There are so many students that want to take a year or semester off before they start college to sew their wild oats or go on a road trip or just work to build up their bank account before they get to spend it all on books and tuition.

Frankly I don't blame them, I'm getting ready to start my second year of school and I'm thinking about taking a semester off myself to unwind a little bit, work more to get more money. I am paying for Ball State when I get there and Ball State isn't cheap. I want to work more and more so I can build my bank account so I don't have to take out as many loans, and I don't want my parents to have to shoulder the stress that paying college tuition can put on a person. So yeah, I want to take a semester off to be an adult and make my own decisions about my future career.

Now I know that when I even mention anything about taking time off from school, everyone immediately tries to talk me out of it, and I don't blame them. There are plenty of people who don't go back to school because of their own reasons.

But some people just need the time to themselves and they need the to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Not everyone needs to know exactly what they are going to do by the time they graduate high school. When I graduated high school, I wanted to be an art major and I had so many people tell me that I needed to change my major because it wasn't a successful career and it would be 10 times harder to find a job, and they were right.

It was going to be harder but it was something that I loved and that's what I wanted to do. Well, when I got to college, being an art major wasn't all that I thought it would be. I struggled more than I did in high school, that's when I changed my major to something else. It was a tough decision to make, but I made it after I took a break from school. That break opened my eyes to a whole new opportunity that I was missing out on, it helped me decide what is now my career path is.

Taking a break from school isn't for everyone. Some will go back and some won't, but I am choosing to go back because I need to. I have to go and get a degree for what I want to do for my future. I can't just wing it and call it a day.

To be able to do what I want to do, I have to go to school for almost 9 years. Yes, I want to get my Ph.D. in Psychology, that's a really long time but it'll be worth it. I get to help people in my own way all the while I'm doing what I love.

So no, I can't really just stop going to school. I have a lot to look forward to, but I'm also going to have a lot to look forward to paying. Grad school isn't cheap, the biggest reason that I am taking a break is that I will be paying for a lot of my education when the time comes. That is a big reason why I am taking this time off. I'm going to be working a ton so I can build up my bank account so I can turn around and spend it all on textbooks and tuition. Its gonna be great.

If you are thinking about taking a semester or a year off of school, go for it. Do what you need to do to get where you need to be. Prove the people telling you no wrong and come back an even stronger student. If you are afraid of not taking any classes, then just bring down your workload.

Take 2 classes instead of 5, or take some online and spend the week doing your assignments. Just work something out that fits your schedule and doesn't stress you out to the point of mental breakdowns every week.

Another point that people always brought up was the fact that I won't graduate on time. So what? I'll still be graduating with a degree that I will love and utilize and I won't be so burnt out on the subject that I will love my job. The pressure of graduating on time is so heavy nowadays and its tough. Who cares if you graduate a year or two late.

You should be so proud of yourself because you graduated, and worked so hard for the degree that you earned. Don't ever feel bad for bettering yourself and building a future that you want to live. Always do what you need to do, not what everyone expects you to do.