That’s right, I said it. You don’t HAVE to go college. I don’t think enough young people realize this. It’s been shoved down our throats for, basically, all of our lives: “go to college. If you want to succeed in life you have to go college.??? Well, that’s a lie. And only one person ever in my entire life told me that, my great grandfather; which to me is surprising because the man has been around for awhile! He’s had to go to war, he’s gone through the depression, has had a whole life of experiences and a whole life to gain all his wisdom. You would think he would be the one to tell me I have to go! Yet he was the only person telling me I don’t have to.
Don’t get me wrong, college is extremely beneficial. It’s needed in a majority of careers, and I’m not saying don’t go, that’s not what I’m getting at here. I’m saying you don’t have to go to college, at least not right away. I know you’re thinking, “Oh! There it is, there’s the catch.??? Yeah, there’s a catch to this. But hear me out. You may actually think what I have to say makes sense.
Depending on what you pick for your career to be, you’re more than likely going to need to go to college. In fact, there are very, very few careers that I can think of that don’t require you to have some form of higher education. Literally the only career that I can think of that doesn’t require you of this would be working at an entry level position in a fast food industry or clothing retail industry, and you don’t want to have that be your career anyway. Those jobs are most likely minimum wage jobs that are meant for kids in high school and college that are working part time for some extra cash or gas money or whatever. It’s not a career. Unless that’s what you’re absolutely passionate about, then I mean go for it. I wouldn’t recommend it, but who am I to judge someone’s dreams and what makes them happy.
You don’t have to go to college right after high school; you don’t have to spend your 20’s in a classroom. Yes, I will admit it’s easier to just go after high school and get started and get it over with. But some people aren’t ready for that, and that’s OK! I personally went right after high school automatically knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I was going to be a kindergarten teacher. So I got my associates degree and while I was finishing up the last classes I needed for my degree I was also getting a lot of my pre-reqs done (which are the classes you have to take BEFORE you apply or get into whatever program you’re going in to.) So I was near ready to apply for the teaching program when I got my associates; but then, you can guess what happened…. I DIDN’T WANT TO BE A TEACHER ANYMORE. This happens to a lot of people. We think we have an idea of what we want to do, but then things change! Life changes! We change! And what we thought we wanted to do with our lives no longer seems like a good option for us. Yeah, it’s unfortunate and super annoying… but so normal. I mean from the time we’re in 8th grade everyone is trying to have us decide what the hell we want to do with our lives! Hello? We were 14, we had no idea what we wanted to do when we were 40! I’m 21 and I’ve now changed my career path twice and I still have no idea what I want to. I’m constantly changing my mind about what I want to do with my life. Changing your mind and your major is so common. And that’s why I’m writing this. I’m writing this to say you don’t have to go to college right after high school.
For the most part, anything past your associates degree (such as your bachelors degree or masters degree) goes towards your career. If you’re unsure about your career, why would you pay 5 grand (or more) a year to go to school if you don’t even know what you want to do?!
I went to school for 3 years and I owe $15,000. If I never go to school again and pay my monthly payment of $160, I will be paying this off until I’m about 30. 30!
Do you realize what you can get for $15,000?
Here is a list of things that you can get with $15,000:
- 7 years worth of gas ($2.50 / gal)
- A car
- Go to Coachella 6 times
- Go on a fancy pants vacation to punta cana 3 times
- Down payment on a house
- A house payment for 2 years
- 5 night, fancy pants vacation at universal Orlando, 5 times.
- 7 round trip flights to Greece
- A lot of mcdonalds dollar menu food
Some of the things I listed are material items, and material items are nice; but some of those things I listed are worth so much more than material items. Some of those things are things that help give your life adventure, meaning, experience, memories; things that to me, are worth so much more than a degree. Can you imagine how much of the world you can travel with $15,000? How much you can see? I am a firm believer that traveling, going into the world, going into the mountains and nature with good people is good for the soul. $15,000 is a LOT of soul food.
This article isn’t to tell you to not go to college, or get some form of higher degree. This is to tell you that it’s okay to not go to college right away. It’s okay to not spend the majority of your youth in a classroom. It’s okay to take time off to figure yourself out to really think about what you want to do with your life. Yeah, a high paying job is nice and definitely makes living your life so much easier. However, if you don’t love what you do, then it’s not worth it. I don’t care what anyone has to say. DO NOT pick a career based on how much money you’ll be making. Pick a career based on passion for your work and what you’ll be doing. And if you don’t know that right away? IT’S OKAY. Take the $15,000 (or more) you’ll be paying for college, to go travel the world, go on adventures and experiences that give your life meaning & stories to tell your grandkids. You don’t want to be stuck hating your career, or life because you did what you were “supposed??? to do, or what you were “told??? to do. Make the choices that are going to benefit YOUR life, not others. This is your life, and no one can tell you, or even has the right to tell you how to live it.
