The answer seems simple, “go to college”. All around us we hear one common piece of advice, from guidance counselors, parents, estranged uncles and aunts we seem to continually hear one thing: go to college. Whether it is building our resume with extracurriculars, or filling our schedule with as many AP classes as possible, we always seem to be working towards this one goal of a “better education”. Our high school lives and entire youth are centered around one thing: a college degree, or society’s measure of success. While the college way of life offers a successful path for career-focused individuals, a college diploma can carry hefty debt and can consume a great amount of your valuable time.

The single measure for success in today’s standards is money, which is why the biggest reason for college is that by going to college, you earn more money. And a 2013 April study revealed that college graduates with a bachelor’s degree earn $30,000 more per year and $500,000 more per lifetime, however this study doesn’t take into account the burden of student loans and expensive tuition that come with college life (Greenstone, Michae, and Looney). In today’s declining economy students are spending money they don’t have, causing them to face a greater economic burden early in life. This burden is causing adults to still live at home and shifting said economic stress on their parents. Additionally, due to the increasing tuition rates and the lack of increasing income, students are paying more to earn the same amount. It seems as if the “best option” that we propose on the younger generation is to empty their wallets for four years where they continue to not have a substantial income stream. As the cost of a college degree continues to increase, its value is decreasing due to the increased time and money that must be spent on it. Thus it is becoming a less promising option to young adults as each day passes. Society continues to push towards college as the right path as it seems more and more students can’t afford to go down it.

However college doesn’t just take money, it also takes time. The four years one spends in college directly takes away from years going directly into a career. The time that is spent in additional school could be spent in the workforce, where a career can be built. It is seen that college and a career can simultaneously exist due to options such as night school, community college, and online school. Yet this option doesn’t eliminate the factor that many college graduates don’t need a degree for their job, or they’re not even employed in their field of study. As demonstrated by a 2012 study that said 1 in 3 college graduates were in a job that required a high school diploma or less (Vedder). As we continue to funnel our younger generations into college, we seem to continue to use their valuable time on something that doesn’t always pay out in the end.

The use of a college degree is also the biggest factor in the decision to go. While college does offer better employment opportunities and more jobs require college diplomas each day, everyday college graduates fill jobs that they are over qualified for. In fact, 8.8% of college graduates are unemployed (Shierholz, Heidi, Natalie Sabadish, and Nicholas Finio). Continually, the surplus of college graduates with a Bachelor’s Degree has diminished its value (Coleman). This shows that due to society’s pressure for college, we have backlogged the system and caused the prestigious nature of graduating college to decline. And these statistics only apply to those who graduate, not all students who begin college finish—they just simply waste their time and money trying to do the best thing by society’s standards and not theirs. Society has placed an emphasis on college as the only option for a successful future, ignoring options such as trade school, for students who don’t necessarily fit the college way of life.

The message isn’t don’t go to college, in fact, go ahead. But know that it isn’t the only option. Before you attend you need to evaluate the value of your degree. Don’t go to college for the credential and the diploma on the wall: go for the skills and knowledge that you can then apply on the workforce. Know that the use of your degree has to outweigh the time and money that you put into it. Before you jump on the college bandwagon know the path of yourself and your degree. Know the whys, hows, whats and most importantly the how much’s because college isn’t always the best option—however it has the potential to be with proper planning and decision making.