This post is from the archives and it’s really good and you should totally read it.
I attended college, but I’m not quite sure why. In America, many young high school juniors and seniors begin the search early for the perfect college. They fill out their applications, write their essays, attend their interviews, all in the quest for…
For what? A guaranteed salary upon college graduation? A better life? Or a cushier life? Power? Position? Prestige?
After graduating college, I wondered what I had really learned in class anyway?
Maybe you’re like me and are wondering if you should skip college?
Most of the knowledge and wisdom I gained was done so through work experience, friendships, romantic relationships, and the Lord. I could have skipped the $20,000 a year price tag, grabbed a backpack, hiked through Europe for a summer, and come out just as “smart” as the most recent college graduate.
In my years following college, I have realized, too, that I favor commonsense over education and academia any day of the week. In my experience, excessive academia produces individuals so bogged down by process and information that they lack the commonsense and critical thinking skills to find their way out of a paper bag.
So reason #1 why you should skip college: because commonsense is free and far more valuable than a college degree. Commonsense is a lost ideal in American culture and has been replaced with “education,” an inadequate substitution. And forget “wisdom”…that word is reserved for the ultra-religious, not mainstream America.
Reason #2 why I think people should steer clear of college goes hand-in-hand with the first reason. Colleges are immoral, secularized, liberal factories where a kid goes in fresh, impressionable, and full of wonder, coming out an anti-God, anti-American, anti-thinking drone.
Okay, am I exaggerating a bit? Maybe a bit, but just a teeny tiny bit. There have been many studies done proving that the higher the education you receive, the more likely you are to be a liberal, which is not in itself bad, but as a whole, I do not support liberalism as the desired course for America (which is another post for another time).
More than that, colleges should be unbiased institutions teaching young people to think for themselves, not think a particular way.
Reason #3: College is simply overrated and over emphasized for the wrong reasons. American culture today tells children that grades and performance are important. In fact, children hear the message that grades and performance are more important than character or integrity.
College then reinforces these ideas, in a performance-based vacuum. I would rather a child be full of integrity and display a dependable character than be able to produce an “A” on a woman’s literature course. But hey, maybe that’s just me…
Reason #4 to ditch college–it’s an obvious one. College is wicked (use of “wicked” thanks to my college being in Boston) expensive. More and more college students are unwilling to take out student loans. It’s just not worth it. According to a recent survey, about two-thirds of freshmen said “they were either somewhat or very worried about their ability to finance their college educations.” Poor little fish are stressed enough as it is, without the added burden of worrying about how to pay for their stress-inducing classes.
Reason # 5: Steve Jobs, Tom Hanks, Bill Gates, Brad Pitt, Ted Turner, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mark Zuckerberg were all college dropouts. (Hey, where are all the ladies?) If you are at all interested in entering the Web 2.0 world, being a college dropout is a prerequisite. If you want to be a neurosurgeon, mechanical engineer, or President, stay in college. But if you are headed for a B.A., masters, or Ph.D. in some liberal arts study…go ahead, dropout…and reap the rewards.
So there you have it–a few great reasons to avoid college. If you have already attended and graduated, no worries, so did I and look how I turned out. Wink wink. If you are currently a student, please share your thoughts, too.
Are you a proponent of college? Why or why not? Are you a college dropout? What’s your beef with colleges, if any? If you loved or love college, why?
Psssst…Tomorrow’s post will be on the topic of church diversity. Be sure to check it out.
I just had this conversation with someone a couple of weeks ago! We both were saying if we could do it all over again, we probably would skip college.
Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of “good” things about my college experience. But at the end of the day, I’ve got a huge chunk of debt hanging over my head (even with half my tuition covered by a scholarship!) and my day-to-day responsibilities at the office do not put in to practice much, if any, of what I learned in my four years of undergrad.
I’m not saying I wouldn’t have eventually wanted to go to college or that it’s a bad thing, but at 18-years-old I went because it just felt like what I was “supposed” to do. I thought I understood the student loans, I thought I knew what I wanted to do. Now my student loans haunt me (they’re nearly as much as my rent payment every month!) and what I thought I wanted to do isn’t at all what I want anymore.
And now, a bachelor’s degree won’t even get you ahead… you’ve gotta get your master’s! Again, I’m not saying college is a bad thing… I just think we, as a culture, need to stop equating intelligence and capability based upon a document that essentially just says you survived 4 years of classes, papers and tests. :)
I so agree with your sentiment Brittany.
My college memories are great ones. I learned things in class, sure. But mostly I learned to disagree with my professors who were raging liberals.
I too was left with student loans that still stalk me and not much else.
I’m not opposed to college across the board and like you think it has great benefit for some. However, I’d like to see us quit forcing college down students throats as a one-size-fits-all answer.
I think I commented on this when it was originally posted, but I mostly disagree with you. I’ll talk about each number as well :)
1) I don’t know that a person can learn common sense by not attending school. Perhaps you might have been able to, but I can think of far too many examples of people who did not go to college and are utterly lacking in this department. Something to keep in mind though, is that there are exceptions to every rule like this. Pretty sure we could all talk about someone who we know really well who didn’t go to college and did just fine- they could potentially be starting a church.. who knows.. :)
2) Sure there’s one study that says we’re going to be more liberal by the time we get a Master’s than we were when we graduated high school. Potentially that’s because the massive amounts of graduate students who are on welfare (and want to keep receiving it after they no longer need it) due to your reason #4. :) not really. What about Christian colleges? What about the student (like myself) who attends a CRAZY liberal school? If anything, I have found my political ideologies to be a teensy bit more conservative since my freshman year? No, I don’t want to have a huge political discussion with someone who is diametrically opposed to what I think- it’s pretty much pointless. Essentially you’re just “frustrating the pig”. In order to convince me on this one, I’d like to see some more scholarly literature- but I really don’t know how over-archingly true that is.
3) Isn’t that what pretty much any school does? What about in high school? What about weighted GPAs? When I was in high school, I didn’t even know my GPA til third quarter senior year. Sure, I could have calculated it along the way, but nobody really emphasized it- nobody cared. It was a mentality of, as Tony Horton of P90x would say, “do your best and forget the rest”. Perhaps that is society’s fault that we over-emphasize grades; however, we need to have some way of gauging performance of students, don’t we?
4) This can be semi-related to #3. Getting good grades in high school and being a good “citizen” (AKA being active in the community through service project or even extra-curriculars) can often times lead to scholarship money. Oh sweet scholarship money- I <3 you much. Maybe that's a good reward? Work hard and we (universities) will give you money to come here and continue your education! You're right though, college IS wicked expensive- I'm hoping to become wicked smaht though.. We'll see what happens though. Yes, it can be expensive. Do you have to pick that one private liberal arts college that has a ridiculously high price tag? Nope. Score well on the AIMS tests- you'll get a scholarship.
5) I wonder what your writing skills were like the day you graduated from high school. I don't mean that in a "I'm sure they were awful and your papers probably sucked too" kind of way; but for real, don't you believe that your writing has improved due to your time spent writing papers for one professor or another? That's not the only benefit really- just one. I want to think a little more about it: if you were writing this blog with a high school education, do you think that it would be as eloquent? as grammatically correct? as good? Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs and Ted Turner… Mark Zuckerberg is freaky gifted, but without the launchpad of Harvard, who knows if we would have the glorious time-waster of Facebook. Steve Jobs found a use for college- although he audited classes at Reed- but he, like Zuckerface is also wickedly gifted at what he does. Maybe there's a trend here: they're both computer geniuses (maybe they just needed C++ books and JAVA books and were set) and artists of code (I should probably copyright that, Zuckerberg might try and steal it as his own…). Honestly though, computer people are a whole breed of their own- so so so so SO smart, perhaps in a way that could potentially be cultivated or potentially squelched at a university. I guess that's up to the individual. Ted Turner spent 3 years at Brown and would most likely have graduated had the school not expelled him for living with a girl. Sounds like he was a pretty smart dude (and still is- despite his comments about Christians). Female dropouts include: Angela Lansbury, Sophia Loren, AND Lindsay Lohan! Perhaps a lot of women appreciate their college and finish it? I have no idea. Maybe there aren't as many eerily smart female computer geniuses that we know of. Who knows.
The funny thing is that I have been ragging on school recently. "ughhh school! whyyy????"- but I'm glad I'm there. Not only will I make more than the average college dropout or high school graduate, I'll make a decent amount more. http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/data/historical/people/index.html Look at table P-16. Nope, money is certainly not everything, but it helps put food on the table and it helps pay for necessities. I can live comfortably and not paycheck to paycheck. Perhaps I can help send my kids to school when it comes time. According to one of my microecon books (that's right, business school classes), unemployment in 2005 was: 12.1% for college high school dropouts, 6.0% for high school graduates and 2.3% for 4+ years of college. I can only imagine how much all of those percentages have changed in the last 6 years, it's probably disgusting how high they have gotten. But I like my odds. 2.3% vs 6%? heck yeah!
Alright, my rant is over. The truth is, I have to go to a class. It's my Persian class. :)
Whoa Nelly. I’ve got a lot to respond to…
Point #1. Commonsense has nothing to do with school. Commonsense is learned throughout life. It is learned by experience and consequence. Academia is not commonsense. Schools don’t teach kids to think for themselves, so much as think like others. Group think flies in the face of commonsense. The Bible says “wisdom is supreme” and tells us in Proverbs to “get wisdom.” However, it is gained, it goes on to explain, by not following the sinful paths of others–it says nothing of education or teaching.
#2 American colleges and universities are liberal leaning, as a fact. This is not one that could be argued another way. Many schools think it is their right to influence students towards liberalism.
Some even call colleges liberal “churches”. Conservatives have churches, synagogues, and the like. Liberals have colleges.
#3 Parents fall into the trap of thinking that an “A” on a science test is more praiseworthy than their child sitting next to the fat kid at lunch or standing up to the bully on the playground.
They place false importance on grades versus character because schools (and society)emphasize such measures.
I’m all for students being graded. However, grades, in my mind, should not be the only indicator of a “good” student. Character is crucial and that is what God cares about–not the “A” you pulled in Calc.
#4 I know students who did just find on their testing and did not receive scholarship money. Their parents “make too much”. Even if you make $200,000 a year–the $25,000 price tag for a school is still expensive.
Let’s not forget too that much of the “scholarship” money students receive is money that organizations or individuals contributed. It is not “free money.” There are also more students needing money than there are scholarship funds available.
#5 This one made me smile. I can say with complete confidence that I learned %85 of my writing skills from my AP high school courses. My college professors were always blown away by my papers. Not bragging, just saying. I graduated high school knowing how to write. Beyond that, I would say practice, like writing 5 blog posts a week, has helped hone my skills. I am not exaggerating when I say, I do not think college in any way contributed to my writing skills. No joke.
In my college courses, students were either praised for their ability to write or graded poorly for their lack of ability. No professor took the time to instruct you how to write a paper. You needed to already know.
My point too in listing those men, was to underscore the fact that a degree does not guarantee success. Those men had other things in common, like drive, ingenuity, passion, and commonsense (see, there it is again).
It was not their 3 or so years of college that led them to be innovators. There were other factors at play–character traits that schools cannot produce, but more often than not try to squelch.
As a side note, the most “successful”–as in worldly and financial–people I know do not have degrees.
Gosh, I can’t believe I responded to every point. I’m tired now.
typing…. ughhhh.
okay- I’ll do it.
for the sake of continuity:
1. I didn’t mean to say that you can “learn” common sense at a university, I just meant to say that I do not see not going to college as a sure shot that you’ll learn common sense. Survival skills? Yeah, sure. But I can learn how to live on $20 a week as a student as well.
2. I guess I’m a bit uneducated in the whole “every college leans left” department. I would be interested to see more about how many schools think it is their right to influence students towards liberalism.
3. I would agree that it’s about being a student of upstanding character, and also that it’s not right to emphasize and A+ at any cost. Like I said, I didn’t even know my GPA until waaaay late in the game. Now, yes, people care, but I really don’t. I know the work of which I am capable and I do it. It’s unfortunate that people overemphasize the whole grades thing to such a point that students say that they “have to cheat on a test to keep their GPA at a certain level”. Um- just don’t cheat and earn your grade by doing your best.
4. I am one of those students… I scored marvelously on my standardized tests and did well in high school. Merit based scholarships from public institutions are not as biased as one would think. However, in applying for FAFSA and other “need-based” scholarships, I totally get the shaft. I was talking to someone the other day, and at the risk of stepping on some toes here, I said that the only way my scholarship situation could be worse would be if I was a middle class white male. It’s a bleak situation for many people. I am offered TONS of loans every year due to my parents making “too much”. it’s a joke- FAFSA that is.
5. I am glad to hear you had excellent written instruction during your high school years; however, how many people do you think did not have the advantage of such a high caliber of teaching? My ENG105 teacher was amazing, she did a lot to help her students improve. There are writing centers all over campus to make sure students have the resources to improve upon their writing abilities. But really, isn’t it a structured place where you can work out the kinks with some instruction and correction here and there? Given that there are bad apples of teachers here and there, I would say that it’s similar to someone working out with a trainer. Yep, they know what to do to receive good results; however, the trainer can pinpoint something that they could work on, something they could improve. I guess I have had an overall positive experience in college which has not led me to think poorly of instructors grading papers.
Bottom line- I’m not saying college is absolutely a MUST for everyone. I really don’t think as many people should be going to college as there are today. There are trade schools, industries in need of innovation, and plenty of other areas in which someone without a four year degree is needed. But I would not, however, belittle the benefits of a college education…
Kel,
Here’s a great piece from the Washington Post citing a study on the liberalism of college faculties.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8427-2005Mar28.html
There are of course conservative universities in the U.S. However, they are the exception not the rule.
What’s more, many parents are naive to the fact that colleges are so liberal leaning and send their children there, only to have them reappear after 4 years as, guess what? Liberals.
Without sounding patronizing, because you know I adore you, I think currently being in college gives you different lenses. You are a student and a dedicated one. You also want to become agent Sterling. Thus, college is of great benefit to you.
I just don’t think it’s for everyone and shouldn’t be marketed as such.
I wouldn’t have written this post while in college. No way. As they say, though, hindsight is 20/20.
There was a time when I might have disagreed with this post, but now I have to say I’m in agreement with it. I work for my state’s flagship university (it’s also my alma mater), and I can attest that, essentially, all we do is prolong adolescence. Rules are constantly bent or broken, students’ hands are held throughout their academic career, and many of them are no more mature when they leave than when they first set foot on campus. I’d agree with Nicole’s sentiment that if your goal is a professional career (doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer), you should go. If you don’t already know exactly what you want to be, then don’t waste your money.
We seem to have this attitude in our society that young people have to go to college if they’re going to have any sort of success; it’s almost like there’s a stigma attached to NOT going. We need to work to change that aspect of our culture. There’s no shame in not going to college, and a lot of people might be better off not going.
Of course, I also think our citizenry needs to be better informed on issues like basic economics and American history, and our public K-12 schools aren’t doing a very good job of that…but that’s a different argument for a different day.
Dan,
You are so right. People are shamed if they don’t attend college.
My husband is successful in business, especially for his age (28), and he does not have a degree.
It is a fact that he doesn’t offer freely, not because he is ashamed, but because people automatically make assumptions about his ability or skill based upon that fact.
I so agree too, that elementary schools should be filling in the gaps, but like you said–another post for another time.
Thanks for the comment Dan.
Wow, you and Nicole both brought up the good point that many people feel shame that the didn’t go to college. I would say that many more people are overly prideful of their degrees. It is also an interesting point that if you don’t know what you don’t want to do then maybe college isn’t the best idea- though I’ve heard many people say that college will help you “find yourself” and your purpose- but that’s a secular point of view. I went to college with a guy who was a very successful business man for 10 years and then decided he wanted to experience college. He was so successful he could afford the hefty price tag with no scholarships or loans. He stayed in the dorms and ate in the caf, he was looking for the education of the experience more than the education- he already had the success without the degree.
I would also add to the point that not everyone needs to go to college and many are successful without it. I think it is much harder these days to be a self-started. In our parents and grandparents day you could become successful and wealthy just from hard work and common sense, but our current economy and job market make that much harder- with our without a degree.
I do agree that in today’s culture and economic climate, it is much harder to become self-made. I think some people use a college degree as a crutch too and expect it to rescue them from poverty. But you still need to work hard, be a good employee, and use your talents to be successful.
Great points Carla.
Definitely a place to have your head screwed up. Way too many professors use their captive audiences to turn those heads full of mush into little clones of themselves.
I found even in good schools that the value of the classes varied wildly. I walked out of many classes in seminary still not knowing how to do a dang thing. Way too much theory, not enough practice.
Also, we have this idea that *everyone* should go to college. Not everyone is meant to go. We still need plumbers and carpenters, but there’s this stigma that if you go to vocational school, you must be borderline retarded. There’s no shame in earning a hundred grand being a master plumber.
Matt,
You could be describing my own college experience. So much theory and very little practical application.
I graduated with a head full of information and no practice in doing much of anything with it.
I love your point too, that not everyone needs to attend college. Sadly, some are made to feel guilty or pressured to attend, only to find themselves graduating with a pile of loans and piece of paper.
Go master plumbers! Amen to that. Love it.
This is tough, my gut tells me to disagree with you completely. But I’ve also got way too much student loan debt for my own good. However I was pre-med and I still entertain the possibility of going to med school,so I guess I’m off the hook for labeling my degree as useless. Also I’ve had lab jobs that require a biology degree, so I suppose that’s something.
I stayed Christian while at college but I also had some very liberal ideas about Christianity when I came out. While I do not want to share some of the stupid things I did while in college with my parents or future children, I don’t regret the heathen experience I had. Actually, it has helped me present Christ’s message to those more liberal folks, because I could understand where they were coming from and I knew the empty places of their hearts because I had been them. I feel like I learned a lot in my writing courses (Writing Minor) and science courses (3 science majors) as well as in how to live with others and deal with disagreements from the social aspect. I value my education. I came from a family who didn’t expect anyone to college, my sister and I did because we wanted to, our other siblings who are all over 30 are still struggling to etch out some sort of degree because they didn’t go when they finished high school. Seeing their struggle with unsatisfying jobs that barely feed their kids would suggest to me that getting a degree is useful. But I’ve also experienced lay offs and disillusionment in the workplace with my degree. But like I said, going to college wasn’t encouraged or expected in my family, so maybe that’s why I think it is so important. I had to pave my own way.
I think you made a great point about wisdom and commonsense. Not many people have it. I’ve worked with PhD’s that my husband describes as educated beyond their own intellect. They are sometimes very difficult to interact with. But at the same time I love to learn. I could take courses my whole life and be happy. Its just being able to balance the knowledge gained with godly wisdom. So I would argue maybe we’re not doing the job of grounding our young Christians and preparing them for college- maybe if they are so easily swayed by college culture we failed them in the first place. Maybe if we teach young people about the temptation of making our education or GPA or the letters after our name our idols, less would take their eyes off of Christ while in college.
Also its hard for me to think of college as a waste of time because my husband and I have mentored (I know you hate that word) a girl we used to counsel (in a professional setting) from a far for a few years since she got out of treatment. She has had no family support and she has failed and floundered. She has a lot a dreams but no idea how to accomplish them and absolutely no one to encourage her. So we’ve invited her to come live with us. We will help her fill out all the paperwork, take her to visit colleges, and show her the ropes. In this though, we are also helping a confused, lost girl know Jesus. She has a lot of questions and through discussion, study, and modeling we are hoping to disciple her. I think nurturing her relationship with Christ and showing her real love is the most important thing we can do for her. But I think helping her get an education and learn independence is also very important.
So I guess after all this yammering, I can simply say, I understand the reasons for you’ve listed for not going to college, they are plausible. But I still think its important. I think if higher education was more of priority to our government (like how other countries provided it the same as primary school) we would have less haughty competition and smaller price tags, but I also don’t like the government much either, so I might not like that.
Good topic Nicole! I don’t think there is one, easy answer to this discussion!
Oh my gosh, your husband’s comment that some PhD’s are educated beyond their intellect. So good. At a certain point, knowledge and theory bogs you down.
My husband used to have a team of 25 or so people under him. He consistently witnessed the more educated employees lack ingenuity, critical thinking and originality. It was as if college sucked the creativity from their brains. They were more concerned with process and rules. College told them what to do, but did not teach them how to do anything on their own.
I think you are right though, this is not a black and white issue. i just like to choose sides when writing.. It makes for a more lively discussion.
P.S. I love the story of your husband, you and the girl searching for direction. Makes me smile.
I have a few thoughts. I agree that too many people go to college today. Ironically, while I was in college I thought a lot about this topic. I thought of college as a scam–you paid a lot of money to get an education that might land you a good job. I often dreamed of quitting school and becoming a nail tech because I loved painting nails.
Now I have my degrees and see how they have truly opened doors for me. I am so glad I finished.
I have a problem with Christians avoiding academia. College doesn’t have to be a place where Christians lose their faith and embrace a particular ideology. It can be a place where Christians can have MAJOR influence with their friends and even professors. I accepted Christ while attending an extremely liberal university, known for it’s partying. I majored in American Studies–what the heck is American Studies anyway?–and wrote papers that incorporated my faith.
We need to interact with those in the academic community in a loving, intelligent way. We need to train our children to respond to professors with incorrect ideology in this way. I felt that my professors took me seriously when I wrote about my faith. And if they didn’t, maybe seeds were planted.
My sister is currently working on her advanced degree and sees her calling in life to live in the German speaking world as a Christian in the academic community. They know few examples of positive Christians, and they need God’s love. Academia needs more Christians!
College and academia is expensive and not for everyone, but I would not discourage someone from going if they had the ability. If the wrong things are emphasized, I see that more as a reflection of our culture than college itself. It is possible, even for a young person, to work hard and be a light in a dark place.
Ellen,
You bring up great points. I so agree that Christians need to enter academia and stand firm on their faith. I was a poli sci major with all self-proclaimed liberal professors. I openly chose to write every paper I count from a Christian perspective. I learned so much about how to defend my faith against the current culture.
I’m thankful to raised such great points. Christians do need to penetrate the academic bubble and not be afraid to shine His light.
For me, being a square, 42-year old former military kinda guy, college represents two things:
1. Spring Break and the seasonal release of Girls Gone Wild (Because nothing says higher education like drunken skanks showing off their goods- oh their dads must be so proud!)
2. A liberal breeding ground of anti-Jesus rhetoric and the ‘do as thou wilt’ mentality. (Come on, everyone is doing it. Let’s just experiment, it’s no big deal. I’ll put the camera here. Besides, you can always get an abortion.)
Like I said, I’m a square 42-year old who still turns his head to the side when a Victoria’s Secret commercial comes on TV. (No, seriously. Ask my bride. Sometimes I just leave the room until it’s over.)
I have no love for nor do I feel any pull towards “higher edumacation” at all. I went to the School of Hard Knocks. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but if you were in danger, or you needed assistance, you would call me. (“You” being generic here. I’m not saying “you” to you, Nicole!)
I can live with that. My last IQ test showed me at 121, but that was back a few years ago. I’m quite sure I have grown stupider since then.
Donald,
Your comment cracked me up. Thank you.
I agree to some extent that yes, college is filled with alcohol induced regrets and liberal propaganda. I myself was subject to both in my college days.
P.S. with a 121 IQ you are almost a genius!
While I agree with your points, I think I can only say that I’m partially in agreement. This idea that college = more money/better career isn’t entirely false. It’s stupid, but it’s true. My dad told me when I was picking a degree “it doesn’t matter what degree you get. For most employers it’s just the fact that you got one.” Now yes I know, money and career aren’t the point of life, but how many people are actually going to college to learn? A precious few. Most are going because college (statistically speaking) improves your chances of getting a good job. Not to say that you can’t get a good job without college, but it’s much more challenging.
Now I fully admit that I’m in college right now, so give me 10 years and I might think college is the worst idea ever, but I think about my skills when I graduated and my skills now, and it seems unlikely. I could NEVER have gotten a decent job with where I was 4 years ago. Perhaps my case is a little different because I’m in the arts and actually learning a trade as opposed to a BA in 15th Century Flemmish Poetry or something, but I wouldn’t even have known where to begin looking for a job, let alone have had the skills to land one if I hadn’t gone to college.
As for it being a liberal church, well yeah, it kinda is. Maybe I’m just stubborn (who are we kidding, I’m totally stubborn) but it’s only made me a stronger Christian. Not even a universitiy’s worth of SoCal liberal thinking art professors could sway me. If anything it has taught me to USE my common sense when faced with a ridiculous argument. Any if any instution needs more Christians it’s our colleges.
So yes, society’s emphasis on a college degree is stupid, but getting a degree is not inherently a bad idea.
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect-
Don’t let schooling interfere with your education-
Mark Twain
This is a few months late but I agree. I found your blog through a search on Google about skipping college.
Some people I know that have graduated from college lack common sense. Some of these people have made decisions that lack any reason whatsoever. You try to reason with them and you can’t.
All college proves is that a person has showed up and did the work. Anyone can do that. Now I’m not knocking on college for all. I think that some people do benefit from college but college isn’t for everyone.
I should know. I went to college at 18, after a year or so I quit going and got a job. I’ve been going on and off to college for about 10 years. I’m 28 now. I’m finishing my 2 year degree in general studies.
I never wanted to go to college that’s because I always wanted to pursue a creative career, but growing up my parents told me that it was unrealistic so at 18 I gave in and went to college.
I have a 3.6 GPA and am doing great in my classes, I’m happy I tried college, but my heart isn’t in it. I’m 3 classes away from getting my associate degree. I intend on finishing, but I’m done with it.
After that I’m pursuing my creative goals. I regret giving up on my goals and I’ve decided that I’m going after them after I’m done with my 2 year degree.
I like to learn, I plan on staying a life long learner, I also like to travel, meeting new people, etc.
But college isn’t for me. I think college is a great place for people that want to be there. I think college is a wonderful place for people that want to go into health care, teaching, business, scientific research, etc.
Otherwise a lot of subjects can be learned through educational websites, libraries, museums, etc. Such as art history, history, philosophy, etc. I thought about majoring in art history but I wasn’t willing to spend $30k for an art history degree.
Now I’m not a Christian. I’m agnostic and I also agree that there is a strong liberal slant to colleges. I’m a libertarian and I have no plans on becoming a liberal. I also have no plans on becoming a hard core atheist that loves socialism.
A lot of atheists/agnostics tend to become socialists/communists. Once they leave Christianity, they start making politics their “religion” – I’m not kidding. This really happens. It’s one reason I no longer go to atheist/agnostic forums.
Anyway it’s really astounding that people equate knowledge, intelligence, and common sense with a 4 year college degree.
My dad is a college graduate and so is my mom. He’s very intelligent, however he is a very cold man. He hit me and my mom, I was 5 when he started hitting me, they got divorced, but that’s one of the reasons why I don’t think college is everything.
People think that college turns you into a wonderful, ethical, independent, critical thinking human being, and that’s not always true. College has been romanticized and it’s pretty sad.
I don’t get how someone that is intelligent and graduated college could have hit me and my mother. You would think that education breeds out ignorance but in his case it didn’t.
My bf isn’t religious, he’s very smart and loves to learn, he reads every day, and he’s in his early 30s. Right now his company is paying for his degree and he is one of the most kindest and independent thinkers that I know.
If he never gets his degree, I really don’t care, he is very smart and he’s a wonderful guy. There is more to life than having a college degree, and a college degree doesn’t make a person better.
Anyway it’s nice to know that other people out there don’t think that it’s wrong to skip college. I’m happy to have found your post through Google. =)
Well I can relate to this post all too well! I’m 22, dropped out of college about 2 years ago because I pretty much sucked at it. Honestly, it was the second best thing that has ever happened to me. Here’s a quick list of 3 AMAZING things why I’m thankful for dropping out:
-I wouldn’t have landed the amazing job I have as the person in charge of the Marketing Department at the company I work for now.
-I wouldn’t have learned HALF of the things I have learned about life by actually experiencing it.
-Lastly what is the most important thing to me by FAR. Instead of getting MARRIED in Spring of this year, I would only be GRADUATING, looking forward to Grad School for my Masters! Meeting my wife wouldn’t have happened if I stayed in college, which I totally and will never regret!
It’s also a great feeling to have accomplished more than 95% of what my high school classmates have and statistically won’t for the next 2-3 years.
It’s also amazing, that even after telling my story, people STILL ask me, “So… are you going back to college?” expecting me to say, “Yes!” then giving me looks of disapproval and doubt when I say, “No.” I’m done chasing after dreams and lies that society feeds me and I’ll continue to do my best to chase after where Jesus leads me. I would have never dropped out if it wasn’t for Him assuring me He had my back, even though I didn’t know how I was going to make it back then.
I’ve had this discussion quite often with some of my teachers. As a journalist, college sometimes seems increasingly unnecessary. Many amazing journalists I know had no specific journalism education at the higher level. So this point I understand completely.
However, when it comes down to avoiding college because it will make you liberal and because it is full of immorality, I wholeheartedly disagree. I recognize that college is extremely liberal and I also recognize that it is extremely wicked. It is one of the most self-centered places I have ever been. Everyone is pursuing knowledge and pleasure all in an effort to further their own interests.
If we as Christians; however, stay out of colleges for this reason, then who will reach these people? Who will show these people that there is a way to pursue knowledge and pleasure in a Biblical way in an effort to glorify someone other than ourselves? I’ve personally been able to reach out to a lot of my friends here at my university and have even had the blessing of seeing some come to Christ. If I come away with no more knowledge than the person with common sense, then it will be okay; because I’ve seen God move on this campus.
Also, a liberally slanted education is frustrating to deal with; and while I despise sitting through my lecture where my professor repeatedly bashes everything I believe in, it has made me think. It’s made me question why I believe what I believe, and come out stronger because of it. It’s given me more faith, because I was challenged on all the stances that I believe in. It’s also given me credibility with others around me, because I’ve heard those arguments, but still dare to refute them.
So, while, on a practical level, college may not be necessary; I feel that if you feel called to go, you should not let the threatening paganism of college life or the challenge of opposing thinking threaten your decision.
I am already feeling the effects of reason number two in my second year. I am financially obligated to attend school because my parents already paid for it. The only positive I’ve noticed is networking, and I’m only doing that so I can get a J-O-B.
Great list. I don’t have much to add to my discussion, but I am trying to list 100 good reasons that people should reconsider college at:
http://reasonstoskipcollege.blogspot.com/
Don’t know much about American education but in essence it is the same as hours, except that you go to college we go to university but for the sake of understanding I will call it college.
After finishing my core education and achieving a graphic design diploma which is needed to get a place in university. Anyway after being accepted at a top design degree I was invited to a welcome day, which turned out to be a advertisement. I believe the problem at the moment is that college is a business and they want your money.
As long as the students pass it doesn’t matter, they is nobody to say think about what you do at college, look at the job Market, don’t do this degree if it will get you no where. Instead there are professors that used to work in the industry 10 years ago and want funding for there program so they will do anything.
Long story I checked around and changed, I am still doing a degree but in aeronautical engineering, something that has a substance. So my advice really is look at the industry your going in not the college course.
If anyone is doing art or a creative degree I feel sorry for you because you will realise all you have done is get some networking done if you want to sell art or something and have a real passion for it I would say take business because it is based on creative output not if you gave a degree but a portfolio and there are enough art classes out there.