A World Beyond College Degrees

 ‘Education’ is a word whose importance and value is well known by all and unlikely to be ignored and globally If there is one thing that people respect irrespective of all the differences and cultural history it's the amount of knowledge a person has acquired. It is the passport to the future, a key to unlock the world and the most powerful weapon that can transform the world. Education is the process of gaining knowledge on a particular topic that can be done at any point in one’s lifetime.

We often question ourselves "Does conventional education decide a person's fate? Does it define one's success or self worth?"  The answers to these questions are pretty complex. It completely depends on individual perceptions. Talking about conventional education we shall address the elephant in the room : Degrees.

 

Bill Gates started Microsoft when he was 19 and has since become one of the world’s wealthiest people. Mark Zuckerberg owns one of the most highly-valued tech companies in the U.S. Steve Jobs founded Apple in his garage. What do these people have in common? None of them graduated college; in fact, Bill Gates is considered as “Harvard’s most successful dropout”. There are countless others who have gone on to start successful businesses without first earning a bachelor’s degree. These people have never ceased to inspire us. The lack of a degree did not stop them from achieving whatever they wanted to. The level reached by these people is an exception to the rule. One can achieve it with an indefinite amount of perseverance, hardwork and an extraordinary skill set. 

 

It is possible to succeed without college. But the longer answer is that succeeding without college- especially to the level of Gates, Zuckerberg and Jobs did- is the exception and not the rule. While it is true that earning a bachelor's degree can make having a successful career more achievable- which in simple terms means to get a decent job and a stable life- it is not something that one should blindly rely on.

We as students have been brought up in a society where we are made to believe that the certificates and the degrees are what is going to help give us a life and a place in this world- a cushion for a safe and comfortable landing. What we need to understand is that although that is true, it is not the fact. But with hard work, determination, persistence and strong passion one can achieve their goals from anywhere without being reliant on anything- and that is a fact.

But again, this depends on different factors and it will vary from person to person as success doesn’t mean the same to all people. For those with the dream of becoming entrepreneurs and business tycoons, a college degree is optional. Whereas for other professions, this topic might be debatable. One of the popular topics in this debate is the pressure of student loans.  45% of people say college was not worth it. They say that the debt forces college graduates to live with their parents and delay their independence and other adult milestones. Many college graduates are employed in jobs that do not require college degrees while many more are un or underemployed.

It's a popular belief that a lot of people do not attend colleges because the cost of education is daunting. Let alone the lack of degree, the discrimination that comes with it is quiet disturbing. Two people with the same skill set and one with a degree and the other without one wouldn't get the same monetary benefits. The world is such. Luckily times are changing,  Glassdoor found  firms like IBM, Apple,Google have waived the requirement of a degree or diploma in the process of hiring, focusing mainly on the skills. At the end of the day a degree without relevant skills is an empty word and it's just a paper to frame on the wall.

 

Yes, it is complicated and hard to choose the path that does not include a college degree. There is the risk factor, the fear and uncertainty. That does not mean that it’s impossible. You just need to put in 100x times the amount of hard work. Most of all, believe in yourself and the amalgamation of skills, knowledge, hard work , passion and the right usage of opportunities can take a person to greater heights. Chris Grosser once said " Opportunities don't happen. You create them."

We live in a world full of opportunities and making the right use of it has always been bestowed upon our hands. A piece of paper does not define our fate.