Is getting a College Education above everything else always the right choice ?

Not always. I didnt go to college and Im going just fine on experience alone. I beat out 3 other people with degrees for the job I have now. Doesnt always happen that way. Maybe I just got lucky?!? :-)

It depends on the situation. If someone has the chance to play pro-ball and make a lot of money, I say go play.

But, generally it is nice to have a college degree to fall back on. Not to mention that you are 20 only once in your life and the dorm experience and being with thousands of people your own age, having fun, is like no other experience. I guess there are some people who don;t enjoy it, but for the most part people look at their college years as being some of the best times in their life. It is a unique experience that cannot be had easily as you get older, if you do college later. Besides all of the fun, college can be a time when you meet a lot of very different people, willing to discuss different views on many issues. Not just the learning in class, but the interaction with peopel from many places, if you go to a large 4 year school, can be enlightening. It is also a nice buffer between being a kid and being an adult. Time to learn about yourself.

Education is forever. Get it while you can.

There is no doubt about it, an education is number in some of the best jobs available. but, not all. employers are looking for experience today, rather than a degree. and, they are willing to pay for it. here is an example: my police department for years never required an associate degree, just to fill out an application for a police position. in the nineties, this was a big deal. finally, the application list almost dwindled to nothing and i suggested to our police chief that maybe the college requiremenst are too strict and not necessary to be a police officer. he agreed and the requirement was dropped. our department is now flooded with new applications from across America. although my answer does not deal directly with your question, this part may give you the answer. laternal entry. a police officer with 5 years of experience can come to my department, say from California, and will never start as a rookie officer. he/she will never earn any less than their last position. in this situation, experience rules over a degree. its worked great for the last ten years.

Getting your degree is never a bad idea.

Yes, unless your are going to be a famous rapper.

You can get a degree at any age, If i had been offered a life changing chance to go travelling and do what i wanted and get paid for it too there is no reason not to go. If you have the drive and the ability, universities will let you in whatever your age, just because the majority of people who attend uni are young and straight out of high school is only a reflection on who applies. If more people started living life a bit before entering university I am sure the average age of a university student would be hugely different.
I am currently studying at Newcastle Uni, England and know many mature students who decided to try their best to live out their first dream before sitting down and getting a piece of paper that says you have completed education to a high level.
I am now applying for jobs as I am nearing the end of my degree and am unable to find work due to complete lack of work experience. I have had a bar job throughout uni but nothing relating very close to my degree. I am now having to do unpaid internships to bring up my experience of different places.

famous rappers become dead rappers.

There’s a couple things to consider here. Some people will never make back what they spent on their college education in terms of the extra pay that they now generate because of their degree. But perhaps they have a more satisfying job, and are able to make better decisions in life because of that education, some of that might be quantifiable (e.g. your macroeconomics class helped you make a wiser decision about how to invest for retirement which resulted in x more dollars over the lifetime of the investment), but much of it might not be.

I think education is an inherently valuable thing, but you don’t always have to go to college to get it. iTunes-U for example posts thousands of colleges courses that you can audit for free. Sure you won’t get credit, but you can learn tons of stuff. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT as a substitute for indulging in reality tv.

You have to do what you enjoy. If a degree will help enable that, then yes by all means, get one. A degree can open opportunities for you and some would say that the education itself is worth more than the degree could ever be. But college is certainly not the only path along which to find knowledge and prospects, and for plenty it’s not and never will be the best.

As to your brothers classmate, if baseball was his dream, it’s a shame he didn’t follow it; but the thought of what could’ve been… well, it could’ve been worse.

There are a lot of factors at play here – like what you want to do. If you want to be a professional baseball player, or a fashion stylist, or a dancer, then I think there are things more valuable than a college degree (like dropping out to play for a team, or networking, or gaining work experience earlier on in life). Obviously if you want to be an engineer or a historian or a politician, a college degree is going to set you in very good stead, and I’d argue that not having a degree will put you miles behind your competing peers.

Plus, as a college student myself, there is much more to be gained from the college experience than a degree.

Having said that, I think the importance of a degree also depends on where you live. It’s all very well to throw tradition to the wind and drop out of college to pursue your dream, but there are places in the world where competition for jobs (beyond flipping burgers and answering phones) is so high that a college degree is almost essential for you to be considered at any kind of professional level.

‘I never let school interfere with my education’ – Mark Twain

I agree with @xxii about the college experience being more important than the actual degree.

College takes place at a very important time during the brain’s development, and what better place to be during that time than in a college setting? Even if you spend much of your college life partying (as many do), you’re still likely to get some education and experience that will help you become a mature person. I know a few people who went into the military right after graduating high school and went to college after, when they’re in their late 20’s or early 30’s… most of them still act like immature high school kids (especially the guys). Those people, I imagine, will have difficulty in life just in a social manner, since they never had the chance to grow up.

Going right into show business or the music industry is usually not a great idea straight out of high school (or even before that, as some seem to do!) as it doesn’t have any sort of “retirement” plan. You get a certain amount of money per movie/show you do, or how many albums you sell, but what happens when no one likes you anymore? Most celebrities don’t seem to do much in the way of saving their millions of dollars, so they don’t have much to go on financially or educationally afterward. I don’t know much about sports, but I would imagine it’s a similar situation. Many former athletes become coaches, but that can’t be the case for everyone who takes the field.

It’s sad that your brother’s classmate didn’t end up pursuing his passion, but really you have no idea what it would have been like if he had gone into baseball. It could have gone very well or it could have ended horribly. Most likely he wouldn’t have become the next Babe Ruth and he’d be stuck trying to assimilate to a world where you are hired based on how much skill or education you have, not how well you can hit a ball.

That being said, many of the famous actors, musicians and athletes out there decided to forgo the traditional course of education and follow their passion, and they obviously had great success. It takes passion, dedication, perseverance and luck to succeed in these fields, which don’t always equate to a college education.

When my sister, in elementary school, said she wanted to go to beauty school and become a hairdresser, my parents said that would be fine – after she finished college. She got a psychology degree with a minor in French and is now making a good salary selling expensive bras and underwear. She may never go into a field that uses her degree, but at least she’ll have that to her advantage if she wants to go into a different career.

@ChazMaz .. Oh my bad. how about a pro. athlete, is that better.? And there not all dead. some are in jail! And i said only if!

Not always. There is usually a right time for it.

Not necessarily. For instance, some people simply aren’t suited to higher education, either by nature or by personal inclination. Others are content to learn a trade.
On the flip side, you’ve got people who merely take the odd class because it’s interesting to them.

No matter what you may eventually want to do in your life, never forgo the opportunity to get the best formal education you can get. It is the ability to learn that prepares you for life, not just what you learn. Setting yourself the task of achieving educational goals will equip you for nearly every other challenge you will face in life.

If after getting your first degree you have the hunger to learn more and prepare for a career that requires an advanced degree, then go for it.