Is College Worth It? The Answer May Surprise You!

Is college worth it? Like really worth it?

“Duh, Camille,” some of you may say. “Just look at the pay statistics for college graduates in the USA and UK.”

Hear me out guys.

If I may be so bold (and of course I may), this train of thought may be a bit oversimplified. And if it’s anything that I have learned over the years, it’s that the truth often hides behind oversimplification.

Instead, let’s try a different approach, shall we?

Whether college is worth it for you depends on you. Simple, but it cannot be underestimated. Realistically, this post can only try to provide you with the tools you need to make a decision on what is best for you.

In this case, the story begins with your ‘why’: your motivation.

Jump in with me friends and splash around – let’s see what you can come up with.

Part 1: Why

There appears to be an ongoing narrative that a decision about going to college or going back to school is all about pay.

If this is true, the question would be quickly decided by statistical analyses like this one and this one to choose your intended industry according to job requirements and earning potential. End of story.

Or is it?

You know me friends. I like to look beyond the obvious.

In reality, it seems that the motivation is actually a lot more nuanced. According to the surveys in the United States and United Kingdom, the top three reasons that people go to college are:

• To get a better job;
• To get training for a particular career; or
• To learn about things which interest them.

In other words, Meja was wrong: it’s not all about the money. Money as a non-motivator is especially true when comparing millennials to older generations on their career aspirations; meaningful work in companies with aligned values is prized over compensation generally.

For this reason, it would be grossly incorrect to distil the question of college worth to a the size of a paycheck.

That’s not to discredit the importance that future compensation still has for many prospective students searching college websites. It’s just not the only factor.

Further, because of the pivotal role that salary hopes play, I can’t not talk about it in this post.

For instance, you should note that while college graduates still earn more than non-graduates in both the US and UK, the earning among college graduates is not equal.

Women and minorities systematically earn less than Caucasian men. If you’re an Asian man, don’t worry though: you will probably earn more than your Caucasian male counterparts.

People with poor backgrounds pay the price of less business connections. They also earn less with the same degree than their more affluent counterparts.

As you can see, there are great disparities in the pay of college graduates depending on your race/ethnic composition and socio-economic background. This inequality among college graduates is particularly important for people from poor backgrounds, who may go into significant debt in order to attend university.

In other words, the pecuniary proceeds of a college education is not the panacea for all ills.

Now that we’ve discussed the view that college worth should be judged only by pay, let’s move on to something more juicy.

Part 2: When

I hope you agree with me that the worth of a college education to you depends on your motivation: Are you instigated by career or simply by the love of learning? If career is your main focus, is future compensation the primary factor? Or are you more concerned with vocational meaningfulness?

These are questions that only you can answer, my friend.

I’ll help of course, in my usual fashion, by suggesting a framework for your decision-making process. I wouldn’t leave you without an oar to paddle your way through.

Nonetheless, before we get there, I thought that it would be useful to understand when a university education became the new gold standard for a career.

If you’re not interested in the history, jump to the framework here.

The Conventional View of College Enrollment

The first places of higher education were born in Europe in the 11th century as places for the education of monks and priests of the Roman Catholic Church. Thereafter, collections of students formed the first universities, which were required to adhere to theological tenets.

Universities like the University of Oxford taught the liberal arts and the professions: medicine, law and theology. However, by the 18th century, these schools had moved away from their religious roots and adopted a secular approach to education.

The European settlers to the New World brought the concept of colleges with them. In the New World colony that would become the United States, colleges were intended primarily “to produce Christian gentlemen who would inherit family businesses, remain within the Congregational or Presbyterian (Puritan) faith, and be responsible leaders in the new world.”

It is likely that this focus on Christian tenets by the Puritans was intended to be in opposition of the secularisation of European universities.

However, by the late nineteenth century, a change was a-coming.

In the United States, a dramatic increase in the number of colleges can be traced back to the Morrill Acts of 1962 and 1890. “The 1862 act granted funds to existing and future states to endow universities and colleges that specialized in agriculture and the mechanical arts (Nevins, 1962). The 1890 act set up many of today’s historically-black universities and also provided income to the institutions set up by the first act.”

Across the Atlantic, major shifts in the education were taking place. For instance, child work laws were repealed one by one in Great Britain. This created an opportunity to establish primary and secondary schools for the average British child. Almost simultaneously, more universities and technical schools were opened for everyone, including women.

By the first half of the twentieth century, sharp increases in college enrollment heralded the beginning of a new era and a new intersection between education and career.

On American shores, the conventional view appears to be that increased college enrollment was incited by the 1944 GI Bill. This Bill encouraged the enrollment of millions of WWII veterans in universities.

In the United Kingdom, enrollment in universities also began to climb after World War 2, although it took a bit longer than the US to begin a steep ascent. This trend may be attributed to the national work required to regroup after a devastating war.

That’s the simplified sugary explanation for the prized view of college education today.

An Alternative Viewpoint

Permit me here the liberty of being a tad bit cynical. I assure you that it’s for a worthy cause.

I think that the popularity of university education has less to do with economic development or an equal opportunity to ‘move up‘. Instead, it’s possible that the purpose of higher education is actually an avenue for a living wage to satisfy the masses.

Higher education as a path to a living wage works for the working poor (a.ka. the middle class) because it employs the drug of hope to keep most of us inert. Hope for more, for better, for fulfillment. (I told you I would be a bit cynical.)

It seems to me that the ruling classes recognised that whenever most people lived in squalour, revolts were inevitable.

In particular, the Russian Revolution at the turn of the century clearly shook the European elite of the day a lot more than we might think.

FYI, I’ve spoken about the 1917 Russian Revolution before here in the discussion on the creation on the 40 hour working week.

Is it any coincidence that the Bolsheviks began their campaign in 1917 and the act which established universal suffrage in England was passed in 1918?

What about the timing of the Lewis and Thompson report, which informed the Education Act of 1918? I also want to point out the Young Report of 1920, which advocated for free school places for children up to 16 and beyond. All these reports set up a system for the schooling of children, which thereafter formed the basis for admission to universities.

You would think that the Americans would be immune from these considerations, given their democratic process. However, interestingly, enrollment in higher education in the US also mysteriously began its ascent around the 1920s.

Friends, is this really all happenstance? Another oversimplified view? A silly conjecture or inflated conspiracy theory? Or does it make sense?

I’ll let you decide.

Side Note: I have been influenced by the work of Robert Kiyosaki in Rich Dad, Poor Dad and his interview here.

Part 3: How

Friends, my cynicism must be understood in context. Education is a good thing. However, its greatness is only achieved when we are clear on its intended purpose.

If you are looking for a class to prepare you for a purposeful and abundant life, I’m almost certain that you cannot find it in a conventional university. However, if you aspire to join the middle class, college is worth every penny. Especially the student debt (said in a droll yet sarcastic tone).

In the first instance, you need to be sure that the career you want requires a college education. I’ve written before on choosing a career that suits you here and here. If you’re wondering whether to eschew college entirely and start a business, read those posts plus this one.

Once you’ve done that, let’s turn to a decision roadmap to help you decide whether college is worth it or not.

The Roadmap

Friends, I would suggest that you should be absolutely clear on three things for the purpose of a college education.

1. Discover your motivation.

This step might seem a lot simpler than it may actually be Sometimes we are motivated to act by unresolved feelings or issues, and not by our true essence. Examples of unresolved issues include a need to prove ourselves to ‘everyone’ or to obtain the approval of a parent.

That approach is precisely how college regret is born.

Instead, get your head on straight. Seek your healing and do the work with the help of a mental health professional (for the past) or a life coach (to make a plan for the future).

Moreover, as we evolve, you may find that what motivated you previously no longer does so. That doesn’t mean you made a mistake in going to university. You needed that experience at that time to prepare you for where you are now.

If you spend your time dwelling in regret, you lose the lesson. Consider focusing on what you need now, not the past.

2. Be clear on the lifestyle you want.

Once you know why you want to go to college, line it up with the lifestyle you want to live.

Are you a country girl or guy at heart? Choosing a degree that is only of use in city life probably isn’t the best choice.

Doing research for this step is key. Don’t just accept hearsay or urban myth as truth. There is so much information available to us on the internet. Use it.

3. Now add a mentor to the equation.

If your motivation and intended lifestyle points you in the direction of college, then you need to find a mentor.

Of course, this sounds easier than it is, especially if you don’t know people. This means you need to get to know them.

For this purpose, I would highly recommend reading books like Dave Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and “Well Connected” by Gordon S. Curtis with Greg Lewis. “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell (my current reading fodder), which could also be useful to you.

P.S. You can get these books here, here and here on Amazon and here, here and here on Barnes and Noble. Even better, support your local bookstore. #notsponsored #noaffiliate

So, is college worth it?

The answer depends on you, my friend. After you understand the why and when, implement the how by creating a roadmap to determine if college will be worth it for you.

1. Discover your motivation.
2. Be clear on the lifestyle you want.
3. Now add a mentor to the equation.

Have you gone to college? Was it worth it for you? Are you thinking about going back or starting as a mature student? What else do you want to know about college?

Let me know in the comments below friends!

Until the next post, go forth and be awesome.