By Josh Burk
In our modern day, does your child need a college degree to become President of the United States? Short answer: probably yes. Just look at our last election to find both nominees –Mitt Romney and Barack Obama—Harvard alumni. That’s not to mention the Yale connections of the Bush and Clinton families.
Now, college does not make a student smart. Colleges do, however, attract smart students. From industry to civil rights, some of the most important and powerful luminaries of our generation have university roots: Martin Luther King Jr., Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, and even Bill Gates (who dropped out of Harvard).
On average, a college graduate makes $1,000,000 more per lifetime than a high-school graduate. For employers, a college degree shows initiative. If a student can spend four years working full-time in class for the potential of a future employment, it usually translates into the ability to work for a bi-weekly paycheck. Beyond this, college graduates have a broad knowledge base upon which they can evaluate the world. Having taken required courses in economics, literature, history, science, and math, university grads learn to think for themselves and solve advanced multi-disciplinary problems.
Should every student pursue higher education? No. If your child wants to work in a technical vocation, the arts, or a family business, he or she should consider the pros and cons of a college degree before making a final choice. Four years is a long time to spend on a Bachelor’s degree if the piece of paper received does little to enhance one’s career.
For all others, college should be a strong consideration, especially if your child is leadership focused, interested in technology, entrepreneurial, or passionate about politics. For the next Ronald Reagan or Sam Walton or Mark Zuckerberg, college is a critical starting point. In college students learn vital skills, make connections with business and political magnates, and solidify a reputation for hard work and intellectual ability.
