Are college degrees really required ?

With many successful entrepreneurs not graduating from college, it’s worth reconsidering the importance of formal education.

That’s a great question to consider in today’s context. With the advent of the internet, things have changed drastically. Students now have a plethora of knowledge sources at their fingertips, making this generation more advanced than the previous one. So, what’s next?

This gives us two choices:

1. Follow the Traditional Path: Acquire knowledge from the formal education system and go with the flow. This is ideal for those who want to pursue careers in science, arts, and other academic-oriented fields.

2. Forge Your Own Path: Create something that uplifts society and the world at large. These are the individuals we call entrepreneurs.

To have a balanced society, we need both types of choices. However, the number of followers of the second choice seems to be reducing compared to the rise in the first one.

History has shown that those who work to create something new are the ones who are remembered. But this mentality seems to be fading these days, as everyone seeks a happy and normal life. This choice makes people weak and frightens them from pursuing the second option. To give a sense of security, the first choice is preferred over the second. People rush to college to secure a degree and ensure their earnings, but this very sense of security destroys the risk-taking capacity of an individual.

So, what should one do? It’s good to go to college, get a degree, and get a job if you want to be in the first category—the follower. But if you want to create something on your own that has the potential to bring a positive change, then it is advisable not to prefer the first choice mentioned above, as it is bloated and cumbersome.

Consider these examples:

• Steve Jobs: Left college and started his own tech company, Apple.

• Bill Gates: Never graduated and now owns Microsoft.

• Elon Musk: Founder of Zip2, Tesla, SpaceX, and more, is also a college dropout.

No college degree holder matches their worth now. I’m not proposing to rebel against the formal education system, but it’s high time to change the way our formal education system operates.

You don’t need a college degree to become Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, or Bill Gates. All you need is a good idea and the sheer will to transform that idea into reality.

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