Does a college degree give you happiness?

By Crystal Marie

From the time I was in elementary, I was always told that the best way to live a good life was to graduate high school and go to college. That all jobs would soon require a Bachelor’s degree. So I did as I was told, though there were times I felt a little lost, and unsure of who I wanted to become. The one thing I knew, was that I wanted to be joyful. After high school, I attended college an experience I do not regret. However while I was in college, I had a professor who told the class he felt that all college freshmen should explore the world their first year out of high school as what changes your perspective on things are our experiences. When he said that, it resonated with me, when all you’ve known is the neighborhood you’ve lived in, have you truly learned what the world has to offer? Have you learned that life isn’t always full of joy? For many the answer is yes, for some however the answer is no. The professor mentioned his own experiences traveling the world and how he felt changed for the better. He spoke about his experiences with living in an unknown city, not knowing the language, meeting different people and having conversations with others about their life and how they got to become who they were. Though the semester flew, to this day I still remember that conversation with that professor.

While it seems like a difficult task to do as traveling is not always affordable. If classes like budgeting were learned at an early age, more people would take the opportunity to travel. Since then I’ve traveled to different places. However colleges do offer the Opportunity to travel, with their study abroad programs. Some are even offered for high school students and college graduates.

My primary experiences with travel are within the country I live in as depending on what region you find yourself in, will give you a different perspective of how people live, the way they pronounce things, if they get more sun, and an overall different scenic view. Some times it even influences the type of music you listen too. While living in California I would low key listen to country music but have the volume lowered as that type of music was not the norm. I generally like different genres. After living in Texas and and attending college I learned to be myself without wondering what people thought of me. I used the first two years in college to find out what really interested me. While I’ve met many people who generally knew what they wanted to become as adults, I was not one of those people. However I’ve met several people who are successful and did not attend college. So having a college degree does not mean you’ll be happy or successful. It just means you spent a few years in college earning a degree, hopefully in a profession you enjoy. What people should really consider is what they want to do, is it something that you’re passionate about? Do you see yourself doing that for the next 20 or more years? If not, try exploring different things and finding your niche. You must also determine if what you’re passionate about requires a degree. Some professions require a Masters or Doctorate degree, others only require a six month course. Be diligent and do your research on what you’re passionate about. Know the requirements.

In order to be happy, you must know who you are, and what you want to do for the rest of your life. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll do it forever, sometimes its a stepping stone to get to where you want to be. If you want to go to trade school and become a plumber, do it. I know some who run their own company and earn more money than some people with a masters degree. So at the end of the day, the degree is not what makes you happy, its about doing something you enjoy. I’ve heard the saying “if you do something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life”. While that sounds nice, you do work. Be it running a business, being an entertainer, being a teacher, activist, artist, etc. You still have to put in effort. However if it’s something you are passionate about, you won’t feel unwilling to put in extra effort to accomplish goals. I’ve met people who went to college earned their degree and then decided they wanted nothing to do with that profession. I’ve also met people who have gone to college only to take random classes because they are unsure of what they want to do. If you are unsure, take all of your basics or attend a community college while deciding. It’s far more affordable and you can always transfer to a University.

Have a goal and create an outline with a timeframe. Look at it as often as possible, create smaller steps to get to your goal so that you’re more likely to accomplish that goal. Finding happiness in what you do is important. Don’t let others deter you from who and what you want to become. Just be aware of how you will financially support yourself. Are your expectations real? My degree in education has afforded me several opportunities as there were years I’ve taken a break and found other occupations that required a college degree. The degree I earned has brought me happiness, but its what I’ve done with my degree that brought about true happiness.

If you feel that college will bring you happiness, then apply to your dream school, but also apply to others. If you don’t get into the school of your choice but are accepted into others, determine what steps you’ll take to get to your end goal. Sometimes the goals we create need additional steps to be accomplished.

FTC Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. This in no way is at a cost to you, this is only if you decide you want to use the affiliate link. These links in no way affect my personal thoughts over a topic. All content written is my own personal opinion.