College is hard.

Waking up early; driving through traffic; staying afloat in a sea of homework; having to talk to people (morning extroverts aside); and the financial aspect. So why do we go?

Believe it or not, despite all these inconvenient factors, achieving a college degree is worth the cost.

A degree increases our opportunities in the work force. It is a key that unlocks doors that were shut before. Nowadays, job experience is being demanded because employers are looking for more skilled workers. According to blogger and writer, Eli Amdur in Journal Review, “63 percent of all job openings by 2018 will require workers with at least some college education.”  

Going to school allows us to network and connect with our superiors, who carved out the paths we should follow. Sometimes it is not about what you know but who you know.

Greater opportunities also pay off with an even greater salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Data have shown that workers with more education have lower unemployment and higher earnings than workers with less education.”

It has always been a part of the American Dream to get an education and a degree.

“A college degree has long been the ticket to upward mobility, a primary way to contribute to the greater good and make a better life for self and family,” says President of Centre College and blogger for the Huffington Post, John A. Roush. “It will create leaders for posterities to look up to.”

Ronald Brownstein, writer for The Atlantic says, “Those raised by parents with college degrees were vastly more likely than those raised by parents without degrees to say that their family encouraged them to attend college.”

Obtaining a degree gives you the chance to grow as a person and learn about yourself. It is a great time for trial and error, to join clubs, to explore various majors and meet a variety of people.

By the end of four years, you will be able to confidently state your likes/dislikes, strengths/weaknesses and what makes you the person you are today.

A degree will ensure you’re an expert in your field. It represents a personal achievement that you accomplished what 70 percent of people couldn’t (Rick Santorum). It is a tool you will wear on your belt for the future.