A high school student’s thoughts of the future often revolve around college and career paths. In terms of college, some people think of it as the next chapter in their life; others think of it as an endeavor they don’t intend to pursue. Generally, when people envisage a successful person, they likely imagine an Ivy League alumni who holds the CEO position of a major corporation. That view excludes the students who opt out of going to college. Success shouldn’t just be for the rich and educated business people, though.
In order to come to a conclusion about the necessity of a degree for a person to succeed, a solid definition of success must first be formed. Dictionary’s definitions of the word itself frequently refer to success as the “attainment of wealth” or the “accomplishment of one’s goals.” The problem with the former definition comes from the fact that some people don’t measure success with money. Insider provides a list of quotes from people generally regarded as successful, such as Maya Angelou, who said that, “success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." Winston Churchill also ranked on the list for describing success as, “going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” Based on these sentiments, success can be defined as the achievement of personal fulfillment or ability to remain resilient in the face of failure.
Now that it has been established that success comes from a person’s sense of contentment or steadfast nature, the question can finally be answered: Does a person need a degree in order to be successful? In short, no, a person does not need a degree to be considered successful. A person without a college degree has plenty of opportunities to choose from in order to find their success. Aspiring entrepreneurs don’t need a degree to start their own business and artists don’t need one to effectively use their creativity. In fact, some even argue that art schools don’t encourage creative art, but rather art that “follows the rules,” an opinion expressed by Art Acacia. For those seeking a career in the military, Military claims that, “joining the military can create a great foundation for future personal growth.” An individual can also jump straight into the workforce without attending any higher education institutions.
Success has a subjective interpretation, which means that it doesn’t have to be based on wealth or societal status. Academic degrees may not be needed to achieve it, but that doesn’t make them superfluous. Unless, of course, one receives a degree in philosophy.