Steve Olsen has a great list of “10 Things I Wish I Had Never Believed”. The whole list is awesome, and a great read. But today I want to focus on the 7th item on the list, “You can’t be successful without a college degree” . While a college degree does have some value, I do believe that it is not necessary.

What then is the point of a college degree? Shaun Boyd tells us that the True Value of a College Degree is it as a ticket to compete. It’s a good point, but it does give off a slightly wrong connotation. A college degree is a ticket to compete, and you need to make the most of it, not just sit on the degree and expect the degree to do the work for you. However, it is not the only ticket. There are many competitions you can choose from, and many tickets.

I think a college degree is vastly overrated. Especially here in Singapore, people seem to think that you can’t do anything without a degree. People assume that if you want to do something with your life, you must have a degree. The reactions I’ve gotten when I told people I’m considering not going to a university have been really extreme, and mostly go along the lines of “Then what do you plan to do with your life?” It’s almost as if a degree is the ONLY way to make something of your life. It isn’t.

What do you think? Is a college degree really necessary to succeed? Why or why not?