Teenagers are commonly told they must go to college for success in life. Most people head to college at some point, many of which graduate. College replaced getting a professional job right out of high school, making postgraduate education a more important aspect of society. Yet going to college to make it in life is still unnecessary.

Students need to ask if college is necessary before going. Too often, college students put themselves through a four-year university, thrusting themselves into an isolating environment.

Even worse is when students head there with no conception of future life plans, making it harder to take advantage of networking, internships, work experience, and education opportunities that universities offer.

College advertisements often romanticize “the college experience," but students are wasting their time if utilizing their degree is not top priority. People unsure about their next step should work right out of college—and yes, retail and fast food jobs count—and figure out what they want to do.

A misconception is that in order to get a professional job, one must graduate from college. Some job positions such as teachers, doctors, scientists, and engineers require it, but numerous well-paying or creatively satisfying jobs like welding, artists and copywriting do not. Instead they require work experience, which is what employers look for above all else.

A degree is worthless without work experience in the field they majored in. Students need to ask themselves if the job they want requires four years of college.

Most of all, students need to afford a university's expense. Student debt is a pressing issue, making college a huge gamble for most.

The average amount of student debt is $39,400 upon graduation, a staggering amount that takes years to pay off. Even worse is when private loans like Sallie Mae comes into play, which is often less forgiving than federal loans. Never take in private loans unless it is as a literal last resort and it can certainly be paid off.

If students with loans do not hustle in college to gain working experience and a job to pay off the likely significant debt, it could ruin their financial lives.

Students must estimate the cost of college and make many potentially painful decisions, like staying in a public in-state university where they can get scholarships instead of out-of-state without a scholarship. Community college for the first two years is also an option and if finances are that bad, they may not get to go. They must figure out another way to get a decent paying job for the career they want.

College can be an amazing experience, but please consider the cost before winding up on Reddit bemoaning how college ruined life forever.