My family had a very interesting discussion this past Sunday during my daughter's graduation party.
Before we move on any further, yes. I now have a high school graduate. No, I am not okay. I am so proud of her, but holy moly. This is so weird. Bittersweet. All the things. Crazy new season I am currently entering and I am just speechless and still processing.
Anyway, back our discussion. My sister mentioned that she does not believe that college is a requirement and that a four year degree is not as important or valuable as it once was. My fiance disagreed, and believes that a person choosing not to get their degree may not be able to get the higher wage earning jobs that are out there. I sat there, silent, because I was a couple margaritas in and honestly, I am a lot more vocal and opinionated when alcohol is in the equation. Best to keep my mouth shut.
I am currently sans alcohol so now, I will speak freely. Cackles gleefully
A caveat here before I give my opinion. Yes, I do recognize that there are particular industries where training, certification and licensing is required. My brother in law and several of my friends are attorneys. Therefore, they had to go to school and they has to pass their state bar in order to be able to practice law. I also have friends who work in medical care. I also believe that educating ourselves, no matter what industry or field we choose to work in, is a no-brainer. We should constantly be evolving, constantly growing, constantly learning.
I just don't really believe that the expense for college tuition is really worth the ROI. College tuition has outpaced inflation over the last 20 years, and consider this when looking at the cost of sending your student to college:
And we are shocked at the cry for those asking for their student loan forgiveness, but I feel quite a bit of empathy for those students because they are literally drowning in debt before they even make enough income to pay it back. I get it. They took out those loans and they should be expected to pay it back. However, I don't think any of us, especially those of us who were born between 1981-1996, really anticipated how insanely expensive college would cost us all as it was being touted in nearly every grade level that college was of utmost importance.
In speaking with my daughter about her own post high-school plans, she will be attending a local community college that offers what they call a promise program, which basically allows them to pay no tuition for the first two years of school. She then plans to attend either a UC or a Cal State and have her credits transferred. In looking over tuition and fee costs, as well as what her dad and I will contribute toward her education, and what my daughter will need to be financiall responsible for (my fiance and I don't believe in paying 100% for everything. We have to let them learn on their own, especially as adults).
We are now in 2024 and honestly, there are so many ways that people can make a really good living. Personally, I just hate the language that holds people back. They are afraid to make the next move or take that next step in their career or business because there is still the belief out there that a 4 year degree will guarantee that you aren't capped. I just find that so hard to believe and honestly, I have never been one to not take up space in places people told me I had not business being in. I brought my own damn chair, or hell, built my own table.
You see, I am a woman without a college degree. One may even suggest to me and even to you that I am not educated enough to have an opinion on this subject. However, I am a voracious reader. I learn by doing and I pay attention. So excuse me, Chad, but I do have an opinion and I will share it.
I will be honest and tell you that my research the last couple of days has shown me that women without a college degree do tend to suffer the most. That is mostly due to the fact that most high paying jobs are marketed to men, at least, based on this article from 2018. When I was going through my own job search in early 2023, I saw that many jobs on Indeed listed the bachelor's degree requirement for even an entry level administrative assistant position. If you do not consider yourself an entrepreneur and you prefer the stability of the workplace, then perhaps that is why a degree is so crucial to most, especially women.
I don't want to take away from the incredible women who have worked their butts off to earn their college degrees. Ladies, you should be incredibly proud of yourself. I am so supportive of you, and I applaud you! Go out there and crush it! Truly. I am so freaking proud of you.
These are merely my opinions and my thoughts after doing some reading of my own, and listening in on a conversation between people I love. I fall pretty heavily on the belief that the college degrees of today are not worth as much as they were 20 years ago. Due to my own experiences with having an online business and realizing that I can quite literally learn how to start a business from the ground up, thanks to YouTube and social media and the plethora of books I tend to collect, I just don't see myself, right now, going back to school to get a degree, hoping that it will open more doors for me. Maybe that will change? Like I said, we should always be evolving and growing and learning. So who knows. Your girl might post an update with a "I'm Going Back to School!" post.
I love gifs. If I can find a gif to use, I will use it.
And the reality is, I am kind of in school right now as it is. You all know that I am literally in my office/closet every day studying so that I am able to offer specifical financial services products. to my future clients. Without that, I cannot move forward in my career. So, that's that. We can't get around or eliminate every requirement that an industry or job may require of us. Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do. If you want it bad enough, you will do it, right? I have also read recently that workforce opportunities are improving for those without degrees, so some good news!
I will end with this: Degree or no degree, please do not take on this mentality that you are capped in life because you didn't go to college. If you did go to college, hold that diploma proudly, remember that it does not define you. You are not more or less valuable with or without your college degree. I promise you that there are a ton of opportunities out there for you. Your value is not tied to your diploma or what school you went to or what job you have. Those are societal rules that are placed on us by others. Truthfully, we really do get to decide what we want to do. We may have it a bit harder, and we may have to enter the school of hard knocks to learn along the way. Always remember though, YOU are worth the effort and you get to decide how much you are worth.
Rooting you on!
Your Dream BuildHer Bestie,
Tiffany Rhea
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