College: Is It Worth The Price?

I personally think that the dollar and cent cost of going to college is ridiculous. It makes it nearly impossible for the average person to follow their dream to fulfillment, unless you are really determined to get there no matter what. I don’t think colleges need to charge as much as they do but then, I think the prices on about everything today are far higher than they really need to be.

One thing that I am thoroughly convinced of however is that education, whether you can attend college is vitally important to all of us and just because we can’t attend some fancy Ivy League school or other well known hall of education doesn’t mean we need to stop learning after we have graduated high school.

It is becoming more and more important to have that degree to be able to have a well paying job. High School is wonderful but it just doesn’t cut it in the world of employment. In most areas now days you need that degree. You need college; you need some form of continuing education. Today there are student loans, grants and scholarships that weren’t available when I was struggling to attend college. I managed it anyhow and so can you.

I guess you might call me a perpetual student. Hey, I’m 65+ and there is still a lot to learn out there. No, I’m not going to live long enough to know it all but I can enjoy learning some as long as I am able. I don’t ever plan to stop learning.

Is it worth it to go to college? Absolutely. I’ve changed careers a half dozen times and I have gone to school to learn more about my chosen field each time. I have grown as a person because I was willing to learn new things. There is an old cliché that I rather much believe in and encourage others to follow and that is…”Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss the moon, you will still land among the stars.” That is how I feel about education. I don’t think anyone has a real excuse for not learning. None of us really know it all. There is always something new to learn about and it keeps life interesting. Knowledge is never boring.

I graduated from a small, one year business college…My parent’s choice, not mine. I wanted to be a teacher, a writer and researcher. They said no, they couldn’t afford to send me to a Teachers College and I would become a secretary. As it was, I had to work part-time to defray the cost of even a one year, hole in the wall business college, even back even 45 years ago. The business college I attended was three rooms over a local pub. There were only two teachers, one of them being the owner of the college and there was no campus. You either commuted or found a room to rent nearby.