College Athletes Chasing Their Dreams

With college football season over and the basketball season in full swing, the discussion about college athlete's leaving their college experience early to become pro usually comes up. There are generally two sides of this argument. The first being, "You're getting a free education, you should stay and graduate." The second being, "You have a chance to make millions of dollars next year. GO NOW!" Having never been in that position to make that choice, I cannot tell you which I would take. We've seen these things go both ways, so there probably isn't a "right" answer. I think it's always wise for the student athlete to do what's best for themselves and their future.

I do, however, think people need to be careful of being too critical of these student athletes (making them feel shameful for the choice they make). There are some who have risked millions of dollars to return to school and it's cost them. Others who leave early and go on to a very lucrative professional career (sometimes only a few years) which a college degree could never financially compete with over a 30 year career.

If I meet somene very opinionated about this, sometimes I hsare this example. What if your son/daughter or sibling were an engineering student. It could be presumed if they finished their degree they'd probably land a job out of college in the $40-65,000 range. What would you do if they were talented and in their sophomore or junior year a large engineering company said to them, "You're skills are great and we want to get you on board...degree or no degree....we'll give you $250,000 if you start working for us now." Would you still feel as strongly about them finishing their degree? Another thing I've brought up to folks...why don't people make the same fuss about a teenage actor/actress/singer who is already making millions? I'm sure they easily could attend college, but the public is ok with their talent making them money with no education.

Those are just some points to ponder about this issue. Again, none of us usually know the whole story or situation and ultimately, the choice they make is theirs.