The other day, I was on Pinterest when I stumbled across a quote by Dodie Smith. It said:
"I only want to write. And there's no college for that, except life."
It is such a simple statement, and yet it struck a serious cord for me. Before you stop reading because you think this article is a college-bashing fest, let me assure you that I am merely trying to offer a different perspective to the current education belief.
I remember being a senior in high school, about to graduate. I was terrified of how unsure I was about what to do next with my life. I remember avoiding people's questions of "so... what school will you be attending in the fall?" like the plague. I knew deep down that I wasn't interested (at least not yet) in going to college. Even though I was enrolled in advanced classes in high school, I still somehow felt inferior compared to my peers that had already applied and been accepted to colleges they knew they wanted to attend.
I think college can be wonderful. I think it's an amazing system and foundation if you know what you want to do with your life.
However, with that being said, I don't think it's necessarily for everyone. I also don't think it should be pushed so hard on everyone. There are two sides to every argument. I've talked to people who have terrified me by making me feel like if I don't go to school, I will fail in life. On the other hand, I have talked to many people who have agreed that college isn't for everyone. Some of these people are very successful, and never attended college.
Since we were young children in school we were taught (even if by accident) that we NEED college to be successful. We were taught that we had to be perfect to get into the perfect school, to get the perfect degree that may or may not help us get a job in the real world. I have so many friends that have switched their major more times than I can count. I also have a large percent of friends that don't even use their degree for a job and have an occupation completely different than what they paid so much money for.
I love to learn, pretty much more than anything else. I've taken art classes. I've studied history books and taken free tests online for fun. I am soon to be enrolling in an archaeology course. And yet somehow there is still the stereotype that people who don't go to college aren't smart and don't want to learn.
Here's what it means to me:
I am a millennial. I don't believe that going to college is the only key to success. I, a writer who studies politics and women's equality for fun didn't go to college. Neither did Charles Dickens, Maya Angelou, or Mark Twain, and they turned out just fine. And I'm proud of who I am and what I've done. I'm proud that I've made successes from working hard and fighting for what I wanted. And nothing can change that.
So whether you are terrified of college, or you have been destined for Yale since you were four the choice is YOURS. It's your life, and college isn't going to determine your success—you are.
