The Necessity of College

College is the dream, right? I am a college graduate. I hold degrees in: English, Criminal Justice, and Sociology. I also have an Associate degree in Correctional Science. Now, having ended my many journeys through college, I am faced with one question. Is college really necessary? The expense alone should be enough to make potential students running the other way.

For the past few months, I've been looking around at possible new job prospects. Something higher paying, more room to grow and gain more experience. Of course, I know that right now finding something in this economy is probably far-fetched especially when everyone is also looking for jobs, which makes it more competitive than in previous years. If you websites like Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com, you might find that most jobs are not looking for people with college degrees. They are looking for people with high school diplomas and a few years experience. Not to say, that a college graduate could not still apply for the job in question, but what might occur is that the employer may feel you are over-qualified, or they are looking for someone that does not already have a certain mindset that people sometimes get from going to college. Jobs in the area of customer service or retail, really only need a high school education because those types of jobs can be taught; anything more than that in the categories of management, or something more technical do require a college education. In the case of management, the tops positions can usually be obtained through years of experience. It just depends on what the employer is looking for.

In recent years, tuition costs have been constantly rising, forcing those who want to go to college to rack up an outlandish amount of loan debt. A Pell grant of $5550 is split into two semesters. Students have to take out loans if they do not get scholarships to help them endure. In Texas, the state has a program that waives tuition at any public university or college if a student is hearing impaired. The rules are based on how much hearing loss a student has; nonetheless, programs like this can considerably lower the financial burden of going to college. However, not every state has these types of programs. President Obama has signed an executive order putting student debt relief on the fast track for graduates suffering from high monthly loan payments.

I think going to college in the pursuit of more knowledge is a good thing. Nevertheless, can that same pursuit of knowledge be obtained without spending tens of thousands of dollars? We have libraries with an infinite number of books and DVDs on any subject. The internet has many knowledge-based websites. Knowledge is power and can lead to great endeavors. Am I saying that people should consider not going to college? No. But what I am saying is that college tuition is going to continue to rise and if college is something worth pursuing; just be prepared.