Recently updated on: December 4, 2023
Many people graduate from college with a degree that was chosen for them.
Knowing this, I've always asked my students why they took engineering when I became a college instructor.
However, as an engineering graduate, I am not entirely surprised to learn that many of them were influenced by others or circumstances to take up engineering rather than their preferred degree.
Some are through their parents or relatives, friends, scholarship opportunities, or other external influences.
The problem with this is that after graduating, many of them may be forced into an industry they were just pushed to.
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Your Degree Should Not Determine Your Life
Degrees may be important in some aspects, but they should not be the absolute determinant of one's success.
College is only four or five years of our life, and if we align the next thirty or forty years to something we don't really like, a time may come when we may have regrets.
People are often influenced by the sunk-cost fallacy that they would rather live the rest of their lives based on the actions in which they invested time, money, or effort.
They would maintain their current situation because they don't want everything they worked hard for to go to "waste."
That's why many would continue with the job they hate, study for a degree they don't like, or maintain a toxic relationship - all because they don't want to waste their personal investment.
This is also one reason college graduates will choose to work in a job they hate, simply because they studied for it.
Your Lack of Degree Should Not Determine Your Life
On the other side of the coin are those who could not get a degree because of internal or external circumstances.
I believe that our society places too much value on a college degree than people's potential, which I find unfortunate.
There are people that I've met who excel in programming, business, or arts and who make a decent living even without finishing college.
And with the vast resource of information available on the Internet today, learning about a particular skill is more accessible than ever.
Survivorship Bias and Success
Though I already argued that a degree or lack of it should not dictate your future, knowing what you can bring to the table is still essential.
I often read some acquaintances' posts on social media about how college dropouts like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs still end up successful.
However, they haven't considered that more people failed. They often only look at the outliers who became successful while unaware of the stories of people who took the same leap of faith but failed.
So, it is vital to take examples of these successful people as an exemption, not a rule.
Education is Fast Changing
Since I started teaching, I observed that our current educational system is no longer designed to adapt to the modern world's fast-changing landscape.
Though there are still people who want to change in response to the times, there are also those who are deep in their comfort zone. They want to maintain how things have always been done.
Success is Subjective
Success is personal and should not be dictated by other people.
If others think that a huge house, a fast car, and exotic vacations are what success looks like, let them be.
If others believe in a simpler lifestyle and peace of mind is what success looks like, let them be.
What is essential is to have your personal definition of success that is not based on other people's standards.
We will all go through a crossroads in our lives when we have to choose between difficult options.
It can be about your career, love life and relationships, education, and more.
Hopefully, when that day comes, you've already defined what success means to you, and then you'll have the courage to take God's purpose in your life.
Final Thought
Education and getting a degree are important. However, you should not just align your life around it.
And just like what Miguel and Paolo Guico of Ben&Ben said,
"Sometimes, our dreams change, and that's OK."
So, if the time comes when you realize that what you are currently doing no longer points you in the direction you want to take, don't hesitate to make the change.
Don't wait to grow old and live in regret.