Before we look at how to pick colleges it is important to understand why you are going in the first place. The common response and obvious answer is to equip yourself with the tools and knowledge you need to be successful. Unfortunately most students do not fully understand what that means or the advantages they will receive over someone without a formal education.
Cost of Not Going To College
Perhaps the most relevant reason for an education is the overall quality of life. College Graduates consistently earn twice the income than those without a degree. While money certainly will not solve every problem, it certainly helps. Think of what you want for your life and consider the income you'll need to achieve your goals. Have you ever considered how much you'll need to earn in your life time? According to the US Census Burro, the poverty line in America is $15 dollars per hour working 40 hours a week. That may surprise many people. $15 dollars an hour isn't a bad income to some. That gives you an annual income around $31,000 dollars. But that's poverty line. Most in poverty live week to week, struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their head. They often never own a home and work well into their 70s. Going out on a limb, I assume most people would rather live a fuller, richer life. While you will ultimately decide what your goals are and what your motivation is, statistically, having an education will give you an advantage to earn a strong, stable income.
Personal Growth
It has been said that success is gained more by a person's attributes and way of thinking than by the persons knowledge. Said another way, your character and personality will be a greater factor for success than how much knowledge you know. The roll of college is not only to teach you definitions and facts, but to teach how to apply thought and critical thinking to problems. College builds a persons character by strengthening their attributes and providing life experiences that will shape students for the rest of their life.
Social Networking
College also provides students a greater opportunity to meet influential people that can help jump start their career. Taking it one step further, attending a better school often leads to more opportunity. Additionally, many people find life-long friends and peers to share their life with.
Outsourcing
Please pay special attention to this section. Globalization is a very real thing and should be motivation enough to get educated. We are currently wiring the world together and as more and more countries industrialize we will see an increase in jobs being outsourced to these low cost, educated workforce. Children in the rest of the world study and have a desire that is almost unknown here in America. A proper education will give you a competitive edge in this kind of economy and marketplace.
