College Isn’t For Everyone

Many people feel pressure to go to college. With the talk of reduced or no college cost in the future, there’s more pressure on a college education. I often remind my young clients that college might not be for them.

There are stories on every side– those who went to college and make lots of money in their field, those who went to college and make a career outside their major, those who went to college and had to get a job they were overqualified for (customer service, service industry, etc), those who didn’t go to college and make lots of money and those who didn’t go to college and don’t make much money. It’s easy to focus on any of those as a reason to go to college or not to go to college. It seems that most people want to go to college to make sure they make enough money to live.

College is a personal choice based on if a person works well in the school system. There are specialized schools if for people with learning disabilities and other colleges are required to have services available to those students with disabilities but a diagnosed is needed to obtain those services. Some people choose to go to trade schools so that they learn to be a dental hygienist, medical assistant or what not. There are hands on programs for veterinary technicians and mechanics, among other things.

But simply, for some, college isn’t for them. Some people don’t want to write papers that don’t relate to their career or take tests on subjects that have little interest to them and mean little to their lives. Some people aren’t going to do well in college.

Some people aren’t ready for college when they’re 18. When a person struggles through high school because it’s not what they want to study, the same thing can happen in college. In college, a person chooses their schedule but there are still required classes. Some of the required classes are boring and of no interest to people. If a person has already struggled to focus or find interest in subjects in high school, college isn’t much different until the later years when a person can focus on their major. If a person feels that it would be better for that person to get a job, save money, and eventually go to college, that is an option.

Most people get scared out of not going to college right away because they feel they won’t make enough money, they won’t want to go back if they’ve taken a break, or they don’t want to be older than others while they’re taking classes. There are companies who pay for classes for their full-time workers. If someone doesn’t want to go back after taking a break, maybe college wasn’t for them in the first place. Why push an academic activity that will only frustrate the person? And if a person is bothered by their younger peers then that person cares too much about others than their studies. Some people are afraid life will get away from them and they won’t want to go back to college.

Some people do better when they take a break. It helps them to learn to skills and mature enough to want to do well in classes. For some people, they figure out what they want to study. This is a good option for some people.

I wish people could accept that getting a college education (no matter if it’s free or low cost) is not meant for everyone. Some people might do better with a different program, starting later or not going at all. It all depends on the person and if they are interested in going to college. Some people have no interest in college and won’t do well in college.