Last Friday I posted an infographic about high school students not being prepared for college. There were a lot of responses…some people agreed…some people didn’t. Some people felt as though their high school prepared them enough and they easily graduated college (go you guys!) and some people felt they could have been more prepared.
I just wanted to follow up with that one because it sparked a lot of commentary. One of the main themes that people chattered about was that college is NOT for everyone (which I 100% agree with).
There are many jobs that do not need or require college. We NEED people to do these jobs in society just as we need people to do college based jobs as well. Without having all types of jobs, our society will fail to exist. It is not possible for everyone is our society to go to college because of expenses or because of job opportunities in such fields. Not everyone in this world can or needs to be a doctor or something that requires an extensive amount of schooling.
Let me give you an example that I’ve had a VERY hard time putting out there. I don’t want to go to graduate school. Not in the slightest, it doesn’t interest me and I could honestly go the rest of my life without going. I don’t feel like I need too either. The amount I have been told oh you’ll change your mind. You’ll want to eventually is not only sad but obnoxious. It’s almost as if it’s expected to go to college, graduate and then go to grad school in the culture I’m living in. Graduating college for me, was A HUGE DEAL. A HUGE DEAL. I’m not belittling it, I’m not saying it was easy. I’m not saying by any means that I got perfect grades (does it seem like a lot of graduates say that?) I’m saying I worked my butt off to get through college, had a good time and graduated. I learned a lot in my studies but also about myself.
I changed (read about that here) majors after my junior year of college. It took me three years to realize that math education was not for me.
A lot of people take college for granted…oh I was supposed to graduate college, it’s frowned upon in my family if we don’t…wasn’t bad… then they look at the infographic and they wonder…well why didn’t the other 46% of people who started college graduate. When your parents are paying for it, you don’t realize that college is very expensive.
Question for you: Talk to me about your college thoughts.
I think it’s actually pretty great that you know you don’t want to go to graduate school. There is definitely a stigma with it these days in the world of high education and it’s almost expected, but not everybody needs to go. You know what you do and don’t want and if you don’t need to spend extra money/time going to school for another 2+ years, then it would be crazy to! If we had majors like community health at my school, I would have changed too. I’m the same way with chemistry as you are with math. I liked it in high school but I liked it for the “solving for x” type things, not for the crazy abstract problems and questions. Unfortunately we don’t have anything close to that type of major which is why I do plan to go to grad school and learn I am interested in pursuing for the rest of my life.
College isn’t easy, and if you say it is, then you probably didn’t choose a school that is the right fit for you or you didn’t take full advantage of everything it has to offer, you know?
What do you want to do? 🙂
No idea but I do know I want to be in the health field- public health, community health, health communications. Hence my double major in chem and communications. But I’ll still need some training on the actual health world 🙂
I think it’s awesome that you don’t want to go to grad school and you’re sticking with that. I’m pretty sure 80% of my decision had to do with the expectation that you need a masters in order to get a decent job – kind of frustrating, because I probably won’t end up working in my field (I like learning about it, but I don’t know if I want to work in it. I’m more interested in the transferrable skills).
When it comes to education, I tend to see it as a commodity in a consumer/capitalist culture. We get taught in high school than we NEED a university education, and hence, people who aren’t prepared for it are pushed into doing it. Expectations are lowered, more people graduate (or drop out with ‘some post-secondary education’) making the degrees themselves less valuable in the job market. So now the push is for graduate school, because it makes you stand out from the sea of university graduates.
There isn’t as big of sea of university grads as you would think. I have to respectfully disagree that you don’t need at all a masters to get a decent job. Often times many people who have spent all that money for a graduate degree never fully make that money back. (obviously not anywhere close to all the time but a lot of time). What did you get your masters in?
sorry – I should clarify that I’m speaking from a Canadian view, with a bachelor of arts degree. So my situation is probably quite a bit different than yours. I’m assuming your degree is in the sciences? One study (one from the Maritimes conducted recently) shows that earning potential for a liberal arts degree is less than a science degree – we’re less likely to hold jobs that require a degree.
Quoting from a recent Globe and Mail article: (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/when-a-university-degree-just-isnt-enough/article579230/)
“There is also concern that not enough of these graduates excel at the liberal arts education’s core skills – writing, critical thinking, research ability, social curiosity – for the BA to carry much weight, leaving students feeling obligated to get graduate, professional or college credentials to prove their worth.”
Here, enrollment in BA programs have literally exploded – up 40% from 1999-2009, so that is causing them to decline in value. And while no, you don’t NEED a Masters degree, the pressure is there that you need one in order to stand out. Even as an MA student, lots of my professors emphasize that we should be getting Ph.Ds (which I’m not doing, MA is my limit).
I’m in a criminology MA program right now.
I’m glad you’re opening this topic for discussion – there’s a lot of different opinions on it and I’m enjoying reading the responses and looking at everyone’s experiences with post-secondary. It’s different for everyone, right?
I totally agree. When I got my Bachelor’s I didn’t get many congratulations. I got a lot of, ‘So what’s next? When are you applying for your master’s?’ Like, really? Are you kidding me? I have no interest in graduate school. I went to college, got my education, and did my time. Yes, graduate school is for some people, but definitely not everyone. Just like how regular college isn’t for everyone. I think people need to stop judging others for their decisions and just let everyone live their life the way they want to.
Amen sister. I want to praise the high heavens with this comment.
I’m glad I found someone with the same mindset on the topic as I do for once.
I never had an interest in grad school. Never ever. And then I actually became a nurse and decided that this isn’t for me. If I loved my field, I’d never go. But I don’t. So I’m going to grad school to make more money AND find a job I love to do.
UGH nursing. As someone who barely passed anatomy I feel your pain.
I hated anatomy too. And all other science.
Go you!! Graduating with my BS was a HUGE deal for me too. No one in my family has gone to college so I took pride in that. Then I was bombarded with ‘so what’s next? what do you want to do with your BS in Legal Studes’. I do not want to go to grad school. However, for me it is imperative that I find a field that I’m passionate about. Right now I’m really interested in becoming a Registered Dietician. So even though I don’t want to go back to grad school, if I want to follow my dreams and find something I’m passionate about (& love working with everyday!) I don’t have any other choice.
Society puts so much pressure on advanced schooling.. when will it ever be enough!
exactly. In 50 years, babies will be popping out with phDs.
This is an interesting discussion. I did not want to go to college AT ALL. I wanted to be a makeup artist and was pretty set on it. Well, that didn’t really pan out and I ended up getting my Bachelors of Science in Marketing. I worked in sales for about 4 years and hated it. I knew that I wasn’t for me so I decided to take a huge leap and go to Nursing School. I just recently graduated and now I am officially an RN. I’m now close to 30 years old so it took me some time to figure it all out!! I understand your frustration with people asking you about grad school because now people are asking me whether I am going to become a Nurse Practitioner as if it’s expected! Anyway, my other thought is that at 24 years old I swore I would never go back to school…so things can change… I think the trend that I have seen in my friends who are in there late 20’s and early 30’s is that as they progress in their jobs/careers they discover that they are very passionate about some aspect of their career and then decide to go back to school…just my two cents!
That I would not have a problem with. If I found something I absolutely loved and wanted to learn more about then sure I’d go back..now I hven’t found that and I don’t want to waste time, money or more life in school when I’m not fully enjoying it.
Not going to college wasn’t an option in my house. I grew up always thinking about moving on after high school. I really do think that everyone should have a college education. The college experience itself is great preparation for so much – LIFE! It taught me so much, and I think missing that would rob anyone of growing and learning more about themselves. College is definitely not cheap. It’s not easy to pay for. But it’s possible. It’s easy for me to sit here with parents helping me pay loans and say that everyone needs to go to college, but the struggle to pay during and after for that education seems worth it.
As someone who had both parents as college grads and my father was a masters, college was something they somewhat pushed for. That being said, I truly do not believe that college is for everyone.
I know plenty of people that college is not right for and they have become successful doing what it is they do without college. Am I saying that everyone who chooses to not go to college is successful? No, not at all.
Am I saying everyone who goes to college is successful? No, not at all.
Though I learned a lot in college I did, I also have learned just as much (if not more) working in the real world. 🙂
so I feel so similar to you. I have right now no desire to go to graduate school. yet my dad places huge emphasis on one day I will go back to school but I just don’t want to. sure maybe at one point it will help a career but it is something I just can’t fathom taking part in.
Yeah, I actually thought we were in really similar shoes about that! 🙂
Luckily I was super prepared for college, almost over prepared, but I think a lot of that has to do with how my parents raised me and my personality. It’s great that you’re sticking to your guns and not letting people pressure you into grad school. I know people that do fine without going for a bachelors degree too. It just depends on the situation and the person, and no one has the right to say how much education is right or wrong for someone else.
I was prepared for college, but then when to a college that was ridiculously difficult for me. I struggled with depression and anxiety and it was a rough ride. I found graduate school (got my MA last May and am now working on my PhD) SO MUCH EASIER than my undergrad.
That said, in a few year’s I’ll have a PhD… but I don’t care if my children go to college at all. I want them to be happy. I’m getting mine because I want to teach college because I’m lazy and think it sounds like the ultimate swank-job. I’m good at school, so it’s an easy “job” for me right now– I get paid to go to classes in graduate school.
That said, I’ll NEVER make as much as some of my friends from home who went to trade school or did apprenticeships or just started working and networking out of high school. I think higher education is important but that’s only because I think personal enrichment is important– if you can grow your soul in other ways, then go for it.
I also don’t think graduate school is for everyone– and shouldn’t be pushed on everyone. I’m a proponent of it, though, because our economy sucks and all of my friends are struggling to find jobs. Graduate school is the “job” I found– I get a (tiny) paycheck and my loans are deferred. I’m fine with that set-up while I wait for more jobs to open up!
This comment is absolutely excellent and I couldn’t agree more. Though I don’t have children, I don’t think there should ever be pressure to go to college. If that isn’t for them…it’s not and that is a lot of money to waste only to go halfway.
I definitely took college for granted. I was never a fan of homework and wanted to be done with it all. I honestly think we should all take a year off between high school and college. It’s crazy to think that we go to school for 13 years and are expected to do another 4 more years. Oh school!
I actually thought that is a glorious idea. Coming into college as a freshman, you are expected to have a major thought about. It’s so hard to realize that!
If you don’t want to go to grad school, don’t go! There is so much pressure for undergrads to go to grad school that many people (like myself) apply and go because they’re scared of the future and what would happen if they didn’t go. I was fortunate that my parents paid for my undergrad although I had to work during most of the four years but I paid my way through grad school with loans. Yikes. I wish I’d really thought about what I wanted to do with my life before applying and getting my master’s degree. I’ll probably go back to school (but I’m just one of those people…) but it would have saved me money if I’d waited on my master’s and done it with an advanced degree later on.
I fully don’t plan too right now LOL. I think that if I do ever choose to go to grad school, it will be when I’m working somewhere already and have a focus.
I think I already mentioned this in my comment on your last college post, but I definitely agree with you that college is not for everyone, I felt so pressured to go to college straight out of high school, and while I definitely don’t regret graduating, I wish I had taken a bit more time to think about it and go about it more smartly. I struggled with a lot of health and anxiety issues all throughout college, so graduating was a huge deal for me as well. Now I’m thinking (and dreading) about going to grad school, but mostly because the career I want to go into basically requires it. The thought of going back and dealing with all that stress is seriously freaking me out, though, so I’m considering a career change 😆
If you don’t want to go then don’t, but I know it’s not that simple. I’m only a freshman in college and battling with whether or not I should stay in it. I like the learning and classes when they’re good classes, but it’s also so expensive I don’t even know if it is worth it. But that’s besides the point. Assuming I do finish (which I probably will) then I’ll have to battle going to grad school or not. I already know I don’t want to and am pretty sure that I won’t but there is that societal pressure. Why can’t people just be people and make their own choices?
No it is. I fully don’t plan to go to graduate school right now. I think so much changes once you are away from the “college scene”. I just cannot imagine going back right now or streamling and going straight through from undergrad to grad.
You are so right in your conclusions!
I did not graduate from college, I attended after high school, and dropped out after my first term. Went back the following year, and was sent home on academic suspension at the end of a year. I had no focus whatsoever on why I was there, or the tangible benefit in continuing either. A dozen years later, I returned, and finished a year and half of a science degree with nearly perfect grades. However, I still did not finish a degree. The benefits of continuing were still incredibly uncertain, in spite of costs and pressures of life.
I have a career in construction, and am certified in two trades, or crafts as you Americans call them :)! Though I have often regretted the perceived failure on my part, of not having completed college (or university, as we Canadians call it) that regret and perception of failure is almost entirely fuelled by an ego that has been chiseled by a snobbish attitude directed towards anything ‘less’ than undergraduate degree education.
Thanks for your blog, btw, I don’t read many, but your style, sarcasm, forwardness, and humour have been incredibly entertaining and I look forward to your posts always. Keep running, its awesome 🙂
Thanks Bradley and I’m glad you stopped by. This is exactly what I mean, so many people think they NEED college/university to be successful. Obviously that is not the case at all, because you are far cry of being anything less then successful. I think so many people don’t realize that not everything needs undergraduate, graduate or phd programs. Hell some careers don’t even need high school but I do think everyone should graduate that. 🙂
I saw it more of an individual goal for myself to go to college and graduate with a degree for something I wanted to do with my life. Indeed, I was presented the idea of graduate school and after toying around with the idea, I decided it was not for me either. It wasn’t in my individual goals at the time and I would rather get my Master’s Degree at my own pace while I am teaching. Online classes one-by-one are just fine with me. Also, I think you can tell which people were pushed to go to school. They are the ones who go out every night and make everyone’s life a living hell because they are miserable or failing on purpose. For this reason, individual goals should determine your fate or you’re wasting not only your time/money but the time/money of other people. (My college roommate never wanted to go to college and I could never study because she was high/drunk/being loud at all hours of the day).
Exactly to all of this.
I had a roommate that clearly wasn’t paying for college and clearly didn’t care. In her defense, I think I just live better off alone. I actually really enjoy online classes too because I like working at my own pace and not sitting there learning information I already know…or being able to relook at information longer that I don’t.
SAME here. I’m definitely one to lose focus if the instructor starts talking about something I’ve learned so many times in the past… And once I’m gone, well… There’s no coming back. lol
I must have missed your last college post. I completely agree- college is NOT for everyone. I have a lot of respect for people who realize this and choose to go to trade school or beauty school or whatever. There are so many ways in this country to make a living, and a university degree isn’t always necessary.
I went to grad school for a semester and a half (kind of…weird story) but dropped out because I chose to go for ALL the wrong reasons. I was avoiding the real world, letting others influence my decisions, and hanging onto my old life at my school. I felt 1,000x better getting out- especially because I was studying something I had very little interest in. I wasn’t about to waste my time and money on that. It took forever, but as you know from my last post, I finalllyyyy found a job in what I wanted to do, with just my undergrad degree. You can stand out without a masters. However I am a firm believer in “it’s all about who you know” haha.
There is a link there if you wanted to look at the infographic. I actually am really beliving in that too. Networking is so key in this day and age.
I tend to agree with you on the unpreparedness of students for college/real life. My thoughts have always been that there are {essentially} three paths to careerhood. 1) college 2) military 3) vo-tech (blue collar/ on the job training). Not all teens are destined for college and trying to prepare them for something they may not do seems futile.
I think schools tend to push people into college (and rack up student loans) that really wouldn’t have gone there in the first place. There are plenty of jobs out there making really great money that don’t require college degrees. So why not let the high school student choose which path they would like? If they choose college, then prepare them for it. If they choose military, prepare them for that with jROTC. If they choose vo-tech then offer a skills class that teaches them what they’re interested (car repair, construction, welding, etc.).
I don’t know if I even make sense right now. Great topic, Hollie.
Nope, I share this exact thought process completely. Not everyone has to go to college.
I’m glad I went to school (obviously) but I have no desire to go back! I changed my major a bunch of times too, and I’m lucky I landed on something (marketing stuff) that got me a job I love, but it’s not that straightforward for a lot of people!
When I graduated college, I thought about grad school and actually took one course (fortunately paid for by my last job) in business law because I was hoping to get an MBA. I’m so glad I didn’t go through with that! Now, an MBA is a great grad degree to have, but I’ve figured out in the past 5 years that I really like technical writing and want to do it. There’s really not much difference in what a tech writer with a B.S. makes compared to one with a Masters, We have one guy at my job who has a Masters and used to teach because you can with a Masters, but he makes more money now than he did teaching. He does the same job as the rest of us. Clay is a programmer and going to grad school wouldn’t really advance his career either- but learning programming languages on his on or taking continuing education courses will.
It’s sad when the world comes to “Oh, you just have a four year degree”. I just want to say yes, I have a 4 year degree, a comfortable living doing a job I love, without the debt of a Master’s Degree…
Great post!
I went to college as a Computer Science major, that lasted one quarter. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do and then my roommate (who was a sign language interpreting major) introduced me to her Deaf friends and the rest was history. I seriously did horrible my first year of college, 2 point something GPA, and I had to work hard to do better. Eventually I maintained a 4.0 GPA and graduated with 3 point something, enough to be on honors when I graduated.
I did go to grad school, not because it will benefit me in terms of money, but because I love learning. I don’t really use my masters degree but I worked really hard and did maintain a 4.0 GPA that time. I think that it takes some people time to figure out what they want to do, and if not going to college is what they want then good for them.
Oh and I have to add, I only went to grad school because I worked at the college. One of my benefits was tuition waiver and I didn’t have to pay one cent (other than the cost of books) for my masters education. If I didn’t work at a college and needed to pay for school myself, I wouldn’t have gotten a masters degree.
I was recently talking to a housemate of mine about the cost of graduate school and wowza. What college do you work at?
I work at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).
I couldn’t agree more with what you said about needing people to do ALL sorts of jobs. If everyone wanted to be a doctor, the world would be a mess. Gotta keep the balance in the world, that means someone needs to flip dem burgers at Macd’s…not me though!
It’s a completely different experience here, but the topic is still relevant. I was thrilled to finish uni. I never want to go back. It was an incredibly difficult 5 or so years, and just finishing had a hugely positive impact on my mental health!
You’re too right about college not being for everyone. I have a law degree. My brother passed year 9. My other brother is in year 12 – just. I’m not convinced he’ll do more than that. And you know what? They’re great. Financially, they are way, way better off than me, and they’re happy. And … I’m kind of envious!
Being happy and being able to pay the bills..as long as you can…why go to years of schooling in something that you aren’t even interested in?
Holly, I had to comment on your blog entry. I have my own opinions on college. I do think that the more “outside the norm” you are, the least adapted you will be for college. The least you follow trends and what is accepted, the more difficult college will be for you. It does not mean one is dumb, it just means that we are all unique in our own Godly way. College was NOT for me even though I did graduate, but frankly I hated it and felt that it was trying to “mold” me into someone I was not, into a conformist person not thinking very much out of the box. My experience. (Note, I attended college in France.) – Life experience taught me way more than college ever will and did.
xoxoxoxo
Francoise
I do agree about being outside the mold. I was not a typical “student” and felt isolated a lot of the time. College was fun but I have learned so much more being in the real world.
This is my last year of college and I don’t plan on going to grad school. I technically don’t have to do for my job. I want to graduate, but at the same time I don’t because then it’s off to the real world!
If you don’t have to then it makes sense to me not too. That is how I felt at first too…going to the real world frightened me.
I love the conversation that has been started. i’m not surprised, it was a fabulous post.
When I finished high school, it was with fabulous grades and high hopes. I moved away for school (an 8hr drive and I didn’t bring a car with me and couldn’t afford the train, so I only came home at Christmas and during the summer) to a town in which I knew very few people. I knew (and still know) that I was smart enough to cope with the course work, that was never in doubt. However, my anxiey and depression deepened the disordered eating symptoms I had into a full-blown eating disorder. I was the typical “not ready for college” child. Incredibly naive, completely unprepared, horribly anxious, and completely self-defeating. Because of that, I wasn’t able to integrate socially or academically — studying and socializing both caused me extreme stress. I was also paying for my tuition and living, so in addition to my full course load and rowing on the varsity team, I was also working in retail for 25-35 hours a week. I lasted two and a half years (and one change in major) before I had to come home, when I was then hospitalized. That was three years ago.
Since then, I’ve finished a vocational college program, have been working for a year and a half and I have been able to purchase my own condo. I love my job more than I could imagine. And yet at the same time, I feel like I’m capable of so much more. If I didn’t have the same depression, anxiety, and ED, I probably would have progressed to finish my undergrad and probably would be applying to med schools (that was the original plan at least) or grad programs or both. Neither of my parents went to college, neither of my siblings have either. There was no pressure to go except that which society (and my teachers) put on me. I believe that I’m capable of more, but would I be happier with more? I make more than enough money to keep me comfortable, I have a job that I can come to in the morning and leave at the end of the day. I have enough responsibility to feel useful, but not so much as to cause stress. If (a giant if) I ever go back to school, it will be through the military (not going to pay for it again). But for now, I’m happy being an “underachiever”. I have FINALLY come to accept that I where I am today because that’s where I was destined to be. It doesn’t make me any less smart or any less of a person than someone with a degree.
Who cares what letters are behind your name as long as you’re happy? If you ask me, Chelsie S—, MLA has a pretty sweet ring to it, regardless.
I’ll have to link you to the post of when I went to college, I had very intense social anxiety that developed. I was naive and 12 hours away so completely understand that much. I’m so glad that you are happy right now doing what you love, I also feel like we are in the same shoes in that.
I agree–not everyone has/wants to go to college, and I would argue that can be said for grad school too. It’s common for people to attend just to hide out for a few years and figure things out, and although I understand they’re uncertain about their future, I don’t think they should be going back to school as a default.
As a mother of six, I can agree that not everyone wants or needs to go to college. That having been said, it is an expectation of mine that all six of mine get some degree – even if it is an associate’s.
Personally, I have an AAS and a BS and, until children, was accepted into some of the top MBA programs in the country. Didn’t go and, to this day, wish I had. I applied and was accepted to an MBA program, just two years ago, that focuses on sustainable economies but figured I needed the money that I would spend on another degree for me to pay for at least part of my kids’ degrees.
I do think that each individual should decide what is right for that person. Not all kids should attend a regular high school. Some will function better in a vocational setting. Regardless of the choice, I can say that schools are not preparing students for whatever the choice is beyond high school.
My thoughts about college come from the standpoint of a special educator. We need to be able to, as a society, meet kids where they are. We can not take a student with a low IQ and throw them into a high stress jobs. We need to be able to give students more options when they are within their adolescent years and allow them to explore different career choices, not just read about them in a book. They should have opportunities to GO into the field, and not just one field. ALL students should go to at least 5 different fields just to decide their thoughts. For some students, further schooling may not be college – it may be trade school, and students have to know that that is just fine! Heck, the 5th ranked girl in my graduating class of nearly 400 students didn’t go to college. She went to culinary school because she wants to open her own bakery and THAT IS COMPLETELY FINE!!!!
Ok, rant it over.
I completely agree with you here. College is NOT for everyone and I have very good friends that never went to college – and they are so talented at what they do (aka our bike mechanic at CTS, all of our Athlete Services reps, one friend from church who is a hairdresser). I also know people who went to college and are now working in jobs that have NOTHING to do with their degree – my hairdresser, for example, has an MFA in art…and she’s a hairdresser (consequently my hair always looks good, but that’s not the point).
I fully respect you not wanting to go to graduate school. Honestly, 99% of masters degree programs come with the expectation that you will go on to get your Ph.D and have a career in research/teaching. Working at Carmichael Training Systems was what helped me decide I wanted to apply, but honestly most of our coaches only have bachelors degrees. So I’m getting the degree because I actually like research and I think I might want to have a career as a researcher/professor in the field of human performance. But again, honestly, there are TONS of good jobs that don’t require a masters degree – look, you’ve already got one! And most of my college friends didn’t go to grad school – some of them are even working for big companies and making more money than I will ever make in my entire life. Yeah, like I said, grad school is only necessary for a handful of professions.
In terms of college, I am actually one of those people that….graduating from college was expected of me. I was under a LOT of pressure in high school, and my parents put a LOT of pressure on me in college. The result was that I graduated with honors and spent four years not having as much fun as a normal college kid should (although I loved William and Mary and I did get to do normal-girl things like be in a sorority and run a lot/train for races and get drunk a lot). Now that I’ve lived on my own and spent a year not in school, I’m 100% sure that if it were completely my choice I would still have chosen college AND grad school, but like…I dunno, not all of us in that situation are elitist daddy’s-girl snobs. Yes college was expected of me but I don’t think that’s how it SHOULD be – I know academia is a good place for me to be and my parents were right about that, but my sister is really suffering under my parents’ pressure – she’s dropped out of college twice and they keep pushing her to go back when it’s CLEARLY not what she’s meant to do. It worked for me because I’m academically minded but seeing how my parents’ rules affected my sister, I will never ever raise my own kids that way.
AHHH! Yes, yes and yes. I’m going to do a post on drinking sometime in the near future because I feel like no one ever does in the blogging world. My parents put a lot of pressure on me to finish high school, but were always very open to where I wanted to go to college. Sure they would prefer a more math and science degree but they would never force me to do anything. Plus wasting so much money for no degree?
You know I agree with this. Both of my parents enlisted out of high school and then earned degrees online for the rest of their education as it was needed. But my mom never completed grad school and she is freaking Vice President of her company. I actually hate that now even a Bachelors degree doesn’t seem to be enough for some careers that used to not even require college. I think as we increase the amount school required or suggested for a particular career track our education in the lower school goes down… I know this is exactly what this post was about but it was all I could think of while reading it. College is not for everyone. For some it is great, helps them find their way, gain responsibility, ect. There are others who I believe would benefit enormously from time away from college and learn about themselves outside of the college bubble.
Exactly, and seriously could your mom get anymore awesome (I really want to meet her!). People truely believe they need bachelors…masters…phD…pretty soon it’s going to take a four year degree for jobs I worked in high school.
You make some very good points regarding both undergrad and grad school. As much as I want to believe that college isn’t for everyone, I can’t help but think that having a college degree can be a life-saver later in life. But then again, it’s pretty clear that our educational system is extremely flawed not only because of the reasons you brought up in your first post but also because it’s SO EXPENSIVE. And don’t even get me started on grad school…holy debt and student loans! I definitely want to go to grad school (I’ve been saving for it for the past two years) because education and learning is something that’s integral in my life, but I can safely say that grad school is not for everyone. In the end, I’m still torn on the college debate. My best friend didn’t finish college and is trying hard to make it in the music industry (a degree isn’t needed obviously). It’s been working for her. I guess things can really fall into place regardless of a degree!