Everyone knows college is expensive and for the rest of your life, you will be paying off your student loans. In the 2014-2015 school year, average tuition was $31,231. However, a college education is worth it in a sense.

One side of this never ending debate is whether a  four year or community college is better. Everyone is different and everyone wants different things.

Having a college education from a university is useful in some cases. To become a doctor, one needs a four year degree, and from there he must go to medical school. But if you just want a degree, there is no harm in getting the basic classes out of the way for cheap.

Community college is a bit different then a university. Community college for the first two years totals is nearly four thousand dollars on average, but that doesn’t include room and board.

“Yes, I don’t think you can get an interview for a job without a college education”, Counselor of Lemont High School Dana Browne says when asked if she thinks college is necessary. Following that, she said, “…with the exception of going to a trade school. If you go to a trade school, they pay for your education and you come out being employable.”

This is just one perspective on whether or not college is worth it, but there are many opinions out there. Like Browne said, there are some exceptions like trade schools. Trade schools average at a price of 33,000 dollars, but will allow the person to have particular skills that will last a lifetime.

Community college is essentially the cheapest and easiest way in terms of living situations. If all the cost is for school, then you will only being paying at an average of 12,000 dollars for all four years, making the benefits outweigh the cost.

In the way our society is set up, they think taking on a four year out of high school is the best option, but some may argue that it is more practical for a community college to come first.