All my life I planned on going to college. I sat up for hours researching different colleges and universities trying to pick my future out. All through school I strived to get good grades, so I would be able to go to whichever school I wanted to. My senior year I took the ACT, I applied to colleges, and I applied for scholarships. Then it hit me. I'm not ready for college, and frankly, I don't want to go. I didn't go to college, and I don't regret my decision at all.

I constantly get asked, "So are you in college?" from relatives that I haven't spoken to or family friends that don't stay in contact. At first I was reluctant to say no, because I feared I would be deemed unintelligent, lazy, or a deadbeat. Now, I proudly say no. They look at me confused. "How are you going to get anywhere in life if you don't go to college?" This question was always hard to answer, but then I realized, I don't need a college degree to be successful.

My only goal in life is to be immensely happy. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, as long as I'm happy, I will be successful. Success to me isn't about money or a college degree, it's about being happy with your life. I chose to not go to college because college is stressful. It's a lot of hours of studying and cramming for exams, and that's not how I want to spend the rest of my life. I want to spend my life traveling, meeting new people, and experiencing life.

Not going to college wasn't an easy decision. I knew I wasn't ready, and I may never be. I knew I didn't want to waste over $100,000 on a college degree I would never use. A lot of people I know have a college degree, and they don't use it. Some people with college degrees have great jobs, and some don't. I applaud the people who went to college, because there are some careers out there that you need a college degree like a doctor, nurse, lawyer, or engineer. I know I wouldn't want a doctor operating on me who didn't go to college. I also applaud the people who decided not to go to college. It's not an easy decision to make, and you definitely get looked down upon as someone who didn't go to college.

There are successful people everywhere who decided not to college, or dropped out. This list includes people like: Ellen DeGeneres, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Oprah, Bill Gates, John Lennon (well he was expelled), Walt Disney, Ralph Lauren, John Mackey, and even Abraham Lincoln. These people created success without having a college degree, and you can too.

Going to college isn't a decision someone can make for you. You have to decide if you want to go to college. You have to decide if you're ready. Don't let anyone tell you anything different. If you go to college, that's awesome. If you don't, that's great too. You shouldn't feel bad about deciding to not go to college. You shouldn't let anyone look down upon you for not going. You shouldn't feel ashamed. It's your decision, all I ask is that you go with the decision that makes you happy, not what makes others happy.