When you turn 17 every student must start thinking about what they want to do after they graduate high school. If going to college is the goal, colleges must be looked at and evaluated for the purpose of deciding which ones to apply to. It is the time in your life where you have to make some big decisions.

Some high school graduates have already set their eyes on college, while others want to immediately take on the bigger world and start working. If you are torn between these two options, perhaps it will do you good if you weigh the pros and cons of college life. College isn't for everyone but it is usually the right choice if you can afford it.

College education opens up a lot of employment opportunities for you. In fact, more and more jobs these days are requiring college degrees from their employees. The salary of college graduates is also higher as compared to that of high school graduates. The long terms benefits of college are obvious but you will be trading immediate income for possible higher income later on.

Aside from financial compensation, studying in a reputable college or university will shape up not just your academic skills, but also your interpersonal skills. It helps you establish your confidence and value system that you are going to need later on when you barge into the corporate world. College is the right choice for most young adults for these reasons and more.

The extremely high cost of going to college is another reason why some students decide to forgo college and get a job. When you figure out how much a four year degree will cost and put that beside how much you could have made while working those four years, some will decide that earning money and not going into debt is the better choice.