Not everyone needs a College Education to be Financially Successful in Life - Essay Example

Exemplification Essay: Is a College Education Necessary for Success? One of the aspects of contemporary life in America is increasing pressure to attain a college education. With this pressure to attain a degree, large amounts of students have taken out loans and gone into significant debt as a means of living up to these social expectations. Still, questions remain as the exact efficacy of a college education and whether it is truly necessary for success. While it’s clear that a college education is necessary for a number of careers, it’s also clear there are many avenues to success where a college education is unnecessary.

Through an analysis of people who have attained success without a degree, careers where a college education is not necessary, and alternative methods of achieving financial success, this essay demonstrates that it a college education is not necessary for financial success. Although there are many people that have found success through their college education, there are also a number of individuals that have found success without a college degree. One of the most prominent examples is that of Bill Gates.

Throughout his childhood Gates had cultivated an interest in computer technology. While he attended Harvard for a semester he quickly recognized that he would find more success if he concentrated on his personal business. Gates would become to richest man in the world. While Gates’ example is extreme, such instances readily occur in smaller situations on a frequent basis. While a college education is necessary for success in careers such as medicine, there are a number of careers where a college education is not necessary.

In large part college contains courses within specific academic disciplines, such as science, sociology, or mathematics. Although a number of career implement this higher-level thinking, for other careers such knowledge is extraneous. For example, the career of a construction worker, a plumber, or many times grocery and restaurant managers are learned not through formal education, but real world experience. With dedication and hard work it is possible for an individual without a college degree to gradually gain promotions or increased clients and in time find more financial success than individuals with a college education.

Although a high paying job is very helpful for achieving financial success, there are many things that contribute to financial success that don’t involve a college education. Benjamin Franklin famously noted that a penny saved is penny earned. Indeed, one of the primary things that contribute to financial success is structuring one’s lifestyle so that money is conserved. One considers that famous rap star M.C. Hammer once had millions, but because of his poor spending habits went bankrupt.

Conversely, individuals without a college degree who are only able to secure low paying jobs can oftentimes find financial success through conservative approaches to money and spending. In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that it’s possible to achieve financial success without a college education. In these regards, it has shows people who have attained success without a degree, careers where a college education is not necessary, and alternative methods of achieving financial success.

Ultimately, while a college degree can certainly contribute to financial success, there also exists a variety of avenues one can find this success without an post-secondary education.