A College Education Is Not for Everyone

What college am I going to go to after high school? That is the thought burning in the minds of students from their freshman year through their senior year. I'm a junior this year, soon to be senior, and so that thought is particularly fresh in my mind. Throughout high school, at least at a high school like ours, you are basically just spending four years getting prepared for college. Teachers teach to get you ready for “college-level academics” which enforces inside students' heads the idea that college is the only acceptable next step of life after high school. Many kids would not even consider it a choice, they just accept that they are supposed to go straight to college after high school.

In my opinion, a college education is not what's best for every student; students should be able to easily get information about job and travel alternatives from their high school counselors. High school counselors should be renamed from “college counselors” to something like “futures counselors.” Choices involving trades and internships should be greeted with as much positive feedback as the choice of going to college.

Many career choices do not require a college education. So if you're interested in one of those careers, why spend the money and the time going to more years of school? Careers that do not require college-level education often just require specific courses designed for that career. This is most commonly referred to as a trade school. The goal of a trade school is to train you in a field in a short amount of time. You could go to trade school to become an electrician, a dental hygienist, a cosmetologist, a welder, among many other options. All of these choices allow a person to quickly begin working in their chosen field and start earning money. It would be refreshing if high school teachers and counselors recognized trade school and training programs as legitimate choices and paths and affirmed students who choose this direction.

Another path is a hybrid where instead of going right from high school to college - a student chooses to spend a year or even two exploring. A “gap year” doesn’t necessarily mean that a student is ultimately choosing not to go to college, instead they’re choosing to take a break from formal learning to take some time to have a job or travel. A gap year is an amazing way to learn a new skill or have a new experience. You can choose from so many possibilities including: living on a cruise for a year, community service in another country, interning abroad, teaching abroad, and even taking a few courses while experiencing a new country. For some, a gap year is a great way to earn a little bit of money before seeking further education. A gap year also is a good way to explore future career interests further and make sure the path you want to pursue is actually the right one for you. It would be helpful if people advising high school students were well-versed in possible gap year options and offered guidance to students interested in pursuing these paths.

All of these options weigh on me as I rapidly approach my final year of high school. All my friends are talking about what colleges they want to go to and our teachers and college counselors spend a lot of time talking to us about what schools we are interested in going to. I am not sure that college is the right path for me, not now, and maybe not ever. It would have been so helpful to me if my teachers, friends, and parents openly embraced all of the possibilities from the start. It would have helped me and other students like me to feel more empowered to consider alternative paths other than the one straight to college.