College is that one expected item on the to-do list that is expected of young adults right after the high school days are over. You spend four years of your life preparing to apply to the college of your dreams or not your dreams, and then you spend 4+ years to get that degree that you hope will get you into your dream job.

That's what I don't get. This expectation stemming from years of traditional values on getting more schooling in order to be that top successful human being. You can do that with just as much hard work, if not more if you decided to take the route to not go to college, just saying.

This is not a shame against college, seeing as how I'm one of the many who decided to go straight after high school, but sometimes I wonder what could've gone differently if I decided not to take the direct route to college, having thought things out before making that grand move.

Based off of my own observations, I see how much college weighs down on kids. Some of the people I've crossed paths with have told me how much they don't even want to be in college, but here they are right along with me. Whether that's because they know it's going to be the way that they will be successful in the future or because of family values, they have committed to this tradition.

We are expected to go to college, graduate said college, find a job, get a house, maybe have a family along the way and in the midst of all that, pay off the money that has resulted from these institutions. Paying for something just to get an education, sheesh.

There are those trapped in this state of being *cough cough, more likely to be me even though I do want a degree eventually* because maybe there's no Plan B in mind and we don't know what to expect next. I certainly wish I didn't let the fear of taking a break for a bit deter me from doing things I'd rather be doing.

I know I'm capable of just going and exploring what the world has to offer rather staying in this position of not fully knowing what I want to major in or do during my time of college, but I'm scared.

Nothing in this life is guaranteed, which should be more of a reason why I should do more of what I want to do and what I love, but that goes hand in hand with taking a break from school or that gap year or maybe just not going at all.

And for those of you who are like me and have yet to enter into college yet, you should do just that. Take a break from school if that's what you feel comfortable doing. Although your family members or society around you tells you otherwise, if you commit to getting or seeing what you want, I know you can do it. We, as humans, have so much potential in us that I really don't think we use it to our advantage as much as we should.

Why spend money on 4+ years of schooling when you never know what to expect in life when you can just go on new adventures for the moment, even if you decide to take a gap year or a break from college, just to say that you did?

Being able to make our own decisions is something that was given to us in this life of ours. No matter how hard it may be to go through with it.

I can't speak for those who really have no choice but to go to college, I'm not denouncing your decision because whatever you do/feel is right should be respected, but I really hope you have the chance to see the rest of the world, take up that one job position oversees, act for that one show, etc., because the world really does have a lot to offer.