For current and prospective college students, hearing the phrase “just because you go to college does not mean you will find a job after graduation” has become so cliche, it might as well be your ringtone. This statement, although somewhat true, can be very unclear. There are people who believe that in our day and age, it does not matter whether you go to college or not because a college degree does not always lead up to a job post-graduation. There is also a group of individuals that believe a college degree with teach you everything you need to know in order to get a job. I have mixed feelings about the topic itself, but I am sure about one thing - I don’t go to college for a degree.

As a college commuter who travels an hour to and from school everyday, I have a lot of time to think about my classes, and the students in them. What I have come to learn is a lot of the skills that our degrees teach us, can be taught inside the workforce. My degree consists of a lot of classes based on public speaking, interpersonal communication, small group communication, etc. and most of which can be learned from a series of education YouTube videos. If that’s the case, then why am I going to college? I go to college because it allows me network with people I would not have been given the opportunity to network with if I had not attended college.

I sit down with a professor of mine, a former speech and debate coach at Texas A&M, a few times a week for lunch and just talk. Sometimes we talk about class, sometimes about college, and even just what is going on with our personal lives. If I had not attended college, I would have never been able to meet my professor and he would not be able to connect me with the people that he has. Only one semester after beginning our pow-wow sessions, I have been offered eight paid internships, two part time jobs, and one full time job all in my field of study.

College has truly taught me how to network properly and has given me the resources in which to do so. I spoke with a friend of mine who went to college for one semester, after which met a professor who helped him find a job because he saw the potential my friend had. That friend dropped out of college and now works at Netflix. Sometimes, you don’t need a college degree to be successful, but without going to college at all, you can miss out on promising connections you may wish you had. I have talked with graduated college students that are unemployed and asked them if they networked well in college. Most, if not all, told me “no”.

All people go to college for different reasons. Some go because they want to learn and gain knowledge that you can’t find anywhere else. There are the individuals who go in the hopes of going to awesome parties and have as much fun as they can away from their parents. Then, there are people, like myself, who go to college for the professional social aspect and networking opportunities. So now, you have to ask yourself, “who do you go?”

Disclaimer: I understand that every major and degree is different. This article does not fully apply to individuals in hopes to become a doctor, lawyer, etc. In many degrees, there are still requirements for employment but the importance of networking still applies. It never hurts to know a successful person in your field that can help you locate a job post-graduation.