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4 Reasons You Don't Necessarily Need a College Degree to Earn Big You need much more than just a degree to become successful and earn big

By Kamalika De

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Gone are the days when college degrees were highly essential to shine in the professional world. With the widespread availability of the internet, easily accessible learning resources, and training programs becoming so common, people now have plenty of options to make it big in life and it doesn't necessitate a college degree.

So, if you have been thinking about whether to jump into the professional world or cruise for a while as a student, consider these four reasons why you do not need a typical college degree to earn big.

1- Colleges Don't Teach Skills Needed in Real World

A college education cannot prepare you adequately for the world outside. You can learn only by doing, not by watching someone tell you how it's done.

"A degree you get it from college is simply a piece of paper certifying you met a certain level of scholastic achievement. But what happens in the classroom doesn't always translate into the real world. In the real world, having a college degree doesn't guarantee a job. You need to bring marketable skills to the table, as well as the ability to continue learning, growing, and providing value for their employer", shared Gyanendra Singh, Co-Founder at Cognic Systems.

2- Many Big Earning Jobs Don't Require College Degree

There are various jobs available in today's age that don't require a college degree but have high earning potential.

Niraj Bariya, currently working as a Senior Digital Marketing Manager at OLBUZ, shared that in the initial stage of his career when he used to give plenty of interviews after completing his college, not a single company asked his degree. During his 5 years in Digital Marketing career, Niraj met many people in numerous events and meetups and came to know that they never went to college and still earn good money via blogging, YouTube, and other platforms.

"Digital world has lots of opportunities and college can never teach how to explore and grab such opportunities. All you need is good knowledge in particular field and one can do wonder with it", Niraj opined.

3- You Can Be Your Own Boss without a College Degree

While high degrees open the prospect of wealth and future job, there are many entrepreneurs around the world who bucked convention and still achieved success. Michael Dell, an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, author, and most importantly the founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, dropped out after his first year at the University of Texas at Austin. Another name I must mention here and that is Mark Zuckerberg. Mark dropped out of Harvard, founded Facebook and in 2017 became the 5th wealthiest man alive.

In college, you won't learn what it takes to be successful as your own boss. Yes, you can acquire plenty of basic skills that will assist your endeavour, but entrepreneurship is a personality trait, not a teachable course.

4- You Can Learn Virtually Everything Online

Nowadays you can find courses online for anything you want to be an expert in. It's not about having a degree but developing the right skill that can help you earn the ticket to big paychecks. Then why to go to college when you can find everything online that can upgrade your skill and advance your career!

Gyanendra Singh thinks Coursera, The Khan Academy, Udemy, Skillshare, and Lynda are examples of excellent online learning platforms.

"Nothing can replace face to face classroom teaching, but the opportunity to learn anything, which we could only previously dream about, via a computer or a phone with internet access is easy now." Gyanendra shared.

There was a time when getting a degree used to play a vast role in determining one's future. But now in a sea of graduates, you cannot make sure that your college degree stands out. You need much more than just a degree to become successful and earn big. When you have a dedicated mindset, the right skills, and willpower to put all your hard work, you can surely be an achiever without a formal university education.

Kamalika De

Freelancer, Entrepreneur India

An independent writer and journalist, Kamalika De regularly contributes to various leading online platforms. She has founded DoQuickly to offer simple hacks to do things quickly.

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