Back in May, both The New York Times and The Atlantic, ran articles asking if more people should skip college.  Weighing the cost of higher education with projected incomes for those with degrees formed the basis of their arguments.  But are the Benjamins the only reason we go?

Upwards of 10K for tuition. And worth every penny.

Each article brings up valid points about the American education system and the expectations that surround it.  David Indiviglio from The Atlantic points out that “as most high schoolers graduate this spring, they won’t even bother asking th[e] question: getting a degree after college is a no-brainer.”

As a nation, Indiviglio contends that we should be concerned with this because:

“many students incur incredible amounts of debt before they ever get their first paycheck, or maybe their parents spend savings that would have helped their retirement [which] adds to the nation’s debt problems…[otherwise] these young adults would have saved more, and maybe even invested a little in the economy. Instead, any extra money young adults earn often goes towards paying off loans.”

But the suggestion that young adults will save or invest the money they don’t spend on higher education is…well, laughable.  Some might, but all will still be prey to credit card companies and just naive personal judgment.

College is expensive, but would you trade these years?

Though Jacques Steinberg of The New York Times notes that the majority of the top 10 growing job categories do not require a bachelors degree,  there are positive outcomes of hiring seemingly “over-qualified” applicants seems to indicate an advantage for employers and presumably, the overall economy.

This NPR report by Brian Naylor examines the 2010 Census which, because of the economic recession, has employed “more highly qualified people…than ever before.”  In the clip, we find that “the work is getting done faster than anticipated and under-budget.”  Perhaps the proof is in the pudding.

There is nothing that could convince me that the 4 (or 5) year college experience isn’t valuable, even if the graduate spends the next 40 years employed in a field which does not require the degree they attained.  The university years are formative in ways beyond academics.

Young adults are quickly thrust into a world built almost entirely of their own decisions, with rewards and consequences.  The possibility of failure looms, but it’s also a time where mistakes can be made and there is time to learn from them. For many, it is an introduction to new worldviews, significant connections, and unparalleled opportunities. It may be overwhelming to some, but for most it’s an essential experience which dictates the course of the rest of their lives.

-B.C.Bodnar