When you're en eighth or ninth grader in school you have big dreams of going to the University of Alabama, Auburn University, Jacksonville State University, or even Vanderbilt University. Those are big dreams and while you still have those dreams by the time you're a junior or senior in high school those schools seem a little far out of reach.

Junior and senior year you really start to see how much college is going to cost. By senior year you realize that different schools are going to give you different amounts of scholarship money. You have to look at if I go to this four year school will I have to take out a bunch of loans that one day will have to be paid back.

When I was a senior in high school I was very blessed to have the GPA and the ACT score that allowed me to pick from a few colleges. However, Snead State Community College was offering me a full-ride, meaning that my schooling for two years would be absolutely free.

Hearing the word free I knew that is where I wanted to go. All my other friends were headed to the University of Alabama and to Jacksonville State University. At first I thought why did I choose here I'll know nobody. Why didn't I go ahead to a four year?

A few months down the road and my best friend and I were talking about our classes. That is when it hit me that we were learning the exact same things at two different schools. While mine was paid fully paid for and only most of hers was. That is when I also realized just because I chose a community college over a University I didn't make the wrong choice.

I continued through community college while it wasn't at Snead State, I still graduated from Community College.

This may start to sound like I am hating on University's but I am not. Just remember when you choose community college to FINISH! I cannot stress enough how important that is.

I'm very proud that I went to community college. I'm proud that I finished. I can now say I have an Associate's Degree in communication studies. So therefore if I didn't finish Jacksonville State for some strange reason I would still have more than a high school diploma.

Don't ever be discouraged by your career choice because it is your choice.