Is college useless?

No, college is critical. In college, you learn how to think for yourself, get challenged by and exposed to a myriad of different ideas. You learn about yourself and the world. While an advanced degree may also, eventually, be helpful, a college degree is an essential step to havin a successful career and life. I suggest taking a plethora of different subjects - economics, philosophy, arts, history, business, etc... Expose yourself to everything and every idea you can! And enjoy it; life doesn't get easier afterwards. In fact, if you do it right, college can be some of the best years of your life.

In my opinion earning a college degree is absolutely necessary in this day and age. If you are worried about debt, you should consider a good community college such as LaGuardia Community College in NYC which I partnered with on a small business program. How about earning a 2 year degree from a tech school where you learn a specific, transferable skill? If I could do it all over again I would get my MBA because I worked at a investment bank and your education level dictates your salary.

Hi Tiffanie!

You asked a very interesting question.

The answer is an individual one pertaining to a person's particular situation. One might say the purpose life is to determine our skills, abilities, attributes, etc. and to be able to develop them to the betterment of mankind and the world. To adequately apply these qualities to that intended purpose, sometimes training and education are necessary.

It can be, I guess compared to food.

One can pick an apple off of a tree and eat it and enjoy it. Which is OK - and could be compared, possibly, to someone just completing high school and thus prepared to participate in desired career and make their contribution that way.

However, another person might be inclined to take that apple and apply some effort and create an apple pie, which is OK also - and could be compared possibly to someone who completes some type of further training (technical, community college, etc) to thus prepare to participate in desired career and make their contribution that way.

The key, it seems, is to get to know oneself enough to recognize talents, skills, abilities, etc and seek ways to develop and apply them to the maximum effect.

Talking to one's teachers, counselors, etc. might help to enlighten a person regarding ones ability to make such a contribution and what preparation might be appropriate.

The decision, as I stated is an individual one. One that may be elusive, but one, when discovered, will make life satisfying and fulfilling.

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>

This professional recommends the following next steps:

• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>