Still, the real value of earning a college degree adds up to much more than just a series of paychecks. College is about self-fulfillment. And self-fulfillment is worth billions – seriously. 

As kids, our ambitions aren’t rooted in money; they’re rooted in curiosity. We ask questions. We enjoy learning new things. We may want to be firemen, ballerinas, boat captains or beekeepers. We’re born with an impulse to explore. And each new discovery provides the unique triumph of self-fulfillment.  

As we get older, the impulse wanes. We outgrow little league and girl scouts.  People stop giving us trophies and badges as evidence of our good work. We become teenagers, and most of us rebel – in small ways and large ways – against whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing.

Before long, we’re old enough to have adopted an image of ourselves. We are grownups. Without any guidance counselors or parents to tell us otherwise, we usually stick with this image – whether it’s positive or not. For some people, the image doesn’t involve college, or even a gainful occupation. Some people get trapped in a series of wrong turns; they give up, and tune out their inner impulse to succeed. 

But ignoring the impulse to succeed is like ignoring the impulse to sing, or to skip, or to cry. In our day-to-day lives we might not notice the small ways in which we ignore our impulse. Maybe we stay up too late, instead of going to bed early to ensure a productive daytime. Maybe we spend money on frivolous entertainment instead of investing in a gym membership, or a local class, where we can meet people who will help us accomplish something meaningful. Over time, the bottled up impulses either explode or evaporate.

And so today, as a society, we are collectively unfulfilled. We eat too much. We drink too much. We ignore our kids, and take our spouses for granted. We go to Wal-Mart every weekend to buy new junk that we don’t need and can’t afford.   Plus, we’re addicted to reality television – programs that allow us to watch our neighbors, who are equally unfulfilled and equally preoccupied with substitute comforts.

Can a college degree really change all of this? Well, maybe not directly. But self-fulfillment can. When you start working towards a long-term goal, you begin to view yourself differently. Your perspective sharpens. Your priorities change. You hold your head higher. As with marathon training, mental exercise gives you energy and catalyzes endorphins. And before long, other positive choices seem more obvious. 

None of this is to say that a person can’t be happy or fulfilled without a college degree. Many people find joy and success through pursuits that have no ties to higher education. But,those people enjoy fulfillment in some other aspect of their lives – be it a harmonious marriage, a true zeal for parenthood, a passion for music, or a love of art. 

If you’re struggling to define long-term happiness, make today the day you reclaim self-fulfillment. Go back to school, and find the part of yourself that still enjoys asking questions. Because education is an asset that can never be lost, stolen, or depreciated. Just like finishing a great book, mastering a complicated recipe, or completing a massive garden project, you’ll capture something lasting. The monetary value of that is incalculable.