Tons of Benefits of Going to College! Earn Your Degree NOW!
Updated: June 19, 2024
Published: October 15, 2018
Are you still evaluating if going to college is for you? There are many benefits of going to college. However, for every individual, the pros of going to college may be held with different weight.
Some people want to go to college to get a high-paying job. Others may choose to go to college to develop their skills. Or, there could be a mixture of reasons for choosing to get a college degree.
If you’re deciphering whether or not to enroll in college, then keep reading.
In this article, we will take a look at a list of the commonly touted advantages of going to college.
Benefits of Going to College
1. Discover Your Interests
College tends to be a time full of discovery. It can signal the first time moving out or even living in a new place. College also provides the chance to discover your interests, within the classroom and beyond the classroom walls. Regardless of what you choose to major in, you’ll have to take some general education courses and electives. It’s in these classes that you may uncover an interest in a subject you had never before even thought of delving into. Unlike high school, you get to choose your classes in college, which can open the door to new findings. This may lead you to uncover interests and passions that you may have otherwise not known you had.
2. Increased Job Opportunities
Many jobs require a college degree. Depending on the level of the position you wish to obtain, you may need a certain type of degree. Entry-level positions will often require either an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. If you want to specialize in a certain field and work in a senior position, then you may need to consider higher-level degrees, like a master’s or doctoral degree. Depending on the industry that you choose to work in, a degree will likely impact your chances of being hired.
3. Higher Potential Earnings
There have been many studies that have shown how a college degree impacts one’s earnings. To put it simply, you are more likely to earn more money if you have a degree. In fact, over a lifetime, students with a college degree stand to earn $500,000 more than those without one. That figure has the potential to increase as the level of your degree advances, too.
4. Lower Unemployment Rate
College graduates have lower unemployment rates than those without a degree. Forbes shares that overall, unemployment rates decrease with increasing education. For example, per the given article, in the United States, the overall unemployment rate was 6.7% in November 2020, but for those with a bachelor’s degree and over 25 years old, it was 4.1%. This can be attributed to the fact that it’s more likely for a person with a degree to be hired than a person without a degree. Essentially, having a degree gives you a competitive advantage against other applicants.
5. Job Satisfaction and Security
Research by the CollegeBoard has shown that having a college degree is likely to promote a better sense of job satisfaction.
Let’s take a look at why this could be the case: 86% of college graduates reported that their current job is a stepping stone in their overall career, whereas only 57% of high school graduates said the same. On the flip side, there are more high school students who reported their reason for having a job to be “to get by,” compared to bachelor’s degree holders who are likely to be building towards a career.
6. Improved Skills
College courses teach an array of skills. In general, skills can be broken down into hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are job-related and tend to be technical. To illustrate, if you want to be a web developer, then a hard skill you’ll need to learn would be how to code. On the other hand, there are soft skills that tend to be transferable between jobs and are life skills, too. These include problem-solving, communication, teamwork, etc. The college will teach you both types of skills. This is true for any type of college education, whether you choose to earn your degree in-person or online.
7. Personal Development
College aids in personal development. Students get to hone a wide set of skills and competencies through the college experience. College can foster feelings of independence and control, as well as teach what’s necessary to manage one’s own time and make reasoned decisions. These types of soft skills and abilities are must-haves when it comes to dealing with life in the real world.
8. Networking
Students in college get to meet people from all over the world. Take the University of the People as an example. Our online and tuition-free institution has students enrolled from over 200 countries and territories. Many college students also take part in internships, which provide a way to network with future potential employers.
9. International Work Opportunities
If you want to work in a different country, then having a degree can signal to international employers that you are fit and ready to handle the job. In any sense, a college degree is a way to showcase that you are able to manage a workload and remain committed to achieving a goal. So, when it comes to taking a degree abroad, that same message will hold true. But, keep in mind that if you wish to work in specific fields, such as medicine, law, or education, degrees may not transfer entirely in different countries (or even states).
10. Preparation for a Specialized Career
This benefit may easily get ignored but it is highly valuable. Earning your preferred specialization or expertise in any field is possible only after one has earned a basic degree in the field. The preliminary step matters!
Closing Thoughts
When asking, “What are the benefits of going to college?” the above benefits of going to college can offer a portion of the answer. Going to college is a different experience for every student, as is their reason for doing so in the first place. If you wish to work in a specific field and build a career for yourself, then the chances are high that you’ll need a college degree.
Along with qualifying you for a job, going to college teaches many transferable skills, provides an unparalleled experience, and has a big impact on your earning potential.
Nathaly Ordonez
Business Administration Student, US