I’ve heard high school dropouts and blue collared workers echo the same phrase: “Why spend the money to attend college when everything you need to know is on the Internet?” In the heat of the moment, I could never throw together any response with great impact, but having had time to think about it, I now have the perfect response.
Jobs look at experience and formal certificates of achieving academic standards. College diplomas or certificates of extensive education are much more respected in any job interview than any high school educated person hoping to show off information they ascertained via the Internet. College is a professional way to learn and train for a future career, and the highly respected proof, in the form of a degree, helps solidify that hard work.
Don’t get me wrong; many jobs do not require any college major or certificate. If that is along the lines of a career path one wishes to pursue, then there is no problem with that. But the American dream—the true pursuit of happiness—can be made immensely easier through education, especially down the road. The economy doesn’t seem to be roaring. If we face another recession, the job availability will slim down. As a result, so will those unqualified, job-searching money supplies. Businesses would be looking deeper into specific qualifications, such as college degrees over high school diplomas.
Everybody has the right to choose what they want to do with their life, but the wise choice is evident.