After high school, is a college degree needed?

Graduating high school and going off to college is on the minds of millions of students as graduation nears. A good many will start college and not finish. Some will get a bachelor's degree, and not use it. The question is, do you really need a bachelor's degree to get a good paying job?

Getting a college degree is expensive. Most students will graduate with a load of student debt. Not a good way to start off life. You need to think hard if your college degree will pay off. Just having a college degree does not mean a high paying job.

Consider these facts.

Half of the students starting college will not finish in 6 years or less. That means lot's of debt, no degree.

The majority of jobs that are growing do not require a college degree, or at not a bachelor's degree.

Accounting is a growing field that does indeed need a bachelor's degree. So does the job of a college professor. If that's not for you, think of the following.

Registered nursing is growing fast. You can become a registered nurse with a bachelor's degree, or even a 2 year degree. You could also go a step down to a licensed vocational nurse.

If even that's a lot of schooling for you, home health aides are also growing. Not much schooling is needed.

The service sector also is growing. Like department and other retail clerks. No college whatsoever. And you can go up the ladder.

Public schools do not really like to push vocational programs. For some reason, they push college. The fact is, most students will not finish college or need it. Schools need to do a better job of encouraging vocational trades.

If you go to college for 4 years, whether you graduate or not, you have spent a small fortune. If this does not get you anywhere, you now are 4 years older and out of the job loop.

If you choose to start college and are in a degree program where jobs are low paying and or scarce, you need to rethink your future plans.

Keep in mind that deciding to not go to college is against the current grain. It will be up to you to convince people that it is a wise choice. Do your research.