College Takes from a Recent Graduate

So I graduated last year and given graduation season is coming up, I have a few words of wisdom - controversial in fact if you are a young person.

Also, these are in the context of the Philippines so if you're from another country, some of these may not apply.

College isn't for everyone - but you have to have a good reason not to attend

I see a lot of young people and even adults say, "Bill Gates didn't finish college" or "There are many non college graduates who earn a lot of money". Of course, there are. But statistics aren't in your favor.

College isn’t for everyone but you need to have good reasons not to attend. Lack of money is one (because tuition fee isn’t the only reason why it’s unaffordable). Another is that you already have good and stable jobs with a growth path you are contented with. Seeing other success stories of non-college graduates isn’t.

College isn't meant to teach you everything

Your degree will not teach you everything you need for a job. That's alright. "So why would I pay a lot of money for this?" Because they teach you 70% of the technical skills you will need for the job.

Let's put it this way. Imagine you are the one in charge of designing the curriculum for Electrical Engineering. Electrical Engineers can work in power plants, semiconductors, utilities, construction, and maintenance after they graduate. How are you supposed to build a curriculum that lasts 4-5 years and makes sure they are 100% ready?

You can't. You can't teach a student every software or every niche industry knowledge they might need. But you can teach the fundamentals they will need once they enter the industry.

Once you graduate, employers know you're not 100% ready for the job. They know you don't have the industry knowledge and that you may not know the software they use (in fact, they may have built the software for themselves). Your degree simply shows they don't have to teach you everything from scratch.

Those "Useless classes" have a purpose

Yes - those GED courses you are required to take have a purpose. I loved my GED classes back in college and it was one of my most enjoyable classes. While some of them I will never need for a job, I genuinely appreciated the people I knew (because most of my classmates weren’t from my degree) and the additional viewpoints I discovered.

Well rounded graduates are needed and you can’t have them if all you learn are technical skills. Even a short background into Philosophy or Arts should be enough.

Choose your degree wisely - it will matter

Your degree will matter - but it does not mean it needs to be a STEM degree. There are many STEM degrees that do not lead to a good job or have very few opportunities (I won't name them). On the contrary, law, accountancy, and finance are not STEM but they have a lot of opportunities and growth in the industry.

Also, while you can always say, "There are people whose jobs aren't related to their degree" - you will have to spend twice as much effort as someone whose job is related.

Look, you or your parents will pay a lot of money for college even if neither of you aren't going to pay the tuition fee (those commute and lunch money don't come out of thin air). It isn't wrong to think of the ROI when choosing a degree.

Your grades will matter (but not in the way you think)

Your grades will indeed matter when you graduate but not because employers actually care about them (most of them will gloss over it). However, good grades develops good work ethic that is valued by every employer out there. And good grades in college needs good work ethic.

You don’t have to be a 1.0 GPA but don’t treat it as an afterthought. Dedicate time to study, learn when to relax, learn to ask for help, use the resources available to you, and so on. You will need these if you want to get far on a job.

Look, there are many problems with the current educational system. One of them is the rising costs if you can’t get into a state university and the underfunding if you do get into a state university. However, I still believe that college is still important for most young people. Not just the education - you can get most of it through YouTube. The people, the growth, and the fact that you have a fallback. Most jobs in our country needs a college degree for some reason so having a degree helps you give a foothold on the job market.