What makes college so important? A college is a place that many people claim to have the best times and most stressful times of their lives. But what is the cost? Many students go to college with the expectation of a successful life after college. They go through school as normal but after they graduate they don't know what to do. The value of education is to find what they enjoy so they can do what they want to do, but education can also pressure people into making wrong decisions because that is what they were taught. Although college is beneficial for those who know what they want to study, it's not for everyone.

A drawback to college is the crippling debt that a student will leave school with. "Students usually end up $60,000 in debt"(Is college worth it?) and the rate is still growing. Why would a student want to pay $350 a month after college, while also trying to find a job? They are under enough stress with living on their own paying bills and finding jobs. Shouldn't education be used to help a person not hurt them? Also, they may have spent all that money on a worthless degree that won't help them in the job market.

On a positive note to college, it can help you find a job to let you have a happy life. As stated in the "Is College Worth It?", people just out of high school between the ages of 24-30 have an 11.3 unemployment rate. If a person goes to college for at least two years of college the rate of unemployment dropped to 5.4 as explained on the graph in the article "Education Still Pays". And if that's not enough, college will open up more option of work and you are more likely to work in a field you enjoy. Even though some of the most successful people, like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, didn't finish college, doesn't mean that you will have the same outcome.

If a student chooses not to go to college, take a skill course. Learning a skill will help in the job market. People with "skill jobs" are needed. If everyone goes to college to get a degree in science or mathematics, how will that help? Society needs more plumbers and electrician. We also need people who will be garbage men or pavers. The little jobs that make our lives easier are constant demand. If no one takes these jobs, who will?

So think about the ups and downs of college and decide if it's right for what students want to do. If students choose to go to college and end up not using your degree that was their choice. If they go and become a carpenter and enjoy it, college was not needed. So think carefully and go from there.