Why College?

Are you tired of hearing from the important adults in your life that you must go to college? You look at them and wonder how they would know, they never went. It’s not their time in the class sitting there listening to that teacher and knowing that there will be homework that will go with the lecture. Just think of the fun you could be having if you could just get out of school.

Well whether you believe it or not, they are really trying to give you more free time to play, and more income to play with. Each of your parents, or significant adults, just wants you to have it better than they had it. It’s the American dream! And everyone knows that you have read the statistics about more income for more education, but here is the most recent data:

When you finish high school (it’s not an option to not finish high school) and go into the work force you can expect to earn about 1.2 million dollars in your lifetime. Now that sounds like a ton of money. It is around $30,000 per year. If you just invest four more years of your life to education, your earning ability will be 2.1 million dollars. That’s an average of about $52,000 a year. Now if you can’t look at that and figure the difference in your ability to buy, play, and have a better life, then you didn’t pass the ninth grade.

There are other reasons you should be on a college campus in the fall after you graduate from high school. When you think about the next four years, the only thoughts that go through your head is the one about all the work. Well for a second, let’s think about all the play. Have you ever watched a college football game on TV? Did those students that were painted in their school colors look like their homework kept them locked up in their dorms? Do they look like they are not having fun? 50% of your time in college is education, but that other 50% should be intramurals, frats and sororities, camping, hiking, dating, parties, road trips, and fun. For most of you it will be the first time living away from home and not having someone telling you what to do. It is a significant place to grow up. Don’t miss out!

The last and more boring piece about a college education is the part about knowing more, being able to contribute to a conversation at a party, the social status that you have the opportunity to be a part of and maybe the ability to give back to society and the community that you will live in.

Any way that you look at it, the trade off for 4 more years of education is far greater than the fun you will have working. GO TO COLLEGE.