Is College Worth It?

July 16, 2020

Lately, there's been a drastic increase in the number of people freelancing and taking advantage of the gig-economy. Because of this huge shift, many college grads are jumping on board. But the important question is:

Do You Need a College Degree To Become a Freelancer?

All things considered, freelancing has become, well, normal. Especially with the new generation of youngsters who find freelancing a rite-of-passage into the working world. In fact, the unemployment rate for new college grads is more than the overall population in some places like the U.S. with many underemployed. In other words, recent grads are working in jobs that require no college degree of any kind. The article The Future of Work Won't Be About College Degrees It Will Be About Job Skills rings true on every level. It's certainly worth the read.

In fact, not too long ago, a study was carried out asking 1000 freelancers about their background. At least 40 percent stated that they had a university degree. Proving that freelancing does attract individuals with higher-education.

Nonetheless, this is the million-dollar question: is the attraction to freelancing by degree holders by choice, or is it because earning a college degree isn't all-that and finding a traditional job is nearly impossible?

People have various reasons for why they turn to freelancing. I'm a degree holder myself. My decision to freelance was more about independence and freedom. Therefore, I am obviously not against individuals embarking on a higher-education. But times have changed immensely over the last 10-plus years. Many jobs are simply not there and many graduates have student loans to pay. It's not the time to sit back and chill. You have to do something and for this reason (and others), many students quit school or after graduating turn to freelancing.

A reputable global research institute revealed that nearly 44 percent of freelancers are self-taught with roughly 14 percent learning-on-the-job. So to answer the question: do you need a college degree to become a freelancer? The answer is emphatically no.

Final Thoughts

I came across an excellent YouTube video about why the concept of "everyone has to go to college" is changing. Much of it has to do with technology and of course, finances.

Watch the video below for interesting views on why society is questioning whether college is necessary at all in today's world.