Last week, commentator rdf8585 won my contest by correctly identifying the quote from Office Space. I promised that whoever identified it first could choose a topic to this week, and he asked me to comment on this clip. (click here.)

I recommend watching the clip before reading this, but I’ll give a quick summary. It’s an ABC news clip that explores the question “is a college education worth it?” In the end, the majority of the people interviewed agreed that it’s not.

I think it’s a complex question, and a deeply personal one. For me, college was the right choice. And I think for the majority of students it is. But it’s not for everyone.

The clip spends quite a bit of time discussing vocational schools. I have to say, vocational schools are often overlooked and underappreciated in our society. If a student has an overwhelming desire to become a mechanic and no interest in college, then go for it. It’s the right choice for that person.

One of the interviewees states something along the lines of “the bachelor’s degree is the new high school diploma,” all the while discouraging people to get a college degree. This seems contradictory. From what I understand, most employers do now expect prospective applicants to have a college degree. So, it seems logical to take this step. But once again, it depends largely on what fields you’re looking to enter.

For me, college was the right choice. Any job I’ve ever considered — journalist, lawyer, teacher, among a million others — requires a college degree just to get my foot in the door.

That doesn’t mean that I expect success to be handed to me on a silver platter because I’ll have a BA. I know I’ll have to work at it, what ever it maybe, to be successful. That’s nothing new. I’ve been raised to work for what I want and not to expect it to always come easily.

Beyond the job benefits, education is important to be an informed citizen of the world. If I want to leave my mark on the world, I need to know how it works.

What do you all think? Leave a comment or two.