We all grew up wondering what we each wanted to do in our life, some of us wanted to be doctors, astronauts, princesses and race car drivers. But now that everyone is in high school those dreams are slowly turning into reality. It all comes down to what college you want to attend to succeed in your future job. If you don’t want to go to college, society expects you to have a set plan right after high school no matter what you decide to go into.

Each and every day, students are working hard in high school, taking Honors and AP classes, taking classes that match up for what they want to proceed in for a future job, making sure their grades and GPA are high in order to succeed in going to college.

But it all comes down to the students to decide if college is worth it?

Is it worth all the stress? Is it worth all the money that will be spent on college? Or should students take a different path other than college and aim for a cheaper and possibly a less stressful way in order to succeed in life and get a good job. Students go through the daily struggle of figuring out their life paths as teenagers, it can be difficult for some because minds can change on what they want to do with their life. It all comes down to a person if college is worth it to them. 

According to Forbes advisor, “Georgetown University predicts that 70% of all jobs will require some college education by 2027. Without higher education on your resume, it may be more difficult to find a high-paying job, and competition for available opportunities will be fierce.”

The majority of jobs do need some sort of degree or college education degree in order to get a good high paying job. Without some kind of education or degree it could be slightly more difficult to have a successful job leading to a more successful life. Although the cons to attending college are that you’re going to be in some sort of debt and paying off college loans if you did have to pay for college by yourself. But if you do get a high paying job because of your college education you could pay off those loans with the high amount of money you could make.

In a recent Norwin student poll 100 percent of the students who took this survey said they were attending college and 66.7 percent of students felt pressured to attend college. While 33.3 percent said they did not feel pressured to attend college.

Some students explained they want to go to college because it is the best option for them later down the road, and job opportunities would be greater if they had a college education to put on their resume. Another similar response is that they need college in order to be successful in life. 

“I do want to go to college for a better understanding of my chosen field,” Carlee Johnson (11) explained. “But it’s hard to find affordable options and the pressure about it being “the right fit” is overwhelming.”

In the Norwin High School poll “Is college worth it?” 72.2 percent of students said they think you can still succeed in life without college but 28 percent  of the students said the opposite. 

“I feel like there is a societal pressure to go to a “good college”, as well as a pressure to major in something that is guaranteed to get you a good job,” Liz Szymanski (12) stated. “Regardless, I want to go to college because I want to learn more about my field of study and transition into the real world.” 

Students explained in the poll how they were influenced to attend or not attend college. The majority of the students picked they were influenced by their career path, themselves, parents and teachers or counselors.

Students felt that college is very important for their own future. About 66.7% felt strongly that they needed college in order to succeed in their future life.

“I do want to go to college so I can have a higher paying job when I’m  older and I want to have all the experiences that come along with it,” Joseph Cramer (9) said. “I do feel some pressure from people in my life to go to college, but I know they just want the best for me, and I think I would want to go to college even if they didn’t pressure me.”

It is important for you to map out your future plans. Whether it involves college or not. Only you can make your life successful and have a set plan for life. So, it all comes down to, Is college worth it?