Securing admission to the top colleges and universities is one of the most prominent rat races globally. The race begins before anyone knows what they want to do in life. In school, I pursued the sciences and joined a two-year coaching program for engineering entrance examinations in the 11th grade. At the same, I heard of four-year programs beginning in the ninth grade and some students beginning preparation as far back as the sixth grade. That’s seven fucking years to get into college, not even earning a college degree.
Around the same time, I learned about seeking admissions to colleges in the USA and Canada. Their examinations are expensive, the process is lengthy & hectic (but super fun), and their fee is jaw-dropping (for me personally, anyway). It is an indescribable madness that you can appreciate only when you experience it. The situation begs the question: How much is a college degree worth, and how much does it contribute to a person’s career?
There is no denying the fact that a college degree is not enough to thrive in the business world today. Most of what we learn in the curriculum has been taught for decades. Consequently, a lot of what we know may quickly become obsolete. Updating the courses works at a sloth’s pace compared to the rapidly evolving business world.
To thrive, students and professionals need to take matters into their own hands and keep pace with emerging trends. The pursuit of upskilling, reskilling and staying near the cutting edge becomes individual as competition in the industry continues to grow daily.
Let me make one thing super clear; this piece doesn’t question the value of gaining an education. It is merely an attempt to identify the overall utility of a college degree, given the investment of time and effort required.
The domain in which we choose to gain an education is how we choose to live our lives and deal with the situations we face. Attending college and earning a degree help you acquire those skills, nothing more, nothing less. In various discussions on this topic with industry leaders and students, I found an elegant way to consider the importance of a college degree and experience.
For example, an engineer will likely solve a problem by building a machine. A finance person might look at the money side of things to understand the problem. A historian might look to the past to know how the problem originated. In a way, the education we receive helps us look at things a certain way and choose a course of action.
A college degree may not matter as much as one initially thought when it comes to professional success. In the long run, your work ethic will speak volumes about which college you attended. As Tony Robbins said, “The defining factor (for success) is never resources; it’s resourcefulness.”
In the bigger scheme of things, any college degree might do. That being said, our education system is set up so that a college degree from a Top-10 university may provide you with a platform to begin your professional journey. It is a temporary advantage that can be easily lost and compensated for by someone who works harder and hustles more.
The exact role that a college education plays in our lives is a topic of endless debate. There is no correct answer but a matter of individual choices. We must teach ourselves how to stay at the cutting edge of our respective industries and always be practitioners.