College isn't for everyone
Written by Boomer Vuori, Former Student on Tuesday, January 6, 2015
College is not for everyone, plain and simple. I’m always hearing adults saying things like, “You have to go to college to be successful or to go anywhere in life,” and I feel like that isn’t true. I feel like a lot of kids are convinced they have to go to college because of years of people telling them that that is the only way to succeed in life.
A lot of people miss out on chasing their dreams, passions, and really living life to its fullest potential because they are caught up in school, chasing a piece of paper that in the end, might not have anything to do with the job they eventually get.
Some people come out of college with hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt that will take years to pay off and those years you have to work to pay it off are years of your life you will never get back. Most 18-year-olds have no idea what they even want out of life yet.
Don’t get me wrong, college is great and it can help you be successful and go on to be whatever it is you want to be. I’m not writing this to take anything away from the benefits of college. To some people, the debt they are in after college is worth it because they are doing what they love and that is awesome, good for them! It’s just that college isn’t for everyone.
I don’t want to spend half of my whole existence on this earth paying my debt from only four years of college, it’s just not worth it to me. My parents are paying for half of my sister’s college and they are giving me the same opportunities they gave her.
My parents have worked so hard to give us everything we’ve ever needed and if I have them pay for half of my education too, there is no way they will ever get to retire. They would be paying off debt until the day they die. That isn’t fair to them because they have worked so hard and deserve to retire, go out and enjoy the rest of their lives.
There are so many things to do instead of college. Follow your passions and dreams! Life is too short not to do the things you want to do. It’s not like any of us are getting out of this lifetime alive, so have fun with it! If you don’t know what you want to do with your life, instead of going to college right away you can take some time to figure it out and go explore the world and do things like travel and see everything you’ve ever wanted to see.
You can learn how to paint, do stand-up comedy, or even write a book, you could even volunteer or maybe do some charity work! You can take classes in literally anything you want and actually enjoy learning and studying something for once. Work a bunch of different jobs and find things you like to do. Find a new hobby like yoga or skiing! Take time to master a foreign language, explore the great outdoors. Go on a spiritual quest! You can even run for office if you want!
You don’t need college to succeed and be happy in life. We are so young still, and not all of us want to be held down and start our adult lives yet. Spend some time figuring out what you want out of life, after all, the world is your oyster.
