Can a man be successful without a college degree?
-I feel I make people around me that know me uncomfortable when the topic of college and degrees comes up. Most of my close friends know my situation (if you don’t, I spent 3.5 years at a respected institution of higher learning but came up empty handed degree-wise) and know that I’m currently cool with it. But I still feel people “feel sorry” for me in a sense. I guess I would too for me. I don’t think about it much anymore. I’m not really ashamed of the fact that my highest level of education technically is only high school, though I am ashamed at the certain points of my college academic pursuits that I made poor decisions and didn’t discipline myself enough.
Anyways, back to my question: can a man be successful without a college degree, especially in this day and age? Often when I explain my disjointed educational past to people, they quickly advise and encourage me to “get that degree”. They say things like “you need that piece of paper” and “you should go back to school”. It seems when it comes to college degrees, most of the people I’ve met are realists. As the common notion goes, you can’t get a “good” job without a college degree. Well I readily admit that a college degree is an integral perquisite, and many times a necessary perquisite, to landing that “good” job. But is it as important as everyone makes it out to be?
Let’s investigate why people view a college degree so important. I mean what is the purpose of college anyways? (Also remember, I went to college for three and half years.) The primary reason for going to college is to get advanced and more focused study in one particular area of academic discipline (major). Another reason is to get involved in internships or co-ops relative to your field of study to garner valuable experience in a future type of work. Another reason is to expand one’s horizons through the newfound freedom and independence that entering into adulthood provides. Another reason is to grow (or degenerate depending how you look at it) as a person through new and dynamic relationships and friendships; to “find” oneself.
Well let’s start with the last one. I’d say check on that one. Though I believe I had already “knew” myself going into college, I will say those three and half years taught me a lot about me, the people around me, and the world that I live in. I do attribute that to the college experience
The second to last one is a check also. In fact, I’d say getting a engineering degree would’ve narrowed my horizons. I prolly would’ve got an engineering job right out of college and done that same type of thing for the rest of my life. Now the opportunities are endless.
The third to last is definitely a check. Of all my peer college graduates, I don’t know of anyone that has had more professional experience within the working world with such a dynamic and varied resume at my age. From government to private, from information technology to intellectual property law, I’ve worked a number of invaluable and interesting jobs.
The first reason is the only one that I did not completely follow through. But I did go through about 70 credits of mechanical engineering. That is no easy task. So I never took Deformable Bodies or Advanced Thermodynamics, so what?! Well it means I don’t have a piece of paper that says I’m a professional engineer. So what? Well it means some employers, despite my experience and real world skills, won’t even sniff my application. So what.
William Gates and Micheal Dell. Ring a bell? Some know him as Bill Gates and the co-founder of the most successful software company in the world. Dude, you’re getting a Dell anyone? Yeah, that’s where Michael Dell comes in, just as the name implies. What these two uber successful men have in common other than binary numbers? They’re both college drop-outs. Sure, you’re saying the for every Bill Gates and Michael Dell there’s a thousand minimum wage college drop outs right? That’s true, but it still doesn’t negate the fact that if you have a good idea and the courage to execute it, you can be successful without a college degree. Besides, do you think Bill Gates or Michael Dell pass off applicants because they never finished college? They’re not billionaires for nothing folks.
Let’s also mention the fact that all college degrees aren’t created alike. Let’s be honest, a degree in Chemical Engineering is a little more difficult to come by than say a Communications or History degree. Not demeaning either discipline but the facts speak for themself. So to compare people on the simple fact that one has a college degree and one doesn’t is not only stupid and ignorant, it is an un-educated approach to hiring a potential employee. I’m not saying they’ll be equal, and in fact the college graduate most of the time will be the better qualified applicant, but it’d be ill-advised to turn down someone just on that one factor if they have better skills and more experience. Because you never know if you have a future Bill Gates or Michael Dell sitting in front you. Another fact to consider: almost half of all CEO’s of companies work in a industry or field not related to their undergraduate degree.
Let’s add some philosophy to the argument shall we? If the purpose of a degree is to get a “good” job (financially speaking), are we to assume the purpose of education is to just make money? What happened to learning for the sake of learning? I’ll be honest with you and say that I’ve learned more about certain sciences and social sciences in my personal pursuit of knowledge since college than I ever did at college (math withstanding). Is that to say this personal, non-accredited, pursuit is of less value just because I’m not paying $500 a credit hour??? Just because someone doesn’t have a bachelors degree doesn’t mean they haven’t learned a lot intellectually along the way.
In conclusion, I’d say yes, a man can be successful without a college degree, as our friends Bill and Michael so obviously proved. Does it statistically and strategically make it more taxing to land a “successful” type job? Sure it does. But like I said, sometimes the brightest geniuses are held back by the semi-conformist institutions like colleges and universities. Sometimes they need to discover truth and knowledge outside of a classroom and a professor’s personal opinion. And it’s in that journey that their radical ideas are birthed and cultivated. Dropping out of college does not necessarily toll the death knoll when it comes to professional successes and I think I’ve proved it.
Will I ever go back to school? I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t think it’s out of the question (university speaking), but I will almost assuredly rule out any return to Bleaksburg, VA. Those days have come and gone. But that is a whole other story...
“And to think blacks(everyone I’d say) spend all that money on big colleges,
still most of y'all come out confused” -Mr. Wendal, Arrested Development