Why, exactly, did I decide to attend college? The answer is simple. In this day and age, it appears to be extremely difficult to obtain a well-paying job without attending college. There are a few alternatives, but they all have significant downsides. I could attend a trade school, but it seems hard to discern what trades pay well, and the resulting jobs would likely be unpleasant. I could try to work a minimum wage job and hope to be promoted to a management position, but that seems unlikely to actually happen. I could try to teach myself a skill, but that is inherently difficult and would require a decent amount of luck to get a job. Admittedly some of these issues also apply to attending college, but college is also much more likely to lead to a well-paying job.

While reflecting on this, I realized something somewhat worrying: Four years is a relatively long time, and the economic situation may drastically change by then. Many people have likely had the same thought process as me when deciding whether to attend college or not. This could possibly lead to a glut of students graduating college, which in turn could cause the job market to be saturated by the time I graduate, making it difficult for me to find a job.

However, I don’t think that possibility is particularly likely. I intend to major in electrical engineering, which is a notoriously difficult major. Thus, even if an excessive amount of people attend college, most of those students would be scared off from majoring in electrical engineering. And many of those who attempt it despite the major’s reputation will be primarily attracted by the high salary engineers receive, instead of genuine interest in the subject. Such students are likely to burn out before completing their degree.

Ultimately, I feel confident in my decision to attend college. The alternative options are poor, and the risks in attending are small.