Should I go to College or get a Job

Many people who are getting ready to graduate from high school find themselves asking the question, “Should I go to College or get a job?”.  This can be a difficult question for many people to answer because while everyone knows college can be very helpful for many different types of jobs, it can also be very expensive and if you don’t know what you want to be it may seem like a waste of money.  Still others might just want to get a job for a while they figure out what they want to be so they can also save some money to pay for higher education once they know.

While there is certainly something to be said for saving up some money before you go to school, many people find that if they take time off before starting college they are far less likely to ever go back to school.  Things seem to get in the way and most people end up just never going to college or else waiting until they are much older.  This can be very detrimental to your career in the long run but it doesn’t have to hold you back forever as long as you’re willing to work hard.

While going to college is expensive, most experts will agree that it is an investment which will pay off well in the long run.  People who get even just an associate’s degree end up making significantly more than people with just a high school diploma and when you look at getting a bachelor’s degree or even masters the money grows even faster.  Many employers won’t want to take a chance on hiring someone without a degree, especially in any sort of high paying position.

When people with no degrees do find success it is typically in spite of not having a degree and almost never because they don’t have a degree.  For example, if someone is hired into a company at a low level position and works very hard and proves themselves to be very smart, hard working and competent they are often able to move up in the company.  While this can lead to some excellent, high paying, jobs it is often only after years of lower paying jobs.  Getting a college degree can let you skip over many of those lower paying jobs and get right to one which you want.

No matter if you get a degree or not, there are no guarantees in life so there is no way to know where you will end up.  You can, however, know that the odds of success are far greater when you get that degree and you have a much higher chance of getting the degree if you start your college career right after high school than if you wait for college.  Just make sure to do your best and work hard not matter what choices you make.  People who are willing to go the extra mile almost always find success at one level or another.