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In the fall of 2017, there were 20.4 million college students in the United States according to ProCon, a website that gives pros and cons to debate topics with statistics to back up any claims they make. Also according to ProCon, by May of 2018, student loan debt reached $1.5 trillion. There are more ways than ever to succeed in life without a college degree, but it is still a debate whether college is worth pursuing. 

ProCon’s argument for going to college is that graduates on average have higher employment rates, better salaries and more benefits than what high school graduates would get. Also, there is a perception that people with a college degree are better working with others and likely to live longer. 

According to ProCon, on average, a college graduate makes $570,000 more over a lifetime than someone without a degree. Additionally, 340 out of 400 of Forbes’ 2012 America’s richest people hold college degrees.

In general, jobs in the U.S. are more likely to be held by people with college degrees. According to ProCon, only 34 percent of jobs in 2017 required a high school diploma or less. Between 2010 and 2016, 99 percent of job growth went to workers who graduated college.

ProCon’s argument for not going to college is that student loan debt is too high, and it is a setback for young adults who want to start saving for retirement, buy a house or get married. There are many examples of people who skipped or dropped out of college to pursue their dreams and became successful, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ellen DeGeneres and Mark Zuckerburg. 

Cole Needham is one of those people. Needham, a 20-year-old from State Center, Iowa, graduated from a class of just over 50 people at West Marshall High School. Needham had big dreams, and he knew college would not get him where he wanted to be. 

Needham gained a few contacts that led him to Los Angeles to pursue his passion for filmmaking. He considered film school, but didn’t see the need to go as he quickly made it into the industry. Networking is what he credits for his early success.

“I got in with the right people at the right time,” Needham said. “I just hustled and never said no, and it worked out for me.”

Needham produces and directs his own projects. He said he spends around 12 hours a day on his work. He also hires his own crew, books locations to film and does casting for actors in his films and music videos. On top of that, he sometimes assists other filmmakers in their productions to increase his network. 

Needham has met some famous people during his time in Los Angeles. He worked on a Shia LaBeouf movie and got to meet the famous actor. He is also good friends with the members of the band Sublime, who sang the hit song Santeria in 1996. 

“It is pretty surreal thinking where I wanted to be, and now I’m here doing it,” Needham said.

Needham said he knew what he wanted to do in his life, so he did not like the idea of spending money to attend college and learn things he did not care about. According to ProCon, in May 2018, approximately 44 million Americans had student loan debt and 45 percent of them said college was not worth it.

“If I went to a four-year college,” Needham said, “I can confidently say I wouldn’t be happy and I wouldn’t be where I am today.” 

Needham said people should not just skip out on college, but they should do research and create a plan to ensure they are making the right decision for their future career. 

“Figure out what you want to do in your life that makes you happy,” Needham said. “If college isn’t necessary for that, you don’t need to go.”

He also noted that high school guidance counselors make it sound like everyone should go to college, but if it is not needed for a certain career path, save the time and money.

Another example of taking a different route from college is Clay Martin. Martin dreamed of working in the fashion industry and is working on starting his own clothing brand. He works with fashion companies such as Diet Starts Monday, John Geiger and the nonprofit Scott Alan Project that raises funds for suicide awareness. 

Unlike Needham, who knew what he wanted to do out of high school, Martin attended college at the University of Iowa to become a doctor. He said it took only his first day to realize that was not what he really wanted to do. He felt that his parents would be disappointed if he did not graduate from college.

“I basically just wanted to not let them down,” Martin said. “And that is a very stupid reason to go to college.”

He ended up graduating in two years with a business degree from Buena Vista University. He said he believes his degree will not be necessary as he pursues his own clothing business. He also said he has learned more from educating himself than from the two years he spent in college. According to Michael Price, the author of “What Next? The Millennial’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Real World,” there are many free resources online that can lead to development of professional skills. Employers look at the things people have done with their skills, not where they obtained them.

Martin said he wished he would have avoided college and began working on his business instead. According to Price, it is easier than ever before to start a business, and it is cheaper than going to college. Even if the business does not work out, the experience will help more than a college degree would when looking for a new job.

Martin gained valuable advice from billionaire David Gilmour, the co-founder of Fiji Water, who is another example of having success without a college degree. He told Martin that one of the most influential times in life is between ages 20 and 25, which is the time it takes to find the right purpose.  

According to Price, not going to college could make a person five years ahead of their peers with zero student loan debt. 

Martin said that it is not a smart decision to attend college without having a career to pursue. He also said that before people decide, they should take the time to look at the facts to see if college is even necessary for the career in mind.

“Ask yourself if this is something you will be happy with and something you will enjoy for your entire life,” Martin said. “It really comes down to how hard you’re willing to work and how patient you’re willing to be.”

Needham and Martin both are finding success in their early 20s in their own ways. They each have goals they are wanting to pursue as they continue to prove college education is not necessary.

Needham wanted to eventually become a director after spending five years in Los Angeles, but he ended up accomplishing that goal in only one year. In three years, he wants to begin doing feature films, and in five years, he wants to be doing commercials shown on national television. However, he does not have an end goal.

“I realize that things are so unpredictable,” Needham said. “It is more about the short-term goals than it is about the long-term goals.”

As for Martin, other than getting his own brand going, he wants to move to either Los Angeles or Europe and continue his career there while working closely with the people who have helped him get to where he is now, such as John Geiger. He also wants to continue learning new things on his own and developing more dreams. 

“If you’re dreams aren’t crazy enough,” Martin said. “I would say you need to get bigger dreams.”

Needham and Martin both agreed it is more important to have a strong network of connections than to have a college degree when it comes to finding a job. They also encouraged others to go after what makes them happy because that is the most important thing. The statistics show that it is uncommon to find success without a degree, but in both cases of Needham and Martin, hard work and desire is what ultimately pays off.