I have always wanted to go to college. Where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do was always a question, and still remains a question sometimes. But the one thing I knew for sure is that I wanted to go to college. Why? Because that's what I wanted to do. I can vividly remember when the end of my senior year was approaching and my guidance counselor handed out a checklist of things we had to have done by the time graduation rolled around. One item on the checklist stopped me and made me think. It was that we had to be admitted into a college.
For me, this was already checked off. I had already been admitted to the college that I wanted to go to at the time. But why was it mandatory to be admitted into a college? Not everyone wants to go to college, or has the means. And you know what? That's okay. College is not for everyone. Some people want to join the military. Some people would rather work. Some people would rather travel. They are entitled to do so. It is their own life.
We live in a society with a stigma that if you don't go to college, you won't be successful. That couldn't be further from the truth. I have a cousin that never went to college that makes a six figure salary. I'd say he is doing just fine for himself. Did it take a little extra work? Sure, but he is doing it. What about the girls that would rather be stay at home moms? There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. They will be saving a lot of money on daycare; that's for sure. One of my closest friends didn't go to a university but is taking online courses to be a pharmacy tech and let me tell you, she is a lot more independent than I am right now. She has her own place, her own car, and pays her own bills. She is successful.
Some people just aren't cut out for college. Maybe the work is too hard, or they don't like going to classes. There is a thousand reasons why college could just not work out for someone. So, why make them feel like they need to go into student loan debt, just for them to drop out? Doesn't make a lot of sense does it?
I always think of the board game "Life." You can choose to either go to college, or to start working. But what is truly interesting is that you never know the outcome of the game. You never know where life is going to take you. You could think you are on the right path, but find out that you really should've done the other. Or, you could find out you were on the right path all along. Some of the most brilliant minds never got college degrees. Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Paul Allen just to name a few. How you define and achieve success and happiness is ultimately up to you. So, as Kevin G would say, "don't let the haters stop you from doing your thang."
