Reasons NOT to skip college

So, this interview with James Altucher appeared on the front page of Yahoo a few days ago.   You should read/watch it…Altucher's basic argument is that achievement minded people shouldn’t go to college.  I thought I'd comment on this idea since I’ve talked about college before (specifically the merits and/or worthlessness of film school).  While starting a business, traveling the world, and becoming a standup comedian (when you're 18) all sound like fun (and maybe even lucrative) alternatives to college, I’ve gotta say, that I TOTALLY DISAGREE with Mr. Altucher (but hey, he’s the expert and I’m not).

To skip or not to skip college?

First, let me reiterate how hard it is to get an entry level entertainment industry job without a college degree.  Let’s say you just want to be an assistant to a development exec…just to answer phones for someone, do their grunt work, and read piles of scripts, you usually need at least a year of work experience at an agency where you will first deliver mail, then answer phones, network in expensive clothes you can’t afford on your low salary...and you can’t get THAT job without a college degree.

I do understand a few things Altucher is saying, college is expensive and doing something else might save you (and your parents) some tuition money.  But honestly, I think he’s missing the point that most families pay for college with student loans.  Not that going into debt for several years for an education is a good thing, but it’s not like most families have a big fat account that they draw from to pay for school or support their kid for a few years.  Students live off loan money a lot of the time, with the expectation that their degree will lead to a job that will pay off (and it definitely will depending on your field…I don’t think too many petroleum engineers are hurting right now).  

Also, college students have access to internships and while some industry internships are bogus (and possibly illegal) some are great and can lead to future work/connections and you can only get them if you are getting school credit (for example, I was recommended for a PA job on a film when I was still in college all because of an internship I'd done the semester before).

So yeah, I say, don’t skip college, BUT I think there are a few good things to be gleaned from all this talk about alternatives to the usual college --> career path.  I think having lots of different jobs and trying lots of different things can be a really good thing (especially for a baby writer).  While you don’t want to isolate yourself too much from the industry and friends/connections... traveling, doing crazy things, and taking time to write will give you time to finish more work as well as cool stories that will make you stand out.  Also, it’s true, college is expensive, and I think waaaay more people need to look into doing community college for a couple years then transferring.