'Look at college as a consumer'Įarning your bachelor's degree is often expensive, which scares off a lot of students. While it's definitely possible to find career and financial success without a college degree, Davis says, having a bachelor's gives you more flexibility and resilience to what he calls 'vocational adversities.' These can be unexpected, challenging events, like a layoff, or positive changes like landing a promotion or moving to a new city. But Davis is also a clinical psychologist with years of experience lecturing on building resiliency, community and self-awareness.Ī bachelor's can make it significantly easier to develop your career, either by getting a job in a new field or allowing you to pursue an advanced degree. 'For many people, is an insurance policy.'Īs a college professor, he admits he's a little biased in favor of higher education.
'It really depends on how career-minded you are, how much career diversity you want, how much vocational resilience you want to build into your work life,' says Davis.
Making the decision for your child probably won't go over too smoothly, either.īut is the traditional 4-year college experience still the right choice for every student? With the statistical outcomes for college graduates so strong, it can be jarring for parents to face a child who tells them they don't want to go.
