My parents are fairly traditional Asian parents. Ever since I came out of my mother's womb (OK, maybe not literally), I was thrust into a life of bringing home report cards with only the letter "A" on it.
Did I fulfill that life my parents oh-so-desperately wanted for me?
No. Not even close.
You see, school was never for me. It took me 14 years of schooling to realize that. Now, on my fifteenth and last year of school quite possibly ever, I can't imagine why anyone would want to put themselves through this kind of pain and torture. I mean, yeah, this is coming from an anti-school kind of gal, but as someone who's grown up on the idea that "school equals success," I can honestly tell you, that's complete and utter bullsh*t.
My parents don't have degrees, yet they've been able to provide for me my whole life. They own their own business—a pho restaurant to be exact. That being said, just like every other parent, they want better for me. They want me to go to school to get a better job than them. However, as statistics will tell you, just because you have a college degree, doesn't mean you'll have a successful job.
As a matter of fact, ask any college graduate if they ended up with their dream job after college. What are they going to tell you? Well, probably that they don't have one yet. Probably that it was extremely difficult for them to land an internship afterward, let alone their dream job. So, no: a college degree does not mean a six-figure gig. It means, debt. Lots and lots of it.
I know it sounds like I'm super anti-college, despite being a college student myself, but no. Actually, I'm pro college. I'm anti-school in general because well, school is draining. Who actually is a fan of school? I doubt even teachers like school.
I'm pro getting an education. I'm pro chasing your dreams. Doing what you love! And not everyone's career goal or path necessarily needs to include college. Your success isn't defined by how many degrees you have, or how much money you make.
If you want to be a hippy, play guitar on the side of the road and pick up spare change for a living—all power to you! If you want to go to school, earn a business degree, and run your own multi-billion dollar company, then do it!
If you want to own your own company, attempt to go to college for it and drop out because it just wasn't for you, then do that! Bill Gates dropped out, too, didn't he?
College isn't for everyone. School isn't for everyone. And not every successful job needs an equally successful degree along with it.
