Going to college is not for everyone

Kinsey Vandenbark, Staff Writer

College is not for everyone, yet the way many kids are raised in the United States, they feel like it’s a must. Those who can’t achieve it, for whatever reasons, are left with regret. Some who go to college and aren’t successful often wonder what went wrong.
Not going to college may be more ideal for some students. They can get ahead of their peers by going straight into work or traveling to gain more experience and a new perspective on life.
It’s true that it costs money to travel, but it also costs a ton to go to college. College, in most cases, can leave someone in more debt than a trip to Bora Bora. Traveling to different countries can open one’s eyes to new perspectives more than sitting in a classroom ever could.
The average cost of college is $17,131 for students attending four-year public colleges and universities in-state. It’s $29,657 out-of-state, and $38,589 for students at four-year private colleges and universities. The average for a round the world trip is $17,000, depending on how high maintenance the person is.
When a student graduates high school, they have the option to go get a degree in a certain field. Most students don’t know what they want to do with their life and they’re pushed to study things they don’t have an interest in.
Instead of going to college, they can go straight into work. Never underestimate the importance of work experience. While one student is getting their management degree, someone else can start as a worker and become an assistant manager eventually becoming a manager. When the student applies for the same job as the worker, is the hiring business going to think they are ready to be a manager just because they have a piece of paper saying they graduated with a management degree, or are they going to go to the person who already has 2-3 years of management experience?
Yes, college is valuable for some people. Some students need that degree so they can go into their desired fields like nursing or psychology. College is necessary for certain students with specific goals. If they desire to be a doctor or a veterinarian then they must go to school so they can learn. College isn’t all about learning, it’s about being on your own. College is the first time many teens are moving away from home. They learn how to manage their bills and necessities when they’re on their own.
However, it is possible to be successful without going to college. Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Jobs, and Rachael Ray are people that many may not realize either never went to college, or abandoned higher education once they got there. Today they are very successful. Take Ellen for example; DeGeneres is one of the most successful comedians and hosts in Hollywood history, but she did have to work her way there over time. She enrolled in the University of New Orleans, but dropped out after only one semester. She worked odd jobs from house painter to vacuum salesperson to oyster shucker. She now has her own talk show and she has a net worth of four hundred million.
If a student or young individual has no interest in sitting in a classroom for the next four years, he or she has options. They all require hard work but the outcome is incredible. It is a myth that going to college makes a person a million dollars more than someone who doesn’t go to college. A degree is not as important as people say.