Why University is Important

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

I often find myself frustrated at still being in full time education. I think that if I wasn’t, maybe I’d be more successful, running my own business full time, or working my way up the career ladder. To be honest, I don’t think university is for everyone and in some cases it can be a complete waste of time, for a variety of reasons. However, this post is not about the negatives. I do believe that studying for a degree does have many benefits:

You get a degree

The most obvious benefit of university is that you earn a degree (hopefully!) by the end of it. So what? Well, of you want to work for a big company, a degree is a pre-requisite to get your foot through the door. The days of starting at the bottom and working your way up a company are mostly gone so a degree is a good thing to have to start a successful career. I am not saying those people without degrees are less talented or knowledgeable than does who have them, but a degree does give you the credibility that many employers look for.

You learn about a specific topic.

If you choose to study business, you learn about business. By the end of a degree you will be more knowledgeable about the subject than before you started. Obviously you could gain this knowledge by working for yourself or for someone else, but if you do want to be more knowledgeable about a specific topic before you jump into your own business, a university degree is a pretty safe option.

You have time to think and mature.

When many people leave school, they do not have too much life experience. Many will not have lived alone before and some people may not have had a job before. Going away to university, in a different city than your own at least, provides many young people with the opportunity to mature into adults. This maturity can be gained through other means, but again, its a fairly safe option.

Furthermore, many young people aren’t sure what exactly they want to do with their lives. Three years at university provides more than enough time for these young people to make decisions.

You have time in general.

You may never have as much free time as you get at university. And used wisely, this free time could be the making of you as a person. You can develop interests, skills and experience that you will have with you forever and I don’t believe you have the time to do this as much when working.

You meet many people and make contacts.

You meet so many people at university. A lot of these people you will dislike and find annoying. But you will also meet some life long friends and people who will be useful to you in the future.

Unfortunately, as I have said, a degree is a pee-requisite for many jobs and so it is essential for many young people to have now a days. I don’t like this fact at all, but sadly its the way it is. If we make the most of our time at university, we can certainly come out with more skills and experience than we had before. And at least you will have that degree forever, as a back up, just in case.