Recently I graduated high school in a small town in Southern Illinois, and the question on everyone's mind seemed to be what they would do after high-school. Some of us decided to join the military or head off 100 miles away to college, but the other portion of us decided to join the working class, because who is really to say you have to have a Bachelors degree to be successful in life? The pressure of enrolling into college never phased me because I knew what I wanted to do before teachers could even try to influence me to at least join community college. These are the reasons why many make the decision of not going straight into college after high school;

1. I needed a break

If you're like me, you must have found high school to be very stressful. Between endless writing assignments or having to get up before the sun to get a good spot in Free Parking because we refused to pay the $20 for our parking spots that wouldn't be respected regardless of what our handbook said. High school was supposed to be the "best years of our lives" according to anonymous author we had to write about in English 4. This quote may be true to some, but I know, as one of the outcasts, that this is far from true unless you are rich or the QB of the Football team, that in all honesty sucked. But although high school is supposed to separate us from the people we hate, it doesn't separate us from the never ending lectures or assignments that are due the next night at 12am. Which is something I would rather distance myself from for a year since I have been doing that for the last 12.

2. "Help me, I'm poor."

This well-known quote from the comedic movie, Bridesmaids, is actually not as inaccurate as many come to think it is. At least, not until you are a senior filling out the dreaded FAFSA or writing out 20 500-word essays about why you love your town (that you really hate), which you probably won't win no matter how good you may think it is. Although there may be hundreds of opportunities to help you afford college, there are plenty of things that financial aid does not cover, making college seemingly impossible for those who who could barely afford paying for awful school lunches.

3. I hadn't decided on a career

In 2013, statistics showed that 80% of college students in the United States ended up changing their major at least once, according to the National Center for Education. And with the outstanding price of college now-a-days, this burns a hole in the pockets of the already deep in debt college students or their parents. Frankly, I honestly had no idea what career I wanted to go into until I joined the work force as a caregiver for mentally and physically disabled individuals, without a college degree, saving me a lot of money and still allowing me to make more than minimum wage. As a hands-on learner, sitting in classes learning from YouTube videos and researching on the internet did absolutely nothing for me except give me information what the job description or the average annual income was.

4. I wanted to live my life

This topic goes along the lines of "We Deserve a Break", but honestly it is so much more than a break from studies and people we despise. Over the last two years, my community has lost young lives that were taken to soon from horrible tragedies leaving our community scared still to this day. And just a few months ago it hit close to home, with one of my high school friends life being taken to soon from a car accident, really giving me a wake up call that we all need to live our lives to the fullest before it is too late because we never know when that will be. Take advantage of our "year off" and love life, bond with your parents, make new friends and just HAVE FUN! We only get one life.

5. I didn't feel prepared

Lets be honest, our last year of high school is classified as "preparation" for college and careers, but when that preparation is turned around into an assignment rather than for our own benefit, actual useful knowledge doesn't come from it. Do some research on community colleges, or universities, without a time limit that is far to short. Learn the best programs and when time comes that you are ready to enroll into college, make sure you are actually prepared.

This is for those of us who never knew what they wanted after high school and when they decided they were calm and collective to enroll in college they did it with confidence. Don't let others make you feel bad for wanting the best for yourself, because it is your life and who cares if you take a few months, or even years, off. You'll be working for the rest of your life anyways.