"Educated Idiot" Staying in School Makes No Sense!

Andrew Luck passing on the NFL

Andrew Luck the star quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal has decided to remain in school for another year. He is eligible however to enter the NFL draft this spring. All of the pro scouts that make a living evaluating players have projected this kid to be the first pick of the NFL draft. Armed with that information he and his parents have decided that it would make more sense to stay at Stanford for an additional year. Now normally a kid would stay in school to increase his draft status. In Luck's case, it's impossible to get any better than the first pick of the draft. He wants to get his degree in architectural design according to his dad. Not a very smart move!

Now before all of my educated readers climb through the computer to attack me. Indulge me for a moment, if you will, while I take you to school. I'm all for college, I've got a degree. However, the sole purpose for going to school or pursuing any type of secondary education is to prepare yourself to make a living for the rest of your life. Andrew Luck has been blessed with a talent that very few people on this earth have. Therefore, it is mandatory that he take advantage of this opportunity while he can.

 His dad made the ridiculous statement that the NFL is a great league so it will be there next year when he decides to come out of school. Sure, the NFL will be there but will Andrew be there? This a a violent sport and the risk of injury lurks around every corner. There's always the possibility of a career ending injury while he's at Stanford. If he wants to earn his degree he can always take classes in the spring semester during the off-season until he finishes the requirements. I had several buddies do that while I was in college. School has been around  for thousands of years and it's not going anywhere. Your ability to play only lasts for a short period of time. Did you know that the average length of an NFL career is three and a half years according to the NFL Players Association?

Last year, Sam Bradford was the first pick of the NFL draft and he signed a six year $78 million contract with $50 million of it guaranteed. As  parents we are obligated to help our kids make good decisions. There isn't a degree that can be earned that will allow a person to make that type of money in a lifetime let alone in six years.

According to simplyhired.com  the average salary of an orthopedic surgeon is $232,000 per year. Let's say the surgeon works for an entire career of 35 years. He or she would've only made $8.1 million(subtract the hundred thousand in student loans). An architect, in which Andrew is studying to become has an average salary of $80,000. A person in that field would work for a slightly longer period of time because they'll earn the degree at a younger age(undergraduate). So if they worked for 43 years retiring at age 65 they would've only earned $3.2 million over the course of a lifetime.

Keep in mind that this argument only applies to about 5 people in the world per year. I wouldn't encourage my child to leave college to pursue a career in professional sports if he wasn't a first round pick. School is a safe bet for 99% of the people walking around. I wouldn't have a college degree today if I were one of those chosen few. Some folks are so talented that they simply don't need to go school beyond high school. People like Beyonce', Stevie Wonder, Molly Cyrus(Hanna Montana), LeBron James just to name a few, have gifts that school would hinder. All we really need to know is how to read, write and add/subtract. We learn how to critically think as our passion draws us into specialized fields. I just believe that we have to be realistic in making decisions and stop just blurting out what sounds good.

There are a number of people saying, "Well... what if he gets hurt?" Many of those same people have college degree's and don't understand what the word "guaranteed" means. It's negotiated for that purpose. If the kid gets hurt he walks away with $50 million.

I can still hear them saying, "He needs to stay in school so that he can learn how to handle that money." What did I just say about blurting? How many people do you know that have college degree's that have bad credit and not because they don't have the money? How many do you know that are broke, unemployed or simply frustrated with their current financial situation? Having a college degree doesn't ensure financial stability nor does it give the wisdom in making good financial decisions. Therefore, as a parent I can't look my child in the face and tell him to stay in school(college) because it makes sense, because it simply doesn't. It just sounds good.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves