Going to college to obtain a degree is not ideal for everyone, and that's okay. My high school never provided enough resources for educating students about alternative routes other than getting a degree. If you didn't care enough about getting into a specific university, then you were heavily encouraged to apply to a local community college and then transfer to a university.
To make a decision as big as selecting the mere thing you think you might want to spend the rest of your life doing at 18-years-old is extremely daunting. Despite what society may want you to believe, you do not have to go to college right away or even go to college at all. What truly matters is as long as you can apply yourself and do something that's worth your time.
Hard work should be valued over a title at a company. Vocational and trade schools are not discussed as much in comparison to obtaining a degree at a university. People hate to hear this, but someone will always need cosmetologists, culinary chefs, medical assistants, auto mechanics, electricians, plumbers, pest control- the spectrum of vocational and trade school career choices is broad.
The individuals who make art such as music, clothes, prints, or whatever it may be for a living deserve equal support and recognition for the things they beautifully create for others. Small businesses and side hustle matter, too. Who are we to judge anyone's financial stability or their happiness if It's not harming or negatively impacting anyone. If you are making something of yourself and putting effort into your goals, that's all that matters.
The whole concept of having to know right away what you want to spend the rest of your life and getting pushed towards a major you aren't necessarily in love with is psychological warfare of its own. Sure, it can be scary not having a plan, but it is much scarier going through with a plan knowing for a fact you don't want to go through with it anymore. Nobody wants to get stuck doing something they don't love for the rest of their lives.
We as a society view individuals who hold degrees from high institutions as more respectable, notable people, yet the very people who work in the service industry or trade industry are sometimes viewed as less. If you find a passion, work hard, and continuously create goals for yourself to move forward, then I'm a firm believer you have got life figured out to some degree.
