These days it is almost expected of high school graduates to ship off to university for four years to jumpstart their way to a fictional career, but is that really the best option? Do we really need to go back to school and get a degree in order to be successful? That sounds like a silly question, because of course if you want to become a doctor, or an engineer, you need to be taught how to do so- but what about if you are pursuing a career in the creative fields? One that doesn’t require a GPA and where there are no right or wrong answers. Is going to university worth your time and money?

Unfortunately obtaining a degree comes with the assumption that you will be more employable afterwards, but in reality you may just turn into a career student. Aside from the education, the most useful lessons anyone can take away from university are time management, critical thinking and hopefully, networking. Being able to finish your degree certainly implies you are capable of those things, and is certainly an easy way for a future employer to determine your job-worthiness.

When do the tables start to turn though? Universities are thriving off of the tuition fees from students (and let’s face it their parents and bank loans) because their only duty is to provide an education, not a job. Should universities stop accepting students into a program in dying or irrelevant fields? Should we as a society go back to embracing the hands-on approach to education?

What really needs to be taught even before university is the value of apprenticing, and the value of networking. Monkey see, monkey do. It’s the way we have learned for centuries and puts us in direct contact with people in the industry.

So where do you fall in this debate, are degrees necessary for all careers?

Check our this article and tell us what you think.