The College Path
In high school, especially junior and senior year students are groomed and prepared for the college life.
College creates great experiences. College is most times a student’s first experience on living in the “real world” by themselves. College allows students to travel, see new places, and create connections that might aid a career path later in their life. Students learn how to manage their time socially and academically without having a teacher or parent’s help. These important tools and many others are learned in college. Other tools include responsibility and independence.
Guidance counselors often push their students to study and take their SAT’s, begin to look at various colleges, and build up your college resume. College seems to be the only option. What about if college isn’t for you? High school prepares you for college and not much else. College is expensive and can create an extreme amount of pressure. Students who aren’t sure of what they want to do might feel “stuck” in college. Students might steer away from changing majors because they don’t want to waste the copious amounts of money that was spent on classes. No student wants to be drowning in student loans. College is not the only answer and deterring students from other options can deny them from an opportunity at a job or skill they are passionate about.
What else is available?
Because schools only tell students about the college way of life, many students may not know how many other options are available to them.
There’s other paths students can venture down including but not limited to: any branch of military, trade schools, or go into the Peace Corps/volunteer in some other way.
Some students just aren’t cut out for the college life with all the expenses and work load. Students may also be more of a “hands on” learner, something college can’t always provide.
“The average student will spend 4 years getting an undergraduate degree, taking a full course-load and extracurricular activities leaves very little wiggle room for internships and “on the job” experience,” said Megan Breinig. “Many students assume going to college will inevitably land a high paying job in a cushy executive chair; but that is rarely the case. Internships and on the job experience are just as, if not more important than having a degree when you’re starting a career.”
Look at it this way, what good is a degree in your field if you can’t get your foot in the door of the industry? The path you take after high school is entirely up to you, how you learn, and what you know you can handle.
