4 Ways College Degrees Are Still Relevant in 2024

As seen on Forbes.

The popularity of college degrees has certainly taken a hit. The recent sentiment is that college education costs have become exorbitant, and earning one doesn’t guarantee success in your career after graduation. With college degrees costing roughly $36,436 per student per year and more and more companies no longer requiring college degrees for hiring, it’s easy to see why. After all, if Elon Musk says you don’t need it, then you’re better off without a diploma, right?

Well, not quite. Because even though college degrees are no longer a requirement for many top companies, they still hold a lot of merit and weight. As for me, I loved my four years at UC Irvine and would not change a thing even if I could. Here are four ways college degrees are still relevant in 2024.

1. You Learn More Than Just The Subject Matter

One of the most common arguments against getting a college degree is that with the rise of online education and e-learning platforms, there’s no reason to spend thousands of dollars and four years of your life (not to mention 20 years to pay off student loans) to educate yourself. 

While alternative modes of learning are a welcome development, they alone don’t make college degrees worthless. Because in a university environment, you learn more than just your coursework. 

In college, you learn everything from time management to people skills as you navigate various academic challenges and social situations. You’re taught not only the core subjects of your degree, but you’re also acquainted with the other fields that inform it. If you love learning, then a college degree can be of great value to you.

2. College Is The Time To Explore

The structured environment of a university fosters personal growth and development in ways that are difficult to replicate through self-directed online learning or even trade school. Given the structured format, this can seem counterintuitive at first.

However, the pre-planned curriculum is already designed with exploration in mind, as you can choose electives, minors, and even double majors that complement your primary area of study. These choices allow you to tailor your education to your interests and aspirations, encouraging exploration within a structured framework.

Outside the classroom, you can also join sports teams, clubs, and extracurricular activities, further enhancing personal growth and development. In the long term, any of these experiences can open you up to opportunities down the road.

While it is true that half of college graduates end up in fields they didn’t major in, the various activities that they partook in along the way likely led them to the career they eventually settled in.

3. College Gives You Excellent Networking Opportunities 

Perhaps the greatest advantage of pursuing a college degree (and getting into a good school) is the networking opportunities you can take advantage of during and after your life on campus. Despite their up and down relationship, it was while studying at Harvard that Mark Zuckerberg met his friend Eduardo Saverin, whose initial investment of $15,000 helped start Facebook. 

Meanwhile, Google was created by Stanford alumni Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who met each other on campus. It was also on the same campus that Even Spiegel, Reggie Brown, and Bobby Murphy met. They later established Snapchat.

Successful entrepreneurs and inventors come from all kinds of backgrounds, and universities definitely don’t have a monopoly on success. But it’s clear that pursuing a college degree puts you in the company of people with similar ambitions, passions, and intellect. The connections you make during your college years can prove to be invaluable assets throughout your life and career.

4. They (Still) Help You Get a Job 

It’s true that many of the world’s top companies no longer require college degrees, but that doesn’t mean you can just get those jobs straight after graduating from high school. Recruiters only bypass the college degree requirement in order to prioritize work experience and demonstrable work experience, both of which are easier to obtain with a college degree. 

This is because, as a fresh graduate, a college degree allows you to leverage some of the pull and reputation that your alma mater may have. In the absence of prior work experience, a college degree serves as a form of credential and validation of your abilities and demonstrates your commitment to learning and ability to complete a rigorous form of study successfully. 

At the end of the day, the decision to pursue higher education will come down to what the student wants and prioritizes. If you already know exactly what you want to do and can get hands-on experience in that field, college may not be right for you!

But if you are like the majority of young adults and want some time to explore different paths, socialize with others, and spend time learning different fields you enjoy, enrolling in college could be your path. Good luck!