College Is a Must

By Erica Kwan, 14, St. Paul's Convent School

Nothing is eternal, or more accurately, few things will last beyond your lifetime. Everything that we own can be robbed away in a second, and everything that we treasure may fall apart. A rich man may lose all of his money in one economic recession, or an athlete may lose everything due to an injury. However, there is one thing that will forever be yours: knowledge and wisdom. Nobody can open your brain and extract the information you learn at school, nor can they take away the skills that you possess. Despite the importance of being resourceful and knowledgeable, more and more people are opting to skip tertiary education and directly enter the workforce. I believe that this is a very big mistake and that college will always be important, no matter who you are.

        After peeling away all the gimmicks and unimportant factors, the core value of going to college is very simple—to learn. The most basic reason to go to school is to learn and increase our knowledge, and college does exactly that. Higher education provides us with more skills and expertise than high school does. Also, colleges are equipped with more advanced facilities, like better laboratories, that high schools cannot provide. For example, students can conduct clinical trials and experiments in colleges. Students can continue their education in their field of interest, thus arming themselves with the requisite knowledge to enter the work field. The whole point about college is to learn as much as you can and add value to yourself.

        Attending college allows you to experience the real world and escape from your protected glass bubble. School is a reflection of the actual society where the necessity to be competitive and hard working is essential. College teaches you to become independent since you will be living alone and this forces you to make your own decisions, from what to have for lunch to what courses to take. There will be no parents to force you to go for tuition classes and ground you if your grades are unsatisfactory. You will be completely in charge of your own life and this trains you to be more disciplined and responsible. In the long run, this prepares you for life after school and how to thrive in your workplace. Also, attending college opens up your eyes and broadens your horizons. College is a melting pot of different cultures and a collection of bright students from various countries. You get to study with people from all over the world and meet experienced teachers who may one day become your mentors. These are valuable experiences that cannot be learnt if you do not attend college. In addition, college is a place for you to discover yourself. Adversity and new environments bring out your character and who you really are deep inside. For example, you may be a very talkative person when you are surrounded by old friends and family back home, yet when you are thrust into a completely new environment, you may suddenly become shy. Using this piece of knowledge, you can improve your character and attitude in order to face different challenges throughout your life.

        Lastly, you can learn from your mistakes in college. When compared to the actual society, college has repercussions which are relatively smaller. A blunder in college would probably attract dislike from your peers, a few scoldings from your professors and disappointed looks from your parents. Although these consequences are unpleasant, they will not ruin your life and career prospects. However, if you commit a mistake while you are working, the trouble it brings will be tremendous. Bosses expect you to learn everything you need in college and forgiveness will be handed out stingily. Make as many mistakes as you can in school and learn through trials and errors while you’re still in school because there will be teachers to correct you, but don’t expect that kind of mercy in the real world.”

        College is a place to form life-long friendships with your schoolmates, not to mention a place to build connections with influential people. Your schoolmates may be related to your future employer, or your roommate in college may be the daughter of a powerful politician. You can meet alumni and work together with experienced professors side by side. This gives you an advantage and more doors may be opened for you.

        According to statistics, the number of mal-employed college grads accumulated to 17 million in 2008. In other words, 17 million people are overqualified for their jobs. Some may argue that no matter how high your qualifications are, you still can’t get a satisfactory job, so why bother? However, this is entirely a misconception. First, a college degree has never, and will never, guarantee a good job 100% of the time. Yet, it increases the chances of securing a place in the job market and enhances the possibility of employment when compared to just a high school diploma. College graduates are armed with the knowledge regarding their career choice and this is crucial to success. Also, out of those 17 million mal-employed students, we do not know how many of them actually put in their best efforts while studying, nor do we know whether their degrees are actually useful to their future careers or are they merely degrees earned online. Therefore, it is unfair to say that college is not worth attending due to the high mal-employed rate shown in the statistics. Also, people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Ted Turner are isolated cases. They may be blessed with exceptionally high intelligence levels and may have managed to succeed without college qualifications, but people should not give up the notion of continuing their education just because a few CEOs did not graduate from university.

        Money, fame and status are elements that can be taken away in a flash, yet knowledge is something that is forever yours. By attending college, you are arming yourself with the skills and wisdom that will help you succeed later in life. If college qualifications are not deemed important by employers, they will not require you to submit your portfolio when applying for a job post. There will not be 4,084 colleges in the United States if tertiary education is useless. In a world where even waiters hold college degrees, there will not be many job options for you if you do not.