Going to College

 

Let me just say up front, that not only did I attend college and graduate with a BA degree in English, I continued my education attaining an MBA with a focus in Strategic Planning...  however, that is not to say that college was, in fact, the right move for me as I look back on my life.

My entire family attended college, including my grandfather, so, whether I wanted it or not, my destiny (according to my parents) was for me to attend college as well.

And, as I look back on my education, my English degree was based upon comparing and contrasting different forms of literature as well as writing and analyzing different forms of creative writing.

Building upon what was learned in English classes in high school was not the focus, so I learned nothing new about grammar.  But, like anything else, becoming a good writer is based upon PRACTICE...  not necessarily college.

MY MBA put me in touch with how business people think from the standpoint of managing a company, but for the rest of my career, my MBA did very little other than open doors.

80% of my entire college tuitions was paid for by the GI Bill that I earned by remaining in the active military for 21 months and the military reserves for a total of 6 years...  The other 20% was paid for by the fact that I worked while I was attending college, even though in undergraduate school it was parttime work while in graduate school it was full time employment.

I literally have NO COLLEGE DEBT which made a big difference for me...  and, if I was considering college around 2000 or 2010 or 2020, acquiring college debt would be a big factor in my desire to attend college.

Coast-to-Coast 18 wheel truck drivers can make in excess of $100,000/year.  The average salary of a college graduate is around $55,000/year.  Now, while I would not want to drive a truck for the rest of my life, if you are using college to increase your earnings power, college will not always get you where you want to be.

Sam Walton who founded WalMart, dropped out of school in the 8th grade I've been told.  And, while not everyone has the personality traits of Sam Walton, there is evidence to suggest that going to college will not always get the financial wealth that you seek.

But, going to college will get you financial debt...

Another justification for going to college is that most college graduate have "sit behind a desk" jobs as they are called even though they are not always just sitting behind a desk.  Therefore, there is not the physical abuse leveled on a body like there would be if one were a house builder, a carpenter, a brick layer, an electrician, or a plumber.

However, there is no physical abuse if someone were to sell life insurance, be a salesperson in retail, be a computer technician, or an appliance repair person...  or, even manage a fast food or some other type of restaurant.

And, while many people do not even consider the military because of having to go to war, there are many jobs in the military that will not require you to go to war.

Think seriously before you decide to go to college or if you are a parent and might be expecting your child or children to attend college.