Let me start off by saying that I have always believed in the value of education.  From the time I was young, a College degree was one of my most important goals.  I graduated Salutatorian from High School and worked hard on my way to a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science with a Concentration in Architecture from Auburn University.

When you first graduate, that education is everything.  You put that degree on your resume and you make sure everyone knows you have it.  As the years begin to pass by, that degree becomes less and less important and is replaced by the work and the relationships you have created.

I can’t tell you the last time I had a potential client ask for my education information.  I really don’t recall that ever happening.  If you can do the work, it doesn’t matter how you learned to do it.  Some of the most successful people in the world lack a college education.

Where that college education benefits you is getting you into doors you could not otherwise get into.  Jobs that you would never be considered for are now possible.   However, I often wonder which is better:  four years of real-world experience of a college education?

I feel that the real benefit of a college education is that it opens you to an environment of learning, hopefully gets you to think logically and rationally, and introduces you to subjects outside of your major to make sure you are a little more “well-rounded”.  Then again, I am surprised by most of the potential employees I interview in how they completely missed all these benefits of college.

In my opinion, if you don’t get the full experience, then you would be better off just getting a job.