Happiness Isn’t Stapled to a Diploma

For decades, college was seen as the ultimate standard of success: the pathway to a good job, financial stability, and, for most, happiness. However, many people (including myself) have begun to feel a shift. Student debt is climbing, wages are stalling, and inflation is negatively impacting everyone’s paycheck. Many new graduates are struggling to find jobs and, in turn, to save for milestones such as a home or car or even the basic necessities that a college degree once seemed to guarantee.

Many members of Gen Z are realizing that it’s hard to feel happy when constant worries about the future weigh on them. If the financial payoff of a diploma is shrinking, can and will college degrees bring happiness? A new study in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications attempts to answer that question.

A significant college selling point—that degrees offer not only objective benefits but increased subjective well-being—may no longer hold. After analyzing data from 36 countries, the study found that, as nations grow richer, people get happier, but the added happiness of a college degree starts to flatline in countries that are already highly developed. “In wealthier countries, the happiness derived from higher education tends to weaken.” This may be relatively good news for developing countries, but what does it mean for a highly developed superpower like the one we’re living in now? The answer, it would appear, is that a significant college selling point—that degrees offer not only objective benefits but increased subjective well-being—may no longer hold.

The question now is whether higher education can provide any lasting satisfaction if it is, in many cases, merely a line on a résumé. For many, diplomas that used to all but guarantee a stable job and a bit of contentment now seem like overpriced wall decor. We all want our doctors, engineers, and lawyers to be highly educated; however, many careers now require only on-the-job training, and employers use college degrees merely as a convenient filter to weed out applicants. As a result, graduates often shoulder hefty student debt without seeing the financial or personal rewards they were promised. The question now is whether higher education can provide any lasting satisfaction if it is, in many cases, merely a line on a résumé.

Of course, college isn’t all doom and gloom, and degrees aren’t all a waste. Many people look back on college as the best years of their life. It’s a time when you can meet a variety of people, explore your areas of interest, and network for your future. Graduates leave college not only educationally well-rounded in the best cases but also with a sense of community and a clearer understanding of what they want out of life. Exploring a wide range of subjects can spark a love of knowledge and help graduates become lifelong learners. The liberal arts, especially, teach skills such as writing, analysis, and problem-solving, all of which can benefit a person’s life beyond work. Even with the introduction of new AI tools such as ChatGPT, colleges can help students think critically, engage deeply with ideas, and develop the skills to complete their own work in the future.

Nevertheless, college just doesn’t give the assurance of happiness and financial security that it once did. Other pathways such as trade schools, apprenticeships, or military service can offer stable careers and financial security without the crushing debt that often comes with a university degree. Many people may find just as much contentment in skills-based training leading directly to in-demand jobs. Such a pathway can help address the uncertainty and financial instability that can come with all but the most remunerative college degrees.

Lots of other countries have embraced this balance, focusing on academics and skills that directly relate to the jobs students are pursuing. The United States still leans heavily on four-year degrees, and sports, Greek life, and clubs are often valued just as highly as academics on many campuses. Nations such as Germany, for example, invest more heavily in apprenticeship programs, treating vocational training with the same respect as university education. The U.S takes a different approach, pushing college as a default, which can leave graduates questioning whether the return—financial or emotional—is worth it.

Does college bring you happiness? The short answer now appears increasingly to be no. What it can do is help you build connections, explore a variety of subjects, and gain clarity about what you want to do with your life. It can also provide the foundational education needed to pursue medical school or other specialized fields.

College can open doors, but it’s definitely not the only road to stability or fulfillment. Satisfaction may come from how people use their education. It isn’t stapled to the diploma. Finding a path that balances financial stability, opportunity, and personal interest is a good place to start in the search for true happiness.

Reagan Allen is the North Carolina reporter for the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal.