When I asked my parents why I should go to college, they gave me nebulous reasons that I still can’t figure out: “You need to find yourself,” “Complete your knowledge,” and “Because it’s what you’re supposed to do.” after high school, like everyone else.

Many years ago, I attended a private university. I already knew what I wanted to study, Spanish. The philosophy of this university was tough “old school”, designed to “eliminate” the weakest students. I managed to fail all of my first semester classes which included: biology, calculus, humanities, except beginning Spanish, the only class I liked and studied diligently. I wished I had taken more Spanish classes that semester, but since I failed the other three, I had to take them again in a year to get a lower grade. Also, to graduate from this university, it was necessary to enroll in a bunch of mandatory classes in more rigorous subjects that covered: Science, Mathematics, Economics, Religion, Literature, History, Western Civilization and a foreign language, of course, Spanish. order to graduate.

Instead, I dropped out of that school before my exhausting and boring sophomore year, second semester. So, I attended a more attractive university, where I discovered more avenues to study the Spanish language, including taking more basic Spanish and Latin American literature classes and traveling abroad. After graduating, I wanted to continue studying Spanish and was accepted into a public university where I studied for my master’s degree in Spanish literature and taught elementary Spanish to college students. I earned enough to pay my apartment rent, food, and tuition.

But according to the website Thoughtcatalog.com, the college is considered a “scam” because most students are blind by the time they complete a four-year college and still have no idea what they want to do as a career. They specialize in some subject area that only half matters to them. To make matters worse, just one year of school tuition at the average out-of-state public college costs roughly $26,000 or more. The book, meals, and room and board bill can be up to $6,000. That’s $32,000. Private institutions, such as Ivy League schools, Vanderbilt, Duke, or MIT, cost much more, at least twice as much as most public universities.

But going to a four-year school is probably a win-win deal if you’re 100% sure you want to continue learning a profession, especially one that pays you a higher salary. Lucrative professions such as medicine (doctors, nurses, psychologists), many areas of science, and law must attend a four-year school in order to learn more in graduate school.

This current system of attending a university is outdated. The idea that college used to offer classes students needed for life and career hasn’t really worked, at least for the last three decades. Now, with the Internet, there seems to be no limit to what you can study. Many online degrees that are popular or in high demand help you learn the skills to earn big bucks. Online degrees are very attractive because they strive to fit into the busy schedule of students, especially if they are working. In addition, a student can study wherever she wants to have an Internet connection: at home, in a coffee shop or at a friend’s house.

You may need to attend a four-year college or university if you know you want to pursue an interesting career that could help you earn a lot of money. Maybe you need to take a few classes in a classroom or online to see if a certain topic grabs your attention, or maybe brush up on your skills.

Ultimately, your decision will be yours.