Thoughts for Thursday - College

After graduating high school, I didn't go to college.  I wasn't ready.  I didn't know what I wanted to do.  Instead I worked full-time at a bank.  When I graduated from high school almost (gurp) 18 years ago, not everyone went to college.  It was not an automatic like it seems to be today.  At the age of 21, I decided I was ready and responsible enough to go.  I still didn't know what I wanted to do but I knew most likely it would be something in the financial sector.  

I continued to work full-time and go to school part-time for the majority of the time but there were times when I was working and going to school full-time or just going to school full-time and working part-time.

It took me 6 years to graduate with that schedule. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from a state university and to this day, I feel like I haven't benefited from it in my career thus far.

I knew college was always something that I had to do.  It was a personal goal. I was never forced by my parents to go, instead they supported me in whatever decision I wanted to make.  To this day, I'm the only person on my entire mom's side of the family to have a college degree.  

Has the degree benefited me?  Educationally, yes.  I enjoyed going to college on my terms when I was ready  but I was also ready to be done come the time.  I thought about getting my master's for a minute and decided that was something I didn't want to do.  I do wish I would have not been that eager to finish as I was very close to having a double major and I should have just taken the time to do it or should have just majored in Finance instead.  I choose Business Administration since it's generic and I would be well-rounded in management, accounting, finance, law, marketing, economics, etc. 

Has the degree benefited me? Financially, no, the degree has not benefited me.  I have a student loan that I've been paying almost 9 years and even though the interest rate is fixed at 3.125%, there is no end in the 

near future.  I think I'll be paying it for another 11+ years.  

I don't have 5 figure debt but it feels like it!

The job I currently have strongly prefers a college degree but it isn't required. None of the jobs I've held in the past have required it although it has helped slightly and I have been compensated financially slightly because of it at a past job but with what I will end up paying out in the long run, it will not be worth it for me financially.  

I don't regret my decisions.  Like I said, personally, it's something I needed to do. I'm glad I have it and will have that credential forever but the financial burden is the part that keeps killing me and I can't imagine with the cost of tuition these days how kids are doing it if they are paying for it on their own.   

Today's Thoughts for Thursday:

• Do you have a college degree?
• If not, do you wish you went or finished school?
• What is your degree/certification/trade?
• Is your degree in-line with what you are doing for a career?
• Did you have student loans or were you lucky enough to get assistance from either scholarships, parents, employer, etc. 
• Would you change anything?