Can You Be Successful Without College?
When I was in high school, all I knew about the future was that I wanted to become rich and successful. This made perfect sense to teenage-me, even if it was a pretty vague goal.
After all, parents, teachers, and school counselors were always advising us to aim for well-paying careers and fulfilling, happy lives. The problem was that I had no idea how to get there in practical terms. Were there any surefire, factual, objective, proven ways to make that move between the current “poor, clueless teenage” me to the “rich, successful adult” future me?
Actually, yes there are. Decades of research have demonstrated again and again that high schoolers can take this single, foundational step towards a successful future life.
Can you be successful without college?
There is no clear-cut path towards “success” and life is unpredictable. However, all research is clear on at least this one point: a college degree is your surest way to economic opportunity. Graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree gives you substantially higher earnings than if you only had a high school diploma. How much higher? According to Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, a college graduate will earn $2.8 million on average over their lifetime. This is 84% more than if you stopped your education at a high school diploma. That wage gap is actually getting wider over time, jumping to 84% from 75% back in 2002.
What’s more, studies show that those who continue their education beyond college will continue to benefit. After college, you can go on to receive a Master’s, Doctoral, and/or Professional degree. Some examples would be earning a Juris Doctor degree after law school or a Master of Science in Nursing after nursing school. Graduates with these higher degrees continue to earn much more than the median college graduate. Simply put, people with more education just make significantly more money than those with less.
Keep in mind
We will always hear stories about self-made millionaires or overnight social media stars who earn more than their college-graduate peers, but those cases are actually pretty rare.
According to the data, only 14.3% of people with only high school diplomas will earn more than the median of people with a Bachelor’s degree. In other words, the vast majority of people with college degrees will make more money than those without. Keep this reality in mind if others discourage you from going to college in favor of get-rich-quick schemes.
College graduates are happier and have better well-being.
To Be Happy, Go to College
Of course, money isn’t everything and money can’t buy happiness. But even setting aside income, graduating from college has been proven to improve your well-being in many ways.
College graduates have healthier behaviors than non-college graduates. They are less likely to smoke or be obese and more likely to exercise, eat healthily, and live long lives.
In terms of personal relationships, college graduates are more likely to get married, have stable marriages, and own homes. They tend to hold more tolerant social values and have greater engagement with the community around them.
If you’re looking for a meaningful career, you should know that college is linked to more stable and rewarding employment. Basically, a college degree is associated with higher levels of happiness and a sense of fulfillment.
The key thing to remember is that these outcomes are not merely because of personality or pre-college lifestyle differences. Researchers believe the college degree itself has a causal influence on these measures of life satisfaction. This causal relationship has been studied all around the world. In research from Britain, Spain, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and more, higher levels of education are seen to have a direct and indirect impact on happiness levels. Jeffrey Arnett, developmental psychologist says “Education is probably more strongly correlated with future happiness throughout adulthood than any other variable.”
“Education is probably more strongly correlated with future happiness throughout adulthood than any other variable.”
Why?
Researchers broadly theorize that college teaches you qualitatively different life skills. Sociologist Elizabeth Lawrence summarizes that college graduates benefit from being sorted with other high achievers. They develop higher level social skills, improve their cognitive abilities, and express lifestyle choices that best reflect their values and identity.
Another reason is that college raises self-confidence, especially since it offers socially rewarding soft-skills that add to prestige and respect. College also helps you become more connected to other people and places in the wider world. You are also able to try different majors and classes, interact with new people, and receive mentorship from professors and industry experts.
These are some of the reasons why college is seen as a time of self-exploration where young adults can figure out their purpose in life. All of these things improved people’s subjective well-being, even without considering the impact of higher incomes and the resources that come with that.
College improves social mobility and buffers against wage disparities.
Go to College To Beat the System
Go to college ESPECIALLY if you’re from a low-income family.
We now know that a college degree leads to higher salaries but it has specifically been proven to be a pathway out of systemic poverty. According to the Brookings Institution, the income jump that a college degree confers is especially pronounced among people who came from low-income families. Data shows that low-income individuals without college degrees are very likely to stay low-income for the rest of their lives.
On the other end though, those with college degrees are 84% more likely to rise in socio-economic class. In fact, those graduates have a significant possibility of moving into the very highest income bracket in the country (19%). In a time when the wealth divide in America has grown even bigger, education seems to be the most reliable pathway to financial security.
Low-income high schoolers should not assume that college is not an option due to high costs. High schoolers who attend a Title 1 school or are low-income can get on-demand college counseling with an UPchieve mentor.
They will help you compile scholarships, research all relevant fee waivers, and dig into the nooks and crannies of financial aid. They will help you consider options, such as finishing some course requirements at an inexpensive community college before transferring to a 4 year university.
Keep in mind that the published tuition fees on college websites do not account for financial aid (from federal, state, and college sources), grants, and private scholarships. You will learn that you have access to a wide range of financial help that won’t throw you deep into debt.
And according to the Brookings Institution, the long term financial returns for going to college appear to warrant the cost of student loans for most students. Jennifer Ma, senior policy research scientist at College Board, states “A higher education is an investment that pays significant dividends over the course of a lifetime — even for students who accumulate some debt to obtain a degree.”
“A higher education is an investment that pays significant dividends over the course of a lifetime — even for students who accumulate some debt to obtain a degree.”
Protect your future, change the world
The salary and well-being boosts associated with a college degree are major benefits for people who are low-income, racial minorities, and/or women - groups that experience unique stressors that are widely linked to poorer health and life outcomes.
College can buffer the disparities in lifetime earnings, as documented by the US Social Security Administration. Due to a complex mix of historical factors and still-prevailing biases, Black and Latino students earn less than white peers, even among the most highly-educated workers. Women with a Bachelor’s degree still earn only about as much as men with no degree. Controlling for those socio-demographic variables, a college degree will still bring racial minorities and women substantially more in lifetime earnings than without.
More importantly, a college degree will open up new professional opportunities for those who are underrepresented in high level careers. The reality of systemic inequity is upsetting and frustrating, especially for high schoolers who feel they do not have a voice to change society. The surest way a high school student can change their future lives though, no matter their backgrounds, is to … go to college!
Final Thoughts
Ready to tackle the college application process? Then you need a free 1:1 college counselor from UPchieve’s pool of qualified, vetted coaches! Head over to our sign-up page and see if you are eligible now.