With growing concerns around student loans and their resulting debt, one of the biggest questions on high school graduates’ minds is, “is college necessary for a successful future?” While the answer is not a simple yes-or-no, we’re here to help!
We know that once you have a few important facts laid out in front of you and you factor in your particular desires, it’s easier to determine whether you can be successful without college or not.
To help you through this conundrum, here’s a few things to consider!
Is College Necessary for a Successful Future?
A big part of the answer depends upon a variety of underlying factors along with your chosen path in life. If your ideal career can be started, sustained, and grown without a college degree, then you can probably be successful without college. However, if higher education is absolutely required for your chosen profession, there might not be any other way around the need to get a college degree to include on your resumé.
For instance, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit and the financial means, you may not need a college degree to achieve your goal of launching your own business. In a case like this, you can probably be successful without college!
Conversely, if you want to go into a profession that requires special education, you’ll need to go through the process of attaining a college degree to join the ranks of successful people. In these cases, the absence of a college education will prove to be a barrier to success for you as well as your plans for the future.
As a result, college is necessary for success in a variety of professions. The exceptions are only seen in career branches that either do not require a college degree or offer entry-level positions without higher education requirements.
What Type of Professions Call for a College Degree?
There are many professions that make college necessary for a successful future with them that includes climbing the corporate “ladder.”
To give you some insight, here are some of the most popular career branches and their varying requirements for a college degree.
Do You Need College To Be a Real Estate Agent?
You don’t need a college degree in order to be a real estate agent or find a job at a real estate firm. With that being said, getting at least a bachelor's degree can increase your chances of getting hired by prestigious real estate firms.
While working as a real estate agent is a job that doesn’t require a degree, you still need to go through real estate courses. These courses then lead you towards obtaining your real estate license that is necessary for this line of work.
Do You Need College To Be a Police Officer?
A college degree is not required to become a police officer. In fact, a high school diploma is the main educational requirement that many law enforcement agencies require from your end.
If you want to stand out of the crowd, your past experience as a service member or security personnel can help you achieve this feat. While it is a way to be successful without college as an entry-level officer, earning a bachelor’s degree can boost your chances of climbing this career ladder.
Do You Need College To Be a Firefighter?
You don’t need a college degree to be an entry-level firefighter. In such cases, you can easily use your high school diploma to try for a job at your local fire station. This helps you enter the workforce while doing some good in the world.
But getting an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree in subjects such as fire science can increase your chances for advancing in this line of work. This makes it important to get a degree if you want to make a career out of helping people.
Do You Need College To Be a Flight Attendant?
Becoming a flight attendant does not require you to have a college degree. But as with most career branches, having an associate degree or a bachelor’s degree can heighten your chances of getting hired and promoted by reputable airlines.
Some specialized courses or tutoring can also help you gain an edge over the plethora of candidates that you are competing with. Besides helping you get a leg up during the hiring process, this education can also support you during your job.
Some Careers Make It Impossible to Advance Further Without College
Select career branches also make it a strict requirement for you to have a college degree. These occupations include but are not limited to the following:
- Doctor
- Registered Nurse
- Physical Therapist
- Teacher
- Architectural Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Computer Engineer
- Lawyer
What Line of Work Does Not Require a College Degree?
If going to college isn’t an option for you, no problem at all! You can consider the following career branches that don’t require you to have a college degree. With that in mind, it’s important to understand that most of these options come with the stipulation of being self-employed or having a non-permanent status of work.
These options include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Transport/Delivery Driver
- Freelance Writer
- Bartender
- Actor
- Massage Therapist
- Fitness Worker
- Graphic Designer
- Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner
Manage Your College Requirements With Ease
So, is college necessary for a successful future? At the end of the day, it all depends on what your career path is and how you view success! If the profession you’re interested in doesn’t require a college degree to get started or to advance, then college is not necessary to be successful. If you are looking to get into a profession that requires a college degree at any stage, then you do need college to be successful.
At Schoolhouse, our tutoring solutions allow you to breeze through the requirements of college education and help you advance in a career of your choice. Sign up today to take one of our college prep courses for free!