Some young people avoid college despite potential long term benefits

More than 25 percent of young people are skipping the chance to receive a higher education for reasons other than not having enough money for college, according to a study newly released by management consulting firm McKinsey and Company. This information comes despite 2011 statistics from Georgetown's Center on Education and the Workforce showing that young people with at least a bachelor's degree generally make 85 percent more money in their lives than those with only a high school degree.

McKinsey surveyed more than 4,500 young people, along with 3,500 employers and educators for their Education and Employment Survey. According to a follow-up report from The Huffington Post, the study authors referred to the more than 25 percent taking a pass on college as the "too cool to study" group of millennials who don't see any value to higher education. However, in the survey, some students cited lack of interest and lack of funding as their reason for shortening their academic careers.

HuffPo sources comment
The news source profiled 24-year-old Shawn Brody, who fits the author's criteria as someone who's "too cool" for college. The political activist and punk rock enthusiast currently works temporary jobs in construction and on farms while living with his father. Someday, he hopes to found a worker-owned coffee shop.

"I didn't think I would learn anything in college," Brody told the news provider. "They don't teach you how to stand up for your beliefs."

However, he also told The Huffington Post that feels as though members of his generation who declined to pursue higher education are the most inclined to complain about their lack of employment opportunities.

The news source noted that college drop outs include a handful of individuals who went on to be wildly successful in the field of technology - including the late Steve Jobs, Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerberg, and Zynga designer Justin Waldron. However, a handful of individuals told the Huffington Post that they worried about how their lack of a degree was affecting their chances of getting a job. One of these was website designer Amber Gordon, who's looking for a job in social media.

"It's hard for me to find a job without a college degree," she told the news source. "I'm competing with people who have degrees."

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