So you’ve just recently graduated high school and you’re thinking of your next steps. You know going to uni is a common option, but you’re wondering what the benefits of going to college are.
The following questions are lingering in your mind: Should I go to college? Should I go to college? Why is college important? Is attending university really worth it?
College is certainly quite important, and the benefits of going to college include a higher salary, more job opportunities, and stable employment. College can also help you discover your passion.
Depending on your major, you can get a high-paying job when you graduate. More importantly, college is a rewarding experience that helps you grow as a person.
This article will highlight the importance of a college education. Let’s explore.
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Here are some of the most important benefits of going to college:
1. Higher Income
Earning a college degree will make you 24% more likely to have employment after college. You’re also projected to make over $32,000 more per year than someone who doesn’t get a college degree.
Still need financial reasons to attend college since college tuition may be daunting at the moment? By attending college, you would be projected to make $1 million more than you would without a college degree over the course of your career path. That makes the college tuition not seem so bad, right?
Finding a job or career path may also be difficult without any college qualifications. Nowadays, many career paths that you will take will require a college degree. Once you attend college, you’ll never have to worry about not qualifying for that requirement of any job, even if the job you’re applying for is not the exact degree you studied.
A college diploma can provide stability and keep financial stress at bay. It can also help you obtain financial independence.
With that, your salary depends on your field of study. Therefore, learn about the starting salary of your chosen career path.
2. Lower Chance of Unemployment
Statistically, college graduates are more likely to remain in the workforce. They also have a lower unemployment rate.
If you finish college, you’re also less likely to face a layoff. College graduates remain employed because many jobs require a college degree.
On the other hand, entry-level employees and high school graduates are more vulnerable to layoffs. A college degree won’t safeguard you from layoffs entirely, but it will lower the odds.
Additionally, college graduates are more likely to have a full-time job.
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3. Networking Opportunities
Networking allows you to gain valuable contacts that can enhance your career. Many college grads network to find a good job after school. Further, many jobs aren’t listed publicly, meaning that you must know someone to get an interview.
Consider some other networking benefits:
- You may learn about a career or job that interests you
- You could find a mentor who will guide you
- You could gain access to resources that will help you understand your field of study
Also, networking is a good failsafe. It allows you to change careers if you’re not satisfied with your job. For instance, one of your contacts could shed light on a rising industry offering lucrative career paths.
You can network in a variety of ways, such as interning for a company or joining a club. You can also network with guest speakers or professors.
When you attend college, you’re going to be surrounded by so many different people. Different races, sex, sexual orientation, age, ethnicities, abilities, and more. You’ll interact with all types of people and learn a lot from each and everyone of them.
Because you’ll most likely live in a dorm your first year of college, you’ll automatically have a lot of people your age surrounding you. You’ll also have to go through freshman orientation, which will also introduce you to more people who are going through the same thing you are.
As you continue to go through college, you’ll meet more people through your classes, activities, sports, hobbies, and any clubs you join. Many of these relationships will follow you through your college years and beyond. This will come in handy when you know people in multiple careers, especially if you ever need to find a new job.
In addition to making other friends your age, you’ll also form relationships with your professors. You should make sure to attend their office hours, email them to ask questions, and participate in class. You never know where a relationship with a professor could take you in your future career!
4. More Career Choices
Perhaps you’re not sure what you’ll major in. You may even fear that you’ll change career paths during your academic tenure. It’s more common than you may realize.
Around 80% of undergraduates change their majors at least once. Many students change their majors during their junior or senior year. In general, people change their careers routinely.
In high school, you may have an idea of what you want to be when you grow up. You may absolutely love math and see yourself becoming a financial planner. Or you may love art class and everything it has to offer, so want to explore more creative degree options.
Whether you stick with what you love in high school throughout college or not, college courses and the experience of college as a whole will let you explore and learn about everything the world has to offer.
If you go in thinking you love math, you’ll be able to narrow down what type of math or what you want to do with your love for math. You’ll be able to take different math courses, join clubs, and talk to your math professors to learn about what’s out there.
The average person change careers five to seven times throughout their lifetime.
People swap careers due to the rising number of jobs. Moreover, many new jobs are restricted to college degree holders. A college degree allows you to change jobs if you’re not satisfied with your career trajectory.
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5. Improve Communication and Analytic Skills
College helps you thrive in a team setting. For instance, students usually work in groups for a project or class presentation. Class presentations mimic real-world scenarios. In the workforce, you may have to give presentations to managers, co-workers, or investors.
More importantly, college helps you communicate more effectively with others. College also sharpens your analytic skills.
In a post-graduate world, you’ll encounter numerous challenges that require deep contemplation. A college setting enhances your ability to make fast decisions and adjust to unplanned situations.
6. Quality Benefits in Your Future Career
Many employers attract top talent with quality benefits, especially as an economy rebounds. More companies hire as an economy recovers. As a result, employers offer quality benefits to attract the best and brightest.
However, many employers usually reserve benefits for college graduates. With a college degree, you stand a higher chance of getting the following benefits:
- Life insurance
- Health insurance plans
- Disability insurance
- Vacation time
- Stock/investment options
- Family/medical leave
As such, benefits can give your family a better quality of life and secure their future.
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7. Discovering Your Passion
Many people don’t know their true passion until they go to college. It’s a great option if you’re not sure about your calling. Before enrolling, you can read about the majors offered.
You can also minor in other fields that interest you. Further, college advisors can help you find your passion. Many universities offer long-term advisors that can help you throughout your college journey.
Colleges offer hundreds of different clubs, sports, intramural, and other activities that you can try out. Before you go to college, you may not even be able to fathom the types of activities and clubs that your future college will offer.
Do you love horseback riding or fencing? Try a club sport at your college! They most likely have what you’re looking for.
If your college doesn’t have what you’re looking for in club sports, check out the intramurals they offer. These are less competitive if you’re more into that, too!
If sports aren’t your thing, you should head to your college’s club fair at the start of the year. There are clubs that range from helping different charities to leading different leadership trips. There are clubs that fight against sexual assault and raise awareness about gender violence, and clubs that may speak to one of your hobbies like knitting or speaking Spanish.
Interested in Greek life? Joining a fraternity or sorority is a way to make new friends, network, and enjoy everything college has to offer with a group of people you bond to.
By getting involved in your college’s clubs and offered activities, you are able to further explore any interests you have. Who knows? You may even find something you love that you didn’t even know existed previously!
8. Personal Growth
Many people go to college to make more money, but personal growth is just as important. The college experience will help you prepare for the workforce. It also fosters discipline and structure.
With higher education, many people report feeling more empowered and more in control of their life and career paths. This may be due to a higher sense of security with more stable job security and an income. Or it could be because of the friendships and experiences you had in college.
Through your years at university, you’ll be communicating with many different people from various backgrounds, which will help you in the “real world” as well. With more experience and a better understanding of the world and people around you, college graduates also tend to be more tolerant of others’ differences.
Also, it enhances your multi-tasking skills as you handle various responsibilities. For example, many college students work while going to school. Others go to school while volunteering.
They could also have family obligations. Regardless, college will help you juggle your career with other obligations.
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9. Gain Independence
Going off to college is a benefit of college within itself. You no longer can rely on your mom cooking you dinner or dad fixing your car for you when you run over a nail and get a flat tire.
You have to start figuring out how to do things on your own. You’ll need to choose your classes, take initiative to talk to professors and make friends, join activities that pique your interest, and financial responsibility now that you are officially moved out of your parent’s house for the year.
College will teach you how to be responsible (sometimes the hard way), and how to use your newly-found independence for good. If you want to make the most of what your school has to offer you, you will have to gain independence and motivate yourself to use it.
10. Better Health Outcomes
One of the most shocking benefits of going to college and earning a college degree is being able to take advantage of better health outcomes.
It has been found time and time again that the higher your income, the better health outcomes you’ll have throughout your life. The reason your health may be better because of going to college is not simply because of having a higher income. Many factors contribute to better health like:
- Your health behaviors
- Social-physiological factors
- Access to healthcare
- Income status
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree (or at least an associate degree), you will bring in a higher income than you would without a degree certifying your college education. With a higher income, you’ll be able to access better doctors, more timely services, and more options for wellness programs to stay healthy.
After following a path through higher education, your behaviors may generally change. Through your interactions with your friends, your professors, and everyone else on campus, and what you’ve learned through your variety of courses, your health behaviors are generally better choices than without having a college degree.
People with higher levels of education also generally have a better social network, just like stated previously. Because you have such a wide network, you are able to get support from them in times of need.
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Do These Sound Like Great Benefits of Going to College?
Hopefully now you know the answer to your questions: Should I go to college? and Is attending university important? You may even be excited about going to college because of all of the opportunities you’ll have.
Now you have to figure out where you want to go! Do you want a small school or a large school? Do you want to study on the west coast or the east coast?
There are a lot of things you should take into consideration for where you should go to college. The benefits of college will last you forever, so choose a college you will love and enjoy spending time at.
For more advice on entering university and succeeding academically, check out our education articles on the Goodwall Blog. Thanks for reading!