Venturing out and exploring the world is something that every young adult needs to take on. It may be for reasons like starting fresh or finding things that bring them lots of interest. Doing things as an independent—without parents—is very significant. A place to begin that journey is college. Going to college after graduating from high school is very important. Some benefits of going to college include things like self-discovery, learning something new, job opportunities, and making more money.

Self-discovery is essential to life. When in college, it is the best time for that. There are lots of things to discover, for instance, the perfect job for the future or the right people to hang out with. According to a Fast Web article, Your College Experience Checklist by Elizabeth Hoyt that was published on August 20th, 2018, some experiences that may help with self-discovery include living in the dorms, joining clubs, studying abroad, and taking classes that seem interesting. Living in the dorms and joining clubs are ways to meet all kinds of new people. Studying abroad gives students the chance of falling in love with traveling and different places in the world. Taking classes that seem interesting to students, gives them the opportunity of achieving their dreams they have dreamed of forever.

Learning something new is another advantage of getting a college education. Students have the opportunity to learn what they are truly passionate about. College opens up a whole new world for students academically. In high school, students generally only have a choice of a handful of elective classes, but in college, they have among hundreds of choices for classes and majors. Students can decide what they want to study and take classes they would like to learn more about.

When a college degree is earned, there are so many more job opportunities. College graduates are a larger piece of the workforce, according to an article from CNN, College Grads Are Getting Nearly All The Jobs by Tami Luhby that was published on June 30th, 2016. The highest paying jobs require a college degree and those who earn one also get better benefits, like health insurance and retirement plans. Plus, college graduates have a lower chance of losing their job. Although, there is a high demand in some blue-collar jobs that pay good and do not require a college degree. They normally require formal training and apprenticeships to qualify for these highly skilled occupations. According to a Forbes article, In 2019, Blue-Collar Workers Disappearing And In Hot Demand by Kenneth Rapoza that was published on December 16th, 2018, “One reason why blue-collar jobs have led to a weak number of applicants, is that workers are leaving the workforce for disability claims, which include drug addiction.” If someone were to get fired or let go from their blue-collar job and have a college degree, they would have more choices for a new job, but not so much if they didn’t.  

People could always use more money. Studies show that college graduates earn significantly more money throughout their lifetime than those with only high school education. As I mentioned before, there are so many more high paying jobs available, when a college degree is earned. Jobs that are received after getting that college degree, could help pay for college tuition and fees. So what if a student can’t afford college? According to a Student Loans Hero article, How to Get Help Paying For College When You Don’t Have Any Money by Andrew Pentis that was published on February 2nd, 2018, some ways that could help pay for college include identifying schools that are tuition-free or close to it, applying for federal and state grants, living off campus, and sharing books and supplies with classmates.

In conclusion, self-discovery, learning something new, job opportunities, and making more money are all benefits of going to college. Going to college is very important. Most people don’t venture out and explore the world to see what opportunities are available to them. Going to college could help people find those opportunities and their passions, but also be one of the most beneficial decisions they made in their life.