In today’s world we have newer and more interesting jobs than we did many years ago. Now we have artificial intelligence, software development, cyber-security, digital marketing, and data analysis jobs. All a result of the boom and increase in technology. Our technological advancements are becoming much more demanding than we even realize. Not only that, but we’re losing workers in certain fields as well. Right now, it seems we’re most in need of healthcare workers, and financial workers, mainly because the college graduation rate is so low. According to an article from Talkspace For Business, socioeconomic factors are significantly impacting graduation rates. According to research, students from low-income families are 3.7 times as likely to drop out of school before they get a diploma. Students facing financial hardship at home often need to work jobs to contribute to the family finances. Additionally, many people, especially those of the upcoming younger generation, are opting out of college. Many are choosing to start businesses or going to trade schools for cosmetology or more practical work. This begs the question: Is going to college and furthering your education the most important thing? Or is it unnecessary?
College is a very big thing that students deal with. They are constantly pressured or stressing over it. At Walkersville, our seniors are getting their acceptance letters, waiting for offers from schools, and making plans for the start of their new adult lives. Some of them have it all planned out, some students have no idea or are undecided, and others are choosing to not go to college at all. Regardless of where they stand, it is a big decision, and it’s one that many people ruminate on, fearing the way that their decision will impact their lives.
One senior, Tori Childers, has decided she will be going to college, choosing William Paterson University as her school of choice. She did get accepted into WPU, however, she is waiting for different offers from other schools. “I’m just waiting to see who gives me the most offers,” she stated to me with a grin. When I asked her about how she felt about moving away from home, she claimed to be very excited. “I’m excited to be on my own and just have my own space.” She also mentioned wanting her Associate’s degree and her major: business. She said she chose business because “You can do anything with business, ya know?” Tori’s piece of advice to the young student body or to anyone applying to college was that “When you apply to a school, try to visit it or do an online tour of the college you’re applying to.
Joe Davio, another senior who is also going to college, is choosing to go to Frederick Community College for two years, then to Towson University in Maryland. When I asked him why he chose to start with community college first, he said that it was cheaper and easier. When asked about staying home he said he’s happy with that. “I like the people at Towson, I like the campus. It’s a good school in my opinion.” He says he’d like to play club ball and major in mechanical engineering, and his advice to younger students applying to college is “Don’t overthink or overwhelm yourself.”
Other students have chosen the military as their path after high school. Jennifer Diaz, chose the Marines as her branch. Her decision was made because she wants to protect people. When I asked her why she chose the military, she said, “You know those people who go to college and don’t do anything with their degrees? Yea, I don’t wanna do that.” She also believes that she is somewhat prepared for the training. “I do a lot of sports so I think I’m somewhat prepared.” Her family is her motivation and she wants to be an inspiration for her nephew.
Florian Kamdem decided that after high school, he wants to join the Army, specifically 35G SpecialIntelligence. He chose this because he said he realized he didn’t exactly want to go straight to college after high school. He has high aspirations and wants to work himself up to that level: “I will go to college after I feel like I deserve it. And the army will pay for my college as well anyway.” We spoke about the training and conditioning as well and he says he’s definitely prepared for the running portion of it. “I’m just mentally preparing myself for the other conditioning like weight lifting. I’ve done it before and it was awful. Absolutely horrible.” I also asked him about his motivation to go to the army and his story was very interesting. He told me that God is his motivation because he and his father don’t have a great relationship, “My father is a retired Navy and because of our bad relationship I never wanted to go to the military or do anything in that field. But then I asked God not to let my pride and my arrogance stray me from what he’s called me to do.” Florian said that he doesn’t exactly have an inspiration but if he did have one it’d be David Goggins because of his story and how he’s all about being the best version of himself.
The middle ground of this topic is those going straight into the workforce or those who are undecided. Taylor Branson says that after high school, he wants to have a business. It’s similar to Amazon and it’d also require investing. The details of it are all his business, because we doesn’t want anyone to steal his bright ideas, but judging from what he said he has a good eye for what the people like, and how to make and manage his money. Taylor’s advice to anyone that’s thinking about starting a business after high school instead of going to college is “Fully plan it out before you get into it because anything can mess you up. Just know what you’re going to do before you decide to get into it.
While pursuing higher education is important, and can oftentimes be viewed as the be all, end all, that’s not always the case. College is not important to everyone, nor is it a necessity to their aligned view of what they want to do or how they want to live their life. The most important thing to take from this is that all that matters is that you make sure to do what’s best for you.
There are pros and cons to both sides of this coin. Going directly to college after high school can give you somewhere to start. It can be a placeholder to learn more about yourself and something you may potentially want to do. It also is good for reliable work opportunities. On the flip side, if you go into the workforce immediately, you can skip straight into adulthood. Working, travel, marriage and life experience as well would be a result of skipping post-high school education. It doesn’t have to be a permanent arrangement either. Neither option does, really; you can start college and if you decide you don’t like it, you can leave. If you go directly into the workforce and later decide you want to pursue a higher education, you can do that. It’s truly all about you and what you think is best for you, or what you see for your future. Whether that be pursuing something in the arts, the military, or starting your own business, as long as it makes you happy and supports the lifestyle you want to live, then just do it.
