $10,000 head start a high school graduate gets on investing makes all of the difference in the world in the long term.
A college student would just fall short of catching up to this high school student even if they invested $3,000 a year, and if the high school student maxs out early contributions, it's next to impossible for the college graduate to catch up without a job that pays well into the six figures. The numbers don't lie: it's very possible for a high school graduate to make $500,000 less in a lifetime than the college graduate, but end up with more money at retirement.
Graduation Rates, or Lack Thereof
Reason #5: Because almost half of college students won't graduate anyway. We all know what the worst thing that can happen to a young student is. Going to college and failing to get a degree while taking a load of money out in loans not only jeopardized their future, but takes away any advantage they might be able to get from working right away and not taking out any student loans.
I know what most people say when they go to college; I won't be one of the people who drop out. The thing is, statistics show that almost 50% of ALL students who start never graduate with their degree. Until they system is fixed and colleges are more worried about graduating their students, why spend a lot of money to fail?
Skills, Skills, and more Skills
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Great Scene from Good Will Hunting on Education
You Don't Have to Go to College to Learn
Reason #6: Because skills often matter more than academic degrees. Why do people go to college? We have to assume that one of the reasons is to learn, and there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, learning for the sake of learning is a very noble and commendable pursuit. But why do you have to go to college to learn? If you want to be a lawyer or a doctor, that's one thing, but anyone who has a library card can get a hold of the same books as people who attend college read. Anyone who can use the Internet can learn anything from website design, to computer programming, to basically any type of study they want. All of this learning takes place at a fraction of the cost.
Programming like the Rosetta Stone Software has made learning a foreign language easier than ever. Employers might see that you do not have a college degree, but if you can speak a foreign language, and have great computer skills, why wouldn't they hire you?
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Conclusion on Why College Sucks (or is Overrated)
We do want to make 2 things clear before jumping into the conclusion:
- We are not against the college experience - that can be a fantastic time of growth, discovery, and friendship - but students should be told the whole truth before going in.
- We are not against education or learning. But we are against the current system.
That said, college is definitely overrated and the way it is promoted to high school students in our opinion is nothing short of an outright scam for many. Tell the English major they will not make nearly a million a year more over a lifetime as a teacher vs. being a factory worker. Tell a philosophy major how difficult academics really is before pushing them to grad school. Go ahead and tell science majors they're fine...if they can survive the basic science courses at the college level.
I hope this hub will help to open a dialogue and a good solid discussion on the true pros and cons of college so young adults can truly make an informed decision and go into it with their eyes open.
Links and Resources
- The Big Pay Off
The actual government report that is quoted as saying that college graduates will make over $1 million in their life times as opposed to high school graduates. - John Stossel Asks is College a Big Lie?
Eye opening report by John Stossel revealing that there are a lot of problems with the "million dollar" number as well as the argument that college is a solid investment. - StudentLoanJustice.Org
Very eye opening group dedicated to bringing fairness and protection for the students back to the student loan process, and there are some horror stories that every soon to be college student should read.
Other College Hubs of Interest
College Degrees Are Million Dollar Lies
Women College Graduates Earn Less
Why Are Colleges Failing Minority Students?
College Sucks (really - a lot of graduates think this in retrospect)
Community College Is the Smart Way to Start
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As someone who has edited student papers and theses and tutored college students (both as a volunteer and paid), I feel that many students are not really interested in learning. Often they are interested only in having some type of credential for a better job. There is nothing wrong with that, but college doesn't deliver.
College is overrated?! I think not! That is just asinine. Now I would agree that going for a degree in philosophy or english or history --though interesting-- without a career plan is dangerous. But not everyone attending college is going for those types of degrees. Most people that I know that are in college are going because the career they want to get into requires a degree -- engineering, teaching, architecture, actuarial science, medicine... Not everyone in the world wants to be a f...ing Iron worker or welder or auto worker or plumber (though those are certainly respectable trades). I think there are two types of people who say that college is overrated: those who majored in philosophy and can't find a job, and those who never went to college and deep down inside regret it.
The fact is, a college degree IS necessary in order to pursue, with success, many career fields.
P.S No offense intended to those of you who are iron workers or welders or auto workers or plumbers.
I went to College to study music. The music program collapsed, and I switched my major to behavioral sciences. After I got that piece of paper, I went to get a certificate in music therapy. But to be a music therapist, a person needs a masters, whatever that is. I am now working a part time job as an English tutor at a community college in the Bronx. After college, I went back to my piano teacher from high school after barely touching a piano for four years. She whipped me back into shape.
I am back working at a community college, sadly. People would ask "why are you working at a college if you think college is a scam?" Well, I am tutoring people in how to write papers, something these high school graduates should have learned, but just did not. I often wonder what they are even doing here.
As for my music, I perform at a bar. Some people really enjoy my playing. I also have gone to jam sessions recently. After the first two jam sessions I went to, I felt "if this is not music education, I do not know what is!"
While the author is right that the current system sucks, he forgets one thing:
Most people I know without college degrees aren't exactly moving their way up the corporate ladder.
Most people I went to HS with who didn't either go to college or join the military are working low level jobs, with little to no benefits. Most jobs aren't interested in self-taught employees, either.
So yeah, people not in college are working. As cashiers at the supermarket. Like I was, except I was also learning skills in college. Ripoff? Sure. But I have things like weekends. It's nice.
Its possible to learn things on your own....but not nearly as probable as it would be if you were to be learning in a 4 year university where your knowledge is constantly scrutinized by professors in the form of exams, projects and papers. Really though, if most don't have the willpower (and I understand that money is an issue and it is not always a matter of will) to study hard when given the opportunity to do almost nothing but that, how can you expect these same people to learn on their own without the motivation provided by college...plus, I know I would have felt terribly guilty and ashamed if I hadn't finished college after having all that federal money and my parents' money given to me.
College isn't overrated, it's overpriced. I have to agree that high schools do make it sound like college is a necessity and not an option, but if you use your resources and network in college it will get you further than those who didn't attend college. College is an opportunity to network with professionals and grab internships (which counts as work experience as well) so I don't know about you but college is putting me ahead of the game.
to Joe
Most people with and without college degrees are working low level go no where jobs. Everyone in America is screwed...jobs that require an education are gone. I think colleges are totally corrupt. Why would you want to be in debt $100k+ only to have no job for the rest of your life?? People are dumb
I started college late. I went to work as soon as I was done with HS. I saved up and started college. I am now about to finish up my AA degree. I was going to go on to a four year school, but I realized how much of a waste of time college really is. I would rather read about things I am interested in on my own. I do not fit well in the college enviroment. I never was much of a class person even when I was younger. I prefer to teach myself. I could maybe do online classes, but as far as going to a campus with other students and professors? I am done with that.
Ugh im so glad i didnt listen to all the college parrots i have run into.
Im doing just fine and im 30. Work off the books as an aide..
I knew if i trusted the universe it would help me.. I make 15 an hour even in my sleep there.
And know so many people in one jewish building they always ask me to work for them. I say no so many times because i dont want to spead myself to thin..
People the only way to break up the scam is to not participate in it. I knew when i used to ride the subways here in NYC that the college ads sounded like snake oil salesmen. Promising a brighter faster future on the fastest faster track to more success? wTF im not stupid i wont fall for it.. Check out how much the adminstrators are making, crazy money they lie and scare parent and kids... With homelessness even..
Its hard but keep telling the old parrots who are jealous your not wasting your life away learing stuff u hate to simma dawn naw!
Whoever wrote this article is obviously not living in reality for several reasons:
1. It is unlikely that your typical high school grad is going to land a job that could lead to a management position in four years. Or ever. Without SERIOUS hookups, most high school grads can't really hope for more than a minumum wage job in fast food or retail.
2. Jobs like factory workers, welders, iron workers, etc can CERTAINLY pay more than a typical teaching job. However, with apprenticeships going the way of the dodo bird (and often requiring significant skills and experience when they are available), it is quite unlikely that a typical high school grad is just going to be able to waltz into one of these jobs. In all likelihood, anyone interested in pursuing one of these careers is going to have to enroll in community college classes. Maybe not a traditional bachelor's degree program. But college nevertheless.
3. Learning a skill on your own is NEVER a bad thing. However, pretty much all jobs in such fields as computer programming or web design are going to require a degree of some sort. It doesn't matter if you have learned web design better on your own than you could have at any school out there. If you don't have the degree, you're not hired. PERIOD!
4. The whole idea that an 18-24 year old will have a better retirement because they can contribute to, say, a Roth IRA during this time sounds good in theory. However, with the kinds of wages they are likely to be making during this time, they will probably not be putting away much (if anything) toward retirement. It is also not likely that your average 18-24 year old flipping burgers is going to be able to save up the $1000 (or so) necessary to start a retirement account on top of all of their other expenses.
5. Some of us actually WANT to be things like engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. Without a degree, you just can't do these things. Furthermore, all of these careers play a vital role in society. If high school grads just stopped going into these things, we (as a society) would have a REAL problem on out hands.
6. Going to college need not be as expensive as suggested here. For instance, going to community college during the first two years can lower expenses significantly, as can going to a state college close to home. And even if you went to college away from home, it's not like room and board is something you WOULDN'T essentially be paying for if you were just working and living on your own.
Now I'm not suggesting by any means that every high school grad should pursue a bachelor's degree. But to say that every high school grad would have the same (or better) chances for success WITHOUT postsecondary education is just ludicrous. A bachelor's degree can be VERY helpful for those people who want to enter careers which require a degree. But for others, a couple of years of learning a trade at a community college (such as welding, machining, automotive mechanics, etc) is going to result in VASTLY improved opportunities compared to just having a high school diploma.
I am glad you wrote this Hub. It is well worth reading the comments as well. Financing your education has to be planned. Here are my thoughts.
First of all, let me say: Post Secondary Education is necessary for the growth of our society. A society that does not educate herself, is doomed for failure.
Second, many people do not know why they want to go to college which plays into the mass amount of debt accumulated. People have no plan and often do not complete college. Debt and no Degree is painful -- financially and emotionally.
Third, there are scenarios of both College Educated, Degreed individuals and Non-Degree Successful people. Fourth, if we as people are working only to accummulate stuff -- cars, houses, etc...we are most miserable.
Lastly, I would hope that our main purpose in life is to be contributing human beings to soceity where we make a difference in the lives of our fellow men and women.
Yo Ugh im so glad ah didnt listen ta all da college parrots ah gots run into. Im doin' just fine an' im 30. werk off da books as an aide.. ah knew if ah trusted da universe it would he`p me.. ah make 15 an hour even in muh motha fuckin sleep dere. an' know so many niggas in one jewish building dey always ax me ta werk fo' dem. ah say nahh so many times cuz ah dont wants ta spead myself ta thin.. niggas da only way ta break up da scam iz ta not participate in it. ah knew when ah used ta ride da subways here in NYC dat da college ads sounded like snake oil salesmen. Promising uh brighter faster future on da fastest faster track ta mo' success? wTF im not mad stupid ah wont fall fo' it.. Check out how much da adminstrators is making, madness money dey lie an' scare parent an' kids... Wif homelessness even.. Its hard but keep telling da old parrots who is jealous yo' not wasting yo' life away learing sheeit u mah fuckin hate ta simma dawn naw! in the hood
Great hub; however, I elect to disagree on certain points. Yes, there are students who are immature and are not ready for college. Yes, those are the students who usually fail and drop out of college.
However, for the mature and motivated student, college is an excellent learning experience which teaches them how to critically think and prepare for a future career. When one attends college, he/she should be mature enough to know what courses to take to prepare for a career. College is not for parties and socializing and that is what the average students think when he/she attends college. Wrong, the purpose of college is EDUCATION. Many American youth were not inundated with the seriousness of EDUCATION which non-American students are. Those students are usually more level headed and mature and approach college education with a high degree of respect.
Furthermore, one must pick an intelligent and suitable, job related major at college. Philosophy and other soft majors do not cut it today in these increasingly postmodern, postindustrialized, computerized society. It is no one's fault if many college graduates do not obtain the job of their dreams but their own. College is what you make of it.
This article really makes me feel good. I have a degree in culinary arts and I am certified chef. I graduated before I graduated high school. This is when the economy was in it's prime. Today, I am not using my degree. I graduated High school on time and I am independently medicine, ophthalmology, economics, practicing to become a certified Pilot AND working as Director of Promotions and 2nd in command in Marketing in an ever-expanding pharmacy, sign company and limo service. Life is good. In my professional opinion, with the way the economy is today, college is NOTHING but a big fat joke. Listen up, if you are fresh out of high school or a Junior Senior trying to make that tough decision, let me help, SAVE YOUR MONEY! Get into the work force and make the money. Isn't that what it all boils down to anyway? I go through resumes. I promise you, if I have 2 people in front of me, one of which graduated top of his class in Marketing but never worked a day in his life, I'd laugh him out of my office. Subsequently, if another applicant stood in front of me and had experience with face to face Marketing and had brilliant ideas and was a natural born leader and had experience, I'd shake his hand and welcome him aboard.
Think about it. Get out here, get your experience and work, work, work! Who wouldn't want an early retirement, after all?
yea it is overrated and expensive...
College is incredibly overrated, and the comments here simply go to show how ignorant people are to the changing times. I currently work for game franchise that has been around for 25 years, and I can tell you that college was the greatest waste of money I've ever squandered. Unfortunately, it was money that could have been spent to give myself a great jump toward building my studio. I've learned more by networking with other people in my field online and through online research than I did in my 6 years across two colleges. Every point the author made is absolutely true.
I think you are on to something, but not with the broad brush you have used to paint the issue. When I completed my degree (from a traditional university, as a single Mom), my salary quadrupled (yes, increased x4) and today I am a 6-digit earner.
The problem today is that people think that college is a magic pill that suddenly makes them super-employable so they are willing to borrow untold sums of money for the degree which too often, as you note, doesn't pan out.
Not all degrees are worth the time or money investment.
Not all schools are worth the money they charge (for example, some of the for-profits that charge more than $30,000 for an associate's degree that will enable graduates to earn $9/hour - do the math; that's a DUMB investment!)
Not all students are going to learn enough to land a good job, even if the school and degree program were good!
College is not for everyone. Make the decision wisely, and as someone much wiser than I said many years ago, "know thyself!"
It's true, experiences in life delivers more education than a college or university ever could.
All people need have today is a laptop and ambition or ideas to make a living.
Education is a rough investment with a lot of costs, especially with the shortage of jobs.
What you're writing is all too true. Great Hub.
It is overrated and overpriced. I went to Penn State, graduated and went on to a life filled with adversity, hardship and plain old fashioned failure. Then again, when I was a college kid, I frequently lacked self confidence, which in retrospect cost me dearly throughout the course of my life. I wasted my time because I did not think I could excel, even though I did graduated and earned a B.A. (Big F*****g deal).
Made a typo near the end. Should have typed graduate, not graduated. I did learn something in College, but I wasted my time in a liberal arts course of study-Speech Communication with an option in General Broadcasting. Yeah, I worked in the field and was not successful. I am merely an educated working stiff who had the misfortune of getting poked in the rear numerous times by the fickle finger of fate. As my Grandfather once said (He was a Coal Miner in Eastern Pennsylvania) "S**t happens".
Excellente'
Finally, someone gets it.
Student loans are definitely a scam. I'm glad I paid mine off in full before the first payment was due. I never had to pay any interest (that's what gets people in the hole)! I just gave Great Lakes back what they gave me -- no more, no less. As for the financial aspect of attending college in the United States, I could go on and on, but I'll keep it short by just saying this -- if any other industry was as fiscally irresponsible as higher ed, then they would be out of business. Period.
Non-college graduates will probably pay $50,000-$100,000 more in loan interest than college graduates anyway, so why not just go to college and face the initial debt? Credit card, car and mortgage loans all apply 0.25% to 0.5% higher interest rates to non-college graduates because history shows (by analyzying 100s of millions of loans and lines-of-credit by all the financial institutions) that non-college graduates are FAR FAR more likely to default on their loans than college graduates. Achieving a degree tells lending institutions that you are someone who can stick something out for 4-5 years.
Jon TEP 2 years ago
Love the "Good Will Hunting" scene. It was nice to see someone finally say that, even if it was a movie. This hub makes some really good points about college education, and I'm glad someone has the courage to say it to at least open up the discussion.