At the end of secondary or high school, many students face the tough decision of whether or not to pursue higher education. College can be both frightening and exciting, and there are a variety of reasons students choose to pack up their books and pursue an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degrees.

An extremely common reason that most students attend college is for future career opportunities. Typically, individuals with college diplomas have more employment options than those without. College gives them the skills and knowledge to pursue specialized careers than uneducated students couldn’t. For example, a high-school graduate would likely not be hired as a nurse practitioner or an IT expert over a college-graduated student from a related field. Students have more of a choice in their job selection when they possess college degree, and since college students will pursue studies they love, they are usually happier in their associated jobs as a result.

This reasoning for future employment also goes hand-in-hand with future financial opportunity. Students that go to college not only get access to more jobs, but they get access to better-paying jobs. This is primarily due to the fact that they have learned useful skills, techniques and practices throughout their college education. College graduates typically have higher starting salaries than non-graduates because they are performing more complex jobs at higher career levels.

However, students go to college for many more reasons than employment opportunities and big paychecks. Many individuals go to college simply for experience and learning. College is one of the many places where people from all walks of life come together to socialize and educate themselves. Students can explore new theologies, religions, activities, social groups and other experiences they may not have had access to at home. It is a great way for individuals to meet new people and develop lifelong friendships outside their hometown.

Personal growth typically results from this kind of learning as well, teaching students more about themselves, their beliefs, their convictions, their strengths and their weaknesses. Students usually become much more creative, open-minded and effective at problem solving through college experiences. This kind of internal development is much harder to come by without the diverse experiences offered through college. There is also, of course, the increase of intelligence as a result of higher learning; many things taught in college cannot be learned anywhere near as thoroughly and effectively on one’s own. There are diverse reasons to go to college, and nearly all of them have a positive effect on the student.