Introduction
From the time one is in school, the idea is already built that your major purpose is to study at school, get a degree and then look for a job. When one comes to the reality of the world and explores the many options out there, one realizes that this is not necessarily the case. Whether you get a college degree or not, your hard work can get you places depending on what your career line is. Let us see what percentage of the population has a college degree.
What percentage of the population has a college degree?
Keeping this in mind, many people of late choose not to compulsorily do college and get a degree. While earlier a college degree may have seemed crucial, it’s not that you can’t live without it.
If you’re considering not getting a degree, you want to know some numbers. Around 42 percentage of the population is said to have a college degree. Why the rate is so low and what the others do are some answers you can find via this article!
What classifies as a college degree?
Everyone knows what a college degree is. To give a gist, it is a certified academic degree or achievement you earn in any field or subject. It is an official completion of the education in a particular field that is given by a college or a professional educational institution or university.
A college degree is a vague term and is used in multiple cases. When you say college degree, you could be referring to a 4-year undergraduate course or even a graduate course. Some people even use the term for other courses of the like that are provided by a college or university. It has its perks, and it brings you recognition and accreditation. Knowing you’re from an identified university can get you places. But the world has started looking beyond these as well.
Percentage of the population having a college degree and reasons affecting the same:
As per statistics, a total of 42% of Americans hold a college degree. Although this itself seems low considering the importance given to the idea of a degree, other statistics are still lower. Globally, only 6.7% of people have a college degree. These stats are mostly from individuals of 25 years but include other age groups as well. There are many reasons for the same, of which the major ones are lack of resources and financial aid or even having other achievements in hand.
Have a look at a few reasons that affect the percentage of the population having a college degree:
Availability of resources
Many students and individuals don’t always have access to material and good quality institutes. After high school, many students drop out due to a lack of basic resources to avail of a college degree. The high requirements of GPA and other scores during the admission process also decrease the chances of students being able to get enrolled for a college degree.
Finance
The fees and other financial requirements are almost impossible for many. If you want quality education, you need to fill the bills. Apart from that, other expenses like moving in, living, and so on if you are abroad make it tougher financially. Therefore, many students may drop out and a college degree is no longer on the cards.
Plans
There is a lot you can do without a college degree today. If you want to start your business or continue a family one, you don’t need a college degree. Moreover, if you’re on the creative side of jobs, you may not need a degree. Many individuals opt for the many innovative jobs of today that recruit based on performance rather than grades and a degree.
Perks at workplace
Depending on where you want to work and what your job would be, you can decide if you need a college degree or not. Certain jobs pay higher wages or have a higher recommendation for those with college degrees. This may be the reason why you’d want a degree. However, if you know you’re not interested in a corporate business or can manage without the recommendations, you’d do just fine without a degree which is why many leave that out.
Other milestones
A college degree is outdated compared to the many opportunities introduced today. Students have started doing start-ups, projects, part-time jobs, and even internships. Apart from these, there are several courses and programs in just a short period that prove very significant on your resume. When you have all these options that save time and give more perks, you’ll choose these over a college degree!
Psychological reasons
There could be mental reasons why you choose or don’t choose to do college and get a degree. While that 42% may be getting their degree for development and self-esteem, others prefer to leave it out and get on with the real work-life already. Simply put, it’s a matter of whether or not you want to spend those 4 years studying when you know you have other options ahead of you.
Scope
No doubt a college degree increases the scope for individuals. The certification and recognition mean something at your workplace. Mind you, with the standards and working policies of today, many companies are overlooking degrees and scores and moving to practical forms of testing. While a college degree may be important on your resume, at work your performance and skills mean more. This also affects whether or not one opts to get a college degree.
Market world and communications
A college degree includes time, those 4 years that you give. In those 4 years, along with studying you’ll increase your network and get yourself out there. You build on your market relationships through college and its facilities. Many opt for a college degree for this reason. However, no one said you can’t do the same once you begin working or even later!
Conclusion
A college degree is a matter of what you want to do. It is no longer a compulsion and that fact has affected the percentage. However, this solely depends on the kind of job you’re looking for and the other certifications and benefits you have to offer.
FAQs
- Do you need a college degree?
Not really. But it is risky to go without a college degree unless you have other achievements as efficient as that of a degree or unless you know what you want to do and have your plan of action in place.
- Why is the global percentage of people opting for a college degree so low?
The global percentage is low mainly due to a lack of resources and also the vast job and income opportunities available without a degree.
