Sure, it’s a pre-constructed path laid out for you to achieve some definition of success in life – but that wasn’t my definition.
College isn’t necessary. Now, from the privileged background I come from, this is certainly very easy for me to say. It’s even more so considering the fact that I’m pursuing a career in professional sports, where having a college education would add almost no value my ambition.
While this decision was frightening (and in fact, it still frightens me), the payoff can be immense. Going to college would have given me a very clear career trajectory: gradute, interships, job, maybe a Master’s, work, retire. But where’s the fun in that?
Life’s fun when there’s risk involved. Don’t you enjoy the thrill when you’re on a roller coaster and you’re at the top of a loop, about to drop and gain ferocious speed as your legs dangle from the sky?
Now some may say that you shouldn’t take major life decisions just because they make you feel like you’re on a roller coaster. And that’s true. This wasn’t a spontaneous, impulsive decision. It was perhaps more calculated than the decision people make regarding which college to attend.
But what were my key reservations behind attending college, you may ask?
- Irrelevant for my desired career
- Enabled me to create opportunities without the restrictive environment of college
- Societal trends moving away from college education being a necessity for success
- Who am I kidding? It’s stupidly expensive
A cricket career in India doesn’t require a college degree. While I’d be a fool to compare myself to one of the greatest of all time in Sachin Tendulkar, he failed his 9th grade exams, so me and my parents unanimously agreed that college would add no value for my chosen career.
When talking about creating opportunities, there is so much more I can do with my life, freed from the powerful grasp of college’s rigid schedules. Not only does this mean I fully have to take responsibility of my schedule, creating a sense of accountability, but it allows me, and in fact, encourages me to take up other things in my free time. This is why I’m learning a new language, doing contract work for a clean-tech solar start up, doing a course on full stack development, teaching English and academic writing to high school and college students, and, recently, this blog! It’s this freedom that has created the internal motivation to keep at something productive and useful even when I’m not actively working on my primary skill (cricket). I believe this experience has afforded me a broader opportunity for personal growth compared to what I might have experienced in college, allowing me to become a more well-rounded individual.
Now, while you wouldn’t want your heart surgeon to be a non-college graduate, most fields are moving away from necessitating a college degree, as it simply isn’t required to be competent or excel at your job. While learning the mandatory skills and seeking to expand your knowledge-base still remains critical for success, this is achievable without a college education, and society is starting to acknowledge that. The Harvard Business Review in 2023 discussed that many jobs are moving away from requiring a college degree, and in fact, many students themselves, despite completing college, feel they are still under-qualified (and several businesses concur with this sentiment). This is why many organisations, such as Google, now offer career certificates that can be completed for cheaper and in a much shorter time to actually prepare individuals for work. These certificates enable candidates to instantly qualify for an in-demand job, and as such, data shows that from 2017 to 2021, the percentage of jobs requiring a college degree fell from 51% to 44%. This figure is only declining, and certificates are not the only way to prepare yourself and succeed. In the end, it’s the experience that trumps the education.
Some people get an education without going to college. The rest get it after they get out.
Mark Twain
And finally, it’s expensive. Sure, you might be able to afford it. But take a look at the opportunity cost of paying for college. What’s the ROI? And if you can achieve financial success whilst deploying such capital elsewhere, why wouldn’t you?
Based on these arguments, I’d taken the decision to not go to college. It didn’t seem worth it, and 3 years down the line, it still seems like I made the right decision. I have no regrets. Chasing my dreams, learning new skills, encouraging a self-motivated personal growth journey, all while saving my parents the hassle of spending $200,000.
I can safely say that college definitely wasn’t for me; and if you look at things carefully, you may find that it may not be for you either – and that’s totally fine! You’ve got plenty of opportunities and if you do decide to take the leap of faith, fully dedicate yourself and work towards your goals!
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