In recent years, there has been much discourse about the importance of getting a college degree. While college degrees were praised a couple of years ago, the narrative has since changed. There have been recurring disagreements about needing a college degree at all, what majors in college are worthy of high level degrees and finding alternative routes that further bash the idea of going to college entirely.

In light of “easily attainable” jobs surfacing, such as streaming or building your own business, people are not seeking college degrees because of their disinterest in school entirely. In turn, this has narrowed out the amount of people who attend college, causing a gap between men and women in higher education. According to Pew Research, “…47% of U.S. women ages 25 to 34 have a bachelor’s degree, compared to 37% of men” (Hurst, 2024). This obvious disparity between women and men, regardless of race, changes the ways in which we interact with one another and our difference in accessibility to jobs.

Particularly, this conversation has resurfaced on TikTok, where women are sharing their concerns about the narrative that college degrees no longer matter. Not only are they offended by this idea being our “norm,” but they are questioning whether this is attributed to the fact that women are the main graduates of college degrees rather than men. If men had been the prominent participants in higher education, would higher education still remain unnecessary?

While I do believe that there are many other extenuating factors that play into the theory that higher education is a waste of time, I can understand how obtaining a college degree can be severely downplayed when it comes to women in a particular field. As a woman who is seeking higher education, even after obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I can say that there are often harsh opinions about “wasting my time” and devoting my studies to psychology rather than nursing. The misogyny embedded within the education system is very real and affects our understanding of college entirely.

Overall, I do not believe that this debate should hold as much weight in our decisions to pursue higher education. Whether you are an English major or sociology major, we need highly educated individuals in each respective field. Choosing to devote our own time to become well-versed in our desired field is never a waste, and it is never our business to police someone else’s dreams.