Oh goodness m'readers, where has the time gone? I'm done with high school. I'm DONE.
It feels like I was just reading my first Bob book (where's my homeschooled squad at?) and learning the difference between addition and subtraction. The day I memorized my last multiplication fact is still clear in my mind (probably because I finished learning them before my smarty pants sister). I remember paging through my first grammar book, my momma letting me take my first spelling test, and of course writing my first book report that was two pages long. Getting my report cards every year was like stepping into heaven for a moment, all those A's though. It was always surreal to be going onto the next grade until suddenly• Wait, what? There were no more grades left. I was done. I got my diploma, a handshake, ice cream with crushed snickers, and that was it. I was officially a high school graduate. Ever since I entered my senior year of high school, I've been asked "Are you going to college?" "Where are you going to college?" "What are you going to be doing in college?" In fact, ever since I can remember folks have been asking me what my plans are once I'm a "big girl." They never really pressed me as a six-year-old when I said I wasn't going to college and that I was going to be the next Michelle Duggar or Rachel Ray. I mean, I was extremely passionate about that. However, the older I got friends + well meaning relatives became more and more concerned about my future. To be perfectly honest, the more questions I got about my future, the more I bit my nails and mentally cried over the thought of graduation. I had no idea what I wanted to do, what college I was going to go to, or where I was going to get the money to do so. At this point, folks decided that I needed help because gosh, I was seventeen and didn't have a college picked out. I can't begin to count the college recommendations that I got, the pieces of advice about how to apply for scholarships, and lists of what I needed to do before enrolling into a college. I was so stressed! After taking an SAT practice test, I cried because I bombed in the math section. I checked out dozens of textbooks explaining math and cried because I flunked the practice problems in there too. I studied, cried, studied, and cried some more. I sniffled my way around the house and started tearing up at the randomness of times. Gosh, I was like a leaky faucet. I just felt so pressured. My last paper for high school was due (all about college), I had no idea where to begin, and I was graduating in less than a month. Just looking at all my studying material made me cry. But you know what? I finally decided to slap myself out of "poor me" mode and start actually trying to find out what worked for me. Not what worked for my friends, not what worked for my family or relatives, and not what worked for the general public. I wanted to do what worked for me. What worked for me was; college was going to wait. I am all for higher education but at this point in my life, college is a no. Why?
(1) STARTING WITH DEBT HOLDS YOU BACK FROM STARTING LIFE:
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." /•/ proverbs 22:7 (NIV) Many years ago, when colleges were affordable and higher paying jobs were offered to those with degrees, college was an excellent idea. It was a practical step, wasn't terribly expensive, and once graduating you were able to apply and be hired at great companies and businesses. Not anymore. Colleges tuition is so expensive nowadays that you're broke from day one. There's room and board to pay for, college textbooks, classes, food, and personal items that you might need. Instead of working to earn the money to attend college, millions of students across the world are taking out student loans instead. I read an article that said "As of 2005, 68% of students graduating from a four-year institution had some form of student loan debt, according to the recent report from the Institute for College Access and Success. Additionally, Student Loan Hero reports that over 44 million Americans collectively owe over 1.3 trillion in student loans; averaging $30,000 to $53,000 per person." The interest rate on student loans are gradually getting higher and higher and they are now higher than any other type of loan. Federal loans are often between 5% to 6% with some student loans up to 9% in interest. This is three times the rate of most mortgages. In the end you'll be paying double the money than if you had just worked your way through college. Student loan debt is now equal to mortgage and credit card debt, and heck that's crazy! Going into debt is the biggest mistake one could ever make. Though it may seem like the easy way out, it's not. Gosh y'all, it's going to be there for the rest of your life. Students believe that the instant they come out of college a great paying job is going to fall into their laps and voila! They'll make so much money that they'll be able to pay off their student loans in no time. Unfortunately, we don't live in a perfect world and perfect jobs don't fall from the sky. Thousands of college graduates are completely broke because they have no job and are reaping the consequence of taking out all those loans. Young adults are putting off getting married, buying homes, and starting families until their late thirties because they simply cannot afford it. If they do decide to do all of the above, they are just digging their hole deeper and deeper. College graduates are said to most likely have the most debt, be jobless, and homeless. In fact, studies show that 85% of college graduates return home within the first six months jobless and greatly in debt. Student loans = debt, debt = having to wait as long as twenty years to a lifetime to start receiving all the money that you work hard to get.
(2) COLLEGE DOES NOT EQUAL SUCCESS:
In every book, article, and lecture I heard about college, I kept seeing "College is the way to success in life." Say what? One of the biggest lies about college is that college equals success. Y'all, success is not determined by the college you went to, whether or not you have a degree, or even how rich you are. Success is based on personal relationships, personal development, how well you communicate with those around you, how you serve others, what you've experienced, and doing what you love with passion. Especially passion, readers. College does not teach success, experience does. College does not define who you are, you and God do. College will not necessarily give you a better job, you will. If you are motivated enough and work hard, you will be able to become as successful as you want to be. College does not determine your worth, you are already worth more than anything on this earth. Jesus proved that two thousands years ago when He died on a cross to save you. Having a degree, going to college, being rich, all of that is just a label. A nice label, but still just a label. People with fancy degrees, people with less fancy degrees, and people who have none, aren't any better or more successful than the other.
We are all the same.
(3) WHAT THEY WANT, WHAT YOU WANT:
I was talking with someone not too long ago about college, future plans, and future wishes. We were packing up suitcases and I sighed out that I was still puzzling over college and whether it was a yes, or a no. "I was in the same place," the girl said as she rolled up her t-shirt, "but my Mom said I had to choose something, so I chose nursing." "Nursing is nice," I commented while wondering how the heck I'd ended up with so many mascara bottles. "Yeah, I'm not sure if I'm actually going to be doing that though." She quickly added, "I mean, I had to choose something. I may or may not change my mind." Hold up, sista. College is something that you just do, right? Everybody does it, so why shouldn't you. If you don't everyone is going to think gosh, she's lazy and has no life. In order to avoid being different, everyone is choosing a degree that they may or may not use in the future. If you aren't 100% sure about what you want to do, then you don't need to be in college wasting your time and all that money on a career you're not whole heartily passionate about. One of the major reasons I decided to put college on hold was, I'm not absolutely sure what I want to do. Don't get a degree that parents want you to get, what your relatives want you to get, what your friends want you to get, or what the public wants you to get. Do what you want and do what you love. When we do what we love, we do it well and we are happy to work and make money off of it. In the end you should be learning how to do what you love, not what someone loves or wants you to do.
(4) THESE THREE VARIABLES ARE THE ONES GETTING HIRED:
According to a Silicon Valley Executive, walking into an established company wide eyed and green with a Bachelor's Degree in business at age twenty-two, is not special, not useful, and not important. With today's textbooks and curriculums changing every year, businesses are now hiring off experience and the portfolio that people bring to them, some with no college degree. So what types of people are getting the jobs that are so sought after? * THOSE WITH EXPERIENCE: This is the person that's getting hired over the college graduate. This is the person that knows what to do, when to do it, and how to do it well. * THOSE WITH GOOD APPEARANCE: This is the person that's getting hired over the college graduate. Those that are well groomed, respectful, punctual, work well with others, and are happy to do the task set before them without complaining. * THOSE WITH A GOOD PORTFOLIO: You don't have to go to college to create a great portfolio. In fact, surveys have proven that managers look at the past experience before they even glance at your degree. They want proof that you can do the job and that you are a good worker. Managers aren't going to hire college graduates with no experience, they're going to go for the ones that have tons of experience but may not have the degree. High school students are should be encouraged to jump at volunteer opportunities, part time jobs here and there, and to study hard in the area that they're interested in. Just something to create a portfolio that no manager will be able to resist.
(5) ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS BECOMING A THING:
Did you know that entrepreneurs are making more money than those with college degrees? Entrepreneurs are their own boss and their own employee. They have taken something they love and turned it into their career. Today, so many people are stressed and depressed because they hate their jobs. They are taking out thousands of dollars in student loans just to get a job they could get fired from the next day. They're getting a degree that they may or may not use rather than taking out a loan for $10,000 and starting up a business they love. Wouldn't it be better to make less money in the end and have no debt; than to be making more money but having lots of debt? Entrepreneurs are able to do what they love, get paid to do what they love, and are making others happy by doing what they love. Instead of spending four to five years in college, use that time to launch your own career, not a career given to you in a piece of paper. Colleges are charging you hundreds of dollars for information you can find in books, online, or through personal experience. Entrepreneurs are able to increase their businesses twice as fast as those who have gone to college and have gotten a degree in business. They've spent years learning and doing it rather than sitting in a classroom learning how to do it. College is a long and slow process, but entrepreneurs, once they get it, can rush towards creating their business. Once they get started, they get to keep the money. College graduates however, have to start paying off their student loan debt before they are able to start bringing the cash into their own bank accounts. Entrepreneurs are their own boss, they set their own rules, they can hire who they want, they can fire who they want, they can grow as big as they want, and do what they want. It's their business, it's their rules, and it's entirely what they love and are passionate about. Why aren't there more entrepreneurs? It's because colleges are teaching their students to be employees, not employers. That is why there are so many folks out there who are broke and have no idea how to get up out of the mess they've created.
College isn't a bad thing mind you, I found many good reasons to go college. There are a few careers out there that do require a college degree and I am all for that. Just know that college isn't going to give you a better life. That's up to you and what you decide to do with it. I may go to college at some point in my life, but for now, I'm content to explore the possibilities around me. So for all you high school graduates out there, know that college doesn't have to be the next step for you. You should explore your options before you decide to invest so much money + time in a degree. And if you do decide college is the answer, make sure you'll be doing what you love. Not what someone else wants you to love.
Do what you can,
with what you have,
and where you are
