The Case Against College (Part 1)
This is the first post in a series where I will make the case against going to college. Contrary to how society presents college to young people, I found the higher education system a waste of time.
I went to college. I changed my undergraduate degree at least three times because I did not know what I wanted to do. I got a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science because I originally wanted to be a lawyer. More specifically, a patent lawyer. I later attended graduate school for a Master of Science in Information and Cybersecurity. I threw away my undergraduate college degree and graduation gown. College did not help me. I only got an overpriced fake piece of paper to show for it. I would have done the same with my Master’s degree, but I later discovered I had one last class required to graduate. I did not know this until I had spent over a year applying to entry-level cybersecurity jobs, getting no leads. I finally said screw it. I have a website. I should have focused on that instead of believing the higher education bullshit.
If you are considering college, I would like to help save at least four years of your life by building the case against college. I spent nearly a decade in the higher education system, so I can tell you what to expect. The higher education system is worthless. This is the first part in a series where I will make the case about college.
Sent Off To College When You Don’t Know Yourself
The first problem is that you are sent to college when you don’t know yourself. You are still learning what you enjoy doing, your strengths, and your skills. At least, that is what someone in their twenties should be doing.
Instead, society has said that sending these twenty-somethings to college is acceptable.
No one wants to discuss this significant problem with the entire higher education system. How do you expect someone in their late teens to early twenties to know what they want to do with their life? They don’t even know themselves. They are still trying to be part of the cool kids’ group in high school and college. While they would rather party, college only encourages this behavior. What do most students do after they finish studying or take a test?
Rather than becoming a student at a college, young people can be encouraged to become students of life. They can try different things. Have a range of different experiences. Figure out their likes and dislikes. Young people should be learning what they are good at rather than going to college. Once they know their skills, they can find ways to monetize them.
A person will likely switch majors at least once in college precisely because they do not know their strengths. Young people have no idea what they want to do with their lives because they don’t know themselves. College does not help. It hinders this vital process.
A Critical Decade Wasted In The Higher Education System
Second, you waste your most critical decade by going to college. Your twenties are foundational to the rest of your life. It will affect your next decades if you don’t get a solid trajectory in your twenties.
There are better ways to use your time that would benefit you more than going to college.
You could travel to see the world or visit another state. While you are there, get a job as a barista, bartender, or server. At the very least, you will get some interesting stories and experiences that could be valuable later on.
You could shadow someone. You could work to learn new skills, then apply for internships or jobs.
You could work part-time or full-time while you work to start a traditional or an online business.
You will spend your time reading old books, most likely learning ancient computer programs, and receiving lectures from a professor without practical life skills. After all, that is why he is a professor.
The bottom line is that you want to get as many experiences, try as many things as possible, learn your strengths, and make money as soon as possible in your twenties. You cannot do those things while in college.
Go Into Debt
The third problem is going into debt for college. According to U.S. News & World Report, the average cost of tuition from 2022 to 2023 ranges from $10,000 to $40,000 for an academic year.
That does not include the cost of room and board, books, and living costs, from groceries to transportation. The price also does not include entertainment and going out with your friends in college. The cost could easily double depending on what you do outside the classroom.
Unless you are working while you are in college, you are losing money and going into debt while attending college. It is the worst of both worlds. You want to start making money as soon as possible to build up your net worth. While you are making money, you want to continue improving your skills to increase your income over time. You cannot do either of those things while in college. Receiving a college degree does not means that you will necessarily get a higher-paying job as is marketed to younger people.
Society wants young people to go off to college so that they can get into debt. That is because America’s financial system is debt-based. The economic system requires debt to continue to keep the Ponzi scheme going. The more people it can get into it. The longer it can continue to go on.
The worst financial mistake anyone can make is getting into debt. Yet, according to Forbes, more than 50% of students have student loans. They likely won’t be able to pay off their student loans because the average salary in the United States is just under $55,000 a year.
Overall, the higher education system is a bad idea. In most cases, it is not worth young people’s valuable time to attend college when they could learn practical skills elsewhere. There are better alternatives to college today with the Internet that cost less than attending a single college class. A better solution is replacing the Legacy Education System. People can now learn from people with a track record of success through digital courses rather than reading outdated books, learning ancient programs, and learning from a professor who only teaches because he has tenure.
In short, college is a waste of time. It is not worth going into debt for.
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Summary
These are only the first three reasons in the case against college. The three can be broken down to the fact that young people are told to go into debt and waste the best years of their lives when they should learn about themselves and developing hard skills. Instead, young people often believe the lie (like I did) that the higher education system and professors should be revered. The higher education system is meaningless.
Knowledge is not power. Applied knowledge is power.
We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers, leave them kids alone
Hey, teacher! Leave us kids alone!
All in all, you're just another brick in the wall
All in all, you're just another brick in the wall