Should I Go to College or Work? [the truth about it all]19 min read

While some wonder if they should go to college, most consider going to college as all that matters. Yet the question remains, “should I go to college or work?”

Well, we’ll answer these questions (and more) today by analyzing the main idea behind going to college, so you would judge for yourself if it’s worth it, or not

let us begin with a little mental exercise, let’s imagine […]

The New Student

[…] you’ve gained the highly esteemed admission into one of the Universities and we are all happy; you know, millions of people weren’t granted this rear and valuable opportunity and it’s indeed worthy of celebration

so, you are now in school – all jolly and smiling

Anyway, even though I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I must inform you that unless you are one of those who already have people in the good spots in society most of your excitement would be anchored on the hope that you would finish school (within “4+X” years, depending on your course of study) and probably land a good job, in a good company, that would pay you good money without stressing you much, leaving you with enough time to have fun with your friends and family.

And remember, all these would be made possible because you would be given the right education and a Shiny piece of Paper at the end of your schooling years as confirmation of your education, right?

The education which, of course, would be fully infused into you within your X-years in school

 or would it?

The Birth of Specialists

let me rewind a little, back to the reason “universities” were introduced to our lives in the first place; of course, before the establishment of universities, or any other form of formal education, we had ways by which we communicated with one another, met our needs and a nurtured a general sense of meaning in our lives; food, shelter, clothing down to love (and sex) were all taken care of.

In other words, we had an existing way to live life happily; however, we wanted more. There were areas of our lives that could be improved upon and to do this we needed to be “educated” – this education was the Western education; 

Education was vital since in-depth knowledge had to be gained in a very narrow subject to make breakthroughs that could improve our lives. We needed the engineers (for the cars, computers, power lines, etc.), we needed the doctors (for surgeries, diagnosis, vaccines, etcetera), we needed people with very specific and thorough knowledge (in that area) in other to, you know, improve the quality of life. 

Thus, in a silent agreement, we all decided to become dummies in all other areas of life save the one we were specializing on – this was the birth of the specialists

The value of the specialist went off the roof as industries poured into the newborn country; with high rewards waiting for the educated people (the “specialists” as I prefer to call them) who could play the vital roles in these new companies.

That’s to say, the companies are the gears of the Industries, while the industries are the engines that drove the nation forward – however, this would imply that each individual was simply a cog in the system.

The clear distinction between the educated and the uneducated was their superior understanding of industrial jargons, demands, and a precious Paper (certificates) identifying them as “educated in X field” – in other words, the education produced “specialists” who would be “usable” by the industries to drive the country’s economy to the next level – the schools were producing the cogs

It was a great plan, and those who could afford to pay for the education (back then, when it was hard to find a graduate) were “used” by the companies to improve the country, and consequently, they ripped bountiful rewards for their participation

However, […]

Why They Built Schools

 […] education is a necessary TOOL for development, it is a means by which specialized knowledge in a specific area is acquired; this is so that the individual who has acquired this knowledge may help in the work already in progress

Note that some companies still make sure that they train their “New employees” by themselves because they want to further equip them with the right knowledge required to work in that organization…)

In essence, schools were originally designed to equip students with knowledge; and the ability to apply that knowledge is referred to as SKILL

Recommended Article: Top 3 Skills you must learn to live a good life

The Certificate May Not Be Worth it

Okay, now here’s the thing, your major aim of going to school is to acquire SKILLS (or at least, a skill)

I know you might be thinking, “yeah, we know already”, but I don’t think the majority of the readers understand the implication of this (if it were so, we wouldn’t have so much complaint about unemployment)

You see, life is larger than the school environment, and the society which has set up the school environment isn’t really interested in TITLES – they aren’t interested in your certificate (Trust me, what they need is your ability)

Recommended Article – The certificate is not worth it

You see, to some extent a good grade could help, but it won’t be enough in the world we live in today, for the simple reason that it is not what is needed.

The society is literally drowning in a pool of Graduates. There are countless people with certificates, and many more with half-baked skills, if any. I mean, you are not the only one capable of reading, or using a PC, neither are you the only one that can explain Radioactivity (not anymore) – you are no longer special for simply knowing those things. No one would clap for you for solving for “X” when they can easily say “Hey Google, how can I do ‘Y'”, and thus, society cannot help but sideline this plethora of Graduates in search of people who can serve the REAL-NEEDS of the society – that is to say, Society pays for Value and not degree

It’s the reason you must gain VALUE. Your aim in life should never be to get a certificate or to be congratulated, your aim should be to be valuable – whilst aiming to be invaluable (Note: Invaluable is not the opposite of valuable)

So, Should I Go To College (University)?

The answer is both Yes, and No

As I said, it is all about knowing what is important. Many people just want to go to college because all their friends are there – this is childish.

Many people do not know what they want to do with their lives (this is okay, in fact, many adults don’t even know what they are doing with their lives). This set of people should take out the time to discover themselves. They should try this and that, testing the waters to see what rings the inner bell of truth in them.

I, for example, have always loved drawing, but I never considered it a passion or even a career path until I found myself doing 5 years in University (learning a course which even though I fantasized about, I didn’t really love). 

You’re in school to gain a VALUABLE SKILL, therefore, if you are studying a course that makes you just want to write the exams and go home (to watch Netflix), you are wasting your time and life, and should quit wasting your guardian’s money as well, and go learn something that you want to be competent in

Learn something that you love. It may be hard, but if it’s something you love and want to become, no price is too much.

See, if you are not learning something you are passionate about, then there is little chance that you would put in enough time and effort into knowing everything about it and thus, it would be hard for you to be valuable in that field – and remember, society pays for value.

Many people just want to get a certificate (thinking it would save them), and that is exactly why they end up jobless and poor (or worse, get trapped in a job that sucks the life out of them).

Go to school because you want to learn a skill that you would use (whether employed or not). it should be something that you can’t just stop doing, something that you can invest your money into without feeling you’re wasting money – it should be something that can make you jump out of the bed excited and challenged.

If after years in the school environment you still feel unprepared for the real world, then you are most likely unprepared

So, start ASAP (as soon as possible) to build and develop valuable skills. If you wish to go to school to acquire this skill, that’s great. If you wish to become an apprentice, that’s even better.

whatever you do, become valuable.

I have friends who are good in programming who didn’t study it in school, and others who are very good in music and dancing who studied engineering, I excel in Drawing and of course writing, but this isn’t what I studied in school either

In essence, we get educated (in or out of school), our education gives us knowledge in a field, then we apply that knowledge skillfully and are paid money with which we solve our problems and satisfy our wants, right?

Wrong!!!, well, not entirely wrong…

Since we’ve come all this way, I just want to make a very important point, and it is that school is not for everyone (yes I said it), plus, most schools are not worth going to (yes, I said it again)

Is school Worth it?

It is funny how we learn to read the alphabets; I struggled with getting past J-K-L-M-N without switching the letters and twisting my tongue in an attempt to avoid people noticing – but they noticed (almost always).

I grew up to be a relatively smart kid (by “school” standards I mean), I was almost always amongst the top 3 right from my primary to secondary school years and at the university level, I still managed to scrap for myself a second class upper. 

But this is not about me.

You see, I had a younger one who found it (extremely) difficult to start reading. At first (Like most 12 years old’s) I picked on him with this, and whenever we had a fight (both physical and verbal) I always resorted to bringing it up, which as expected hurt his feelings badly (up to the extent of shedding tears). I was a mean brother until I stumbled upon an article somewhere on the internet…

The article was about Dyslexia; Dyslexia is a learning impairment. People with this condition find it naturally hard to read (even till old age); no amount of training can suffice. But then again, these people weren’t dumb. To my surprise (and probably yours), several celebrities we know do suffer from this condition. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Muhammad Ali, etcetera. In fact, there are even indications that historical icons such as Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, etcetera, also had the condition. 

This realization made me reflect on the fact that my brother was actually better in math than I was. I was filled with shame and remorse, after which I never picked on him (with that), ever again.

You might be wondering what to do. Well, my 2 cents (or Kobo) on the issue is that you should strive to find out what you want and more importantly what works for you before diving headfirst into the pool of the educational system (especially when it is not a privately-owned school – as private schools seem to carter for this problem to some extent by giving more specialized attention to peoples learning curve and pattern)

I think we all need to properly understand how this thing works, not just because it is a huge financial investment, but because it is also an incredible (and alarming) investment of time – Money we can always get back, but as for time, that’s a different story […]

A doctor, for example, surely needs to go to school to be indoctrinated into the system and even earn a license to practice, but someone aiming to become a professional programmer may have (absolutely) no use for that, as all they need is a little guidance on the principles of programming, and with constant practice, just like chess players, they would become better and better (till they become actual Masters, unlike the plethora of “Masters” that school produces, who can’t even create a simple webpage using HTML and CSS). 

Now, also think about the Musicians, Actors, Artists, Athletes etcetera, etcetera…does this set of people need a formal education to function in society?

For instance, I know a lot of highly skilled professionals in different sectors (who are living happily). I have friends who concentrated on architectural drawing, interior decoration, graphic designs, Art, livestock, etcetera… some are millionaires and are climbing to attain financial freedom (which means they would soon never have to work again) by simply doing something they learned as apprentices or taught themselves without investing years in school.

Choosing to go to school, therefore, requires one to think critically about the future before plunging headfirst into the school system, as it is designed to help train only a specific kind of people. These kinds of people include Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists etcetera… people who need years of study in a very narrow field, to serve a singular purpose. School is definitely not for everyone, especially leaders (entrepreneurs for example) who need to have ample knowledge in several fields to bring about innovation and change 

Note: this is not to say that this set of people don’t need education; what it means is that they don’t necessarily have to undergo education within the four walls of a school. These are people who need to have their skills and talents sharpened with real-life experiences and practical’s

This is not a discouragement to go to school. In fact, it’s the opposite. I am encouraging you to go to school if you feel you really want to learn a specific skill. However, there is the second problem with schools, and that’s the problem of quality […]

We Might Need New Schools

An unsettling thing about schools is that the “80/20” rule also applies to them, which is to say, only 20% of all the schools are (probably) producing 80% of the really competent (i.e. well educated) persons. Which is to further imply that just 4% of all the schools in the country produce 64% of the quality (employable) persons… this is the reason I say, you should be (very) wary if you’re not sending your child to a private school, as you might just be wasting both time and money.

From this, it is no longer hard to see the reason the rich without thinking twice send their children to the best schools (no matter the cost) and even fly them abroad (if they perceive that the schools locally available are trash – some schools are ingenious drains of both time, money and passion)

It is a piece of unsettling news I bring to you. When you think of it critically, it begins to drive you batty, considering the trillions that are thrown into education, not to talk about the all too precious time.

A lot of people dropped out of school and made it in life, some also dropped out and ended up miserable. The point, therefore, lies outside staying in school or dropping out but rather on the individual’s core drives.

When someone understands the reason behind a course of action, they usually accomplish their goals. Many people are sent to school, but instead of focusing on their education, they get distracted. Distracted by friends, parties, sex, etcetera… it’s almost as though they forget what they came for. Maybe they never understood why they are in school in the first place (and you should do them a favor by sharing this with them).

The issue is, many of us don’t get educated about life. We see school as just another bump in our Fastlane of life – we see it as a distraction. But the reality is, school is like a mechanic workshop, a place you go to get your engine fine-tuned (for a specific job) and then get a certificate which serves as your license. After schooling, you are supposed to perform a thousand times better in whatever field you went to school for. Sadly, many either go to a quack mechanic (as they are more abundant) or they fail to pay attention.

Note: school is just one of the (metaphorical) “mechanic workshops” as one can also learn as an apprentice and gain invaluable knowledge and skill that would skyrocket the quality of their lives (again, invaluable is not the opposite of valuable).

Thus, be wary of the danger of falling prey to the wrong school or Master

What You Must Do Now

After spending 5 years in school, and witnessing this whole drama first hand, I decided to write a Book where I properly educate the ones coming after me.

This book is divided into three sections that discuss, three important issues of young people growing up. 

Apart from academics, there are other crucial things every young person should be educated on, I’m talking about

Relationships ❤, Money ? and how to properly utilize social media ? for goodness sakes

During my 5 years in the University, no one thought me those things, but I devoted an ungodly amount of time reading about them and also practicing …

And I’m glad to say to you today that I have a book that can really help you to:

• ♦ Skyrocket your academic performance ? – I explained how you can tackle academics and other learning-related tasks. It’s full of tips and tricks to help you skyrocket your performance in school (I would be revealing secrets that all Top students use). You would also be given secrets to help boost your productivity and help you stop (or at least reduce) the habit of procrastinating

• ♦Upgrade your relationships ? – I outlined detailed procedures on how to interact with total strangers (and get them to like you), find a romantic partner (that won’t ruin your life), live with a roommate (happily), and even fix all of your other relationships. You can be that awesome person because you are the architect of your life (and now, I’m handing you the manuals)

• ♦Become financially independent? – I gave the full guide to making money in school, which included branding, marketing, etcetera, and even gave a link to some suppliers as well as guide and tips to getting started ASAP

• ♦Use social media better ? – the usefulness of social media is simply stunning, I explained extensively in the book. These days many people abuse, rather than use it. I would help expose some tips to aid you

• ♦And there are even extra sections? that you would discover once you grab your copy of this very relatable and special book.

Don’t worry, even if you haven’t read any book before, start with this: it comes with jokes and stories to make the reading experience delightful, and not only would you be getting really valuable education, you would also be entertained ☺ 

• ♦Plus, I’ve organized a free Blogging and Writing course that would be made available to everyone who gets a copy of the book

Remember to share this so all your friends and family if you thought this post was helpful. Leave a comment below, I’ll love to hear your opinion and thoughts

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