There are many paths in life that may lead to success. College is only one of many options people can take to set themselves up for a happy, prosperous life.
Many people would disagree this is the case, because a lot of people see higher education as the next step they must take in life after high school. College is seen not as an option, but an inevitability, even when there are trade schools, the armed forces, apprenticeships and plenty of other careers out there for 18 year olds to take advantage of.
For some people, depending on their career ambitions, these options are better than college.
I love learning and have greatly enjoyed the college experience in general. However, I realize in order for our society to be happy and efficient, we must stop the bottleneck created by an influx of people who are in college just because they think it is the only way of life.
To be frank, some people are just not wired to be successful in the collegiate world. That is not to say that those people are stupid or unmotivated, but it takes a specific kind of person to be comfortable with higher education.
Robert Farrington, a contributor for Forbes, says, “It’s important to remember that college isn’t the time to find yourself—the financial burdens of going to college with no purpose can be huge.”
It makes no sense for someone does not know what they want out of life to commit to such an endeavor. It does make sense, however, for someone to see that going to college can accrue massive amounts of debt, all without the guarantee of a job associated with the degree they earn.
Does a welder need a bachelor’s degree? Does an entrepreneur need a piece of paper to take out a loan and start a business? Does a lawyer need a law degree to start working at a firm? Only one of those scenarios yields an answer of “yes.” While college certainly would not hurt either of the other two hypothetical people, it would be a reasonable decision for them to forgo it entirely.
For others, college might only be a feasible option later in life. I have met a number of students here at Mississippi State alone, who, while not lacking the intelligence required, were not at a stage in their life where devotion to a full time education was in the cards. This could be based on maturity issues at home, finances, or a wealth of other reasons. For those individuals, working on themselves should be the primary goal after high school.
Randye Hoder of Time.com says, “Robert Clagett, who served as a senior admissions officer at Harvard and is also the former dean of admissions at Middlebury College, has found that those who delay a year before starting college have GPAs that, on a 4.0 scale, are 0.15 to 0.2 higher than otherwise would be expected.”
We should let kids find themselves before they commit to a college if that is what they need.
Creating a future for oneself is quite the task. Self-directed learning advocate Blake Boles says, “embracing self-directed learning as an 18- to 23-year-old means embracing your fundamental nature as an entrepreneur at a younger age than most. It means crafting a life of autonomy, mastery and purpose — the three ingredients necessary for self-motivation — while also creating value for other people in the process.”
I am not arguing against the idea of college, but I am arguing against it being considered the end-all, be-all of young adulthood. While I personally believe college is the right choice for me, it is not the right choice for everyone.
