Take Free Online Courses
The internet is a beautiful and terrifying place. Despite what a lot of people think, there are a bunch of websites that have nothing to do with social media.
Today you can learn almost everything youd learn by getting a four-year degree from the comfort of your moms basement couch.
Through Harvards edX program you can take a huge list of Harvard and MIT courses for free. Many employers care less and less that you have a degree, they just want to know that you can competently do the job.
Getting your education through online courses at Coursera can give you the skillset needed to thrive in any occupational environment.
The downside: Although employers are starting to care less and less about having a college degree, some still do. Youll be limited by your potential employers preconceived idea that good employees have college degrees.
The upside: If youre interested in learning, and not the certificate, you can acquire the same knowledge base without owing student loans.
Taking online classes is an especially smart move if you plan to
He Wants To Pursue A Career That Doesnt Require A College Education
If your child wants to be a doctor or lawyer, a college education is necessary. But what if your child wants to become a plumber, an electrician, a hairdresser, or a musician?
None of these careers absolutely require a college education. Some will net your child good money without college. The others, like becoming a musician, are fairly low paying jobs. If your child takes out loans to pay for a music degree, will he be able to afford to work in the music field while paying off the loans?
When your child has strong ideas about what he wants to do with his life, make sure he actually needs that college degree before paying for it.
What Is Your Main Motivation
Key motivators for me would have to be my family. I want to be great and secure the bag and make my family proud.
I used to never take schooling serious before collegenow, I see the growth. My future goals are to one day play overseas or I would like to work with education and finding greater educational opportunities, environments, and funding for low income areas in the country.
Recommended Reading: Amazing College Dorms
Become An Expert At Something That Fascinates You
Like quantum physics? Devote the entire year to learning everything you can about string theory and become well versed in space-time. Create your own research studies and get them published in a journal. Regular people dont do this. Be exceptional. Push your own intellectual boundaries and try to learn difficult concepts that scare you.
How Much Does University Cost
The rising cost of a university education is in the news all the time, so you’d be forgiven for thinking that you simply can’t afford to go to university I mean, who has £9,250 a year to spare?
However, university is a lot more affordable than you probably think. Here is a breakdown of the costs and how they’ll be covered:
- Tuition fees These cost up to £9,250 a year, and the majority of unis will charge full whack. However, a Tuition Fee Loan from the government will cover the whole thing, and you’ll pay it back at a later date.
- Living costs You’ll receive a Maintenance Loan from the government to cover your living expenses. How much you receive depends on how much your parents earn if their combined income is over £25,000 a year, they’ll be expected to contribute. However, our recent survey has found the Maintenance Loan doesn’t stretch far enough leaving a £340 monthly shortfall on average.
- Total costs Add all this together and it’s not uncommon to graduate from university with debts of over £50,000. While this sounds terrifying, the repayment terms are easy and manageable. If you have a Plan 2 loan and earn under £27,295 a year, you won’t pay back anything at all. Plus, after 30 years the debt is usually wiped, even if you haven’t paid any of it back. Our guide to repaying your Student Loan goes into this in much more depth.
You May Like: Is Grammarly Free For College Students
Its Never Too Early To Start
Whether youve only just turned 18 and decided not to go to college, or youve hit 40 and realised its time for a change, its never too soon to start exploring new opportunities. For this, Google is your new best friend. Search for information on any new career youre interested in from learning a specific work-related skill, like coding, to reading up on how other non-graduates made it happen.
Even if you feel like youre years away from being paid to do the thing you love whether its being a business consultant or inventing a new app, you can benefit from starting now. Some businesses fly on their 23rd or 24th versions. You may not succeed the first time you take on a professional challenge. So start now and get the experience that will help you succeed when the time is right.
Youre Our First Priorityevery Time
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesnt feature every company or financial product available on the market, were proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about , but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services.Here is a list of our partners.
Also Check: Which College Should I Go To Buzzfeed
Enroll In A Job Training Program
There are training programs available for hundreds of different jobs. A quick google search can give you a list of potential career paths and training programs in your area.
Whether you want to be an EMT, a bricklayer or get a job in tech, finding a training program is often the fastest way to the training you need for a new career.
Through General Assembly, you can enroll in dozens of courses including coding boot camps, digital marketing, and visual design either online or at their campus. All of their courses are led by real experts in the field that youre interested in.
Alternatives To College That Make Complete Sense
Society tells you it only makes sense to go to college. I disagree and argue there are 15 legitimate alternatives to college you should seriously consider.
See the contradiction? A guy who went to college and is the author of How To College tells high school seniors to reconsider automatically going to college.
My main concern is with people who go to college just because and dont have a specific reason behind their decision.
Maybe all of their friends are going, their parents expect that, or societys beaten them down with the pro-college message that doing anything else seems crazy.
What pisses me off is many times people dont need college to accomplish their life goalsstudies show that around 25% of college grads work at jobs that dont require a degreebut they sign a four to six year contract because they think they have to and wind up with a mountain of debt.
Thats so messed up!
Im convinced millions of people would be better off if they followed their passion from the start and never went to college.
So I believe you have to be clear and intentional about why youre going to college. And if you cant come up with that, dont go and instead do something else productive.
Plus the true cost of college is much higher than you think. Let me explain.
Read Also: Where Can I Sell My School Books For Cash
Earn Money Playing Video Games With Esports
Have you ever absolutely kicked ass at a video game and thought Man, I wish I could get paid to do this? Well the good news is, these days, you can. With the massive popularity of Esports, competitive gaming can now be a career in itself, with top gamers earning close to a $1 million.According to esportsearnings, the top 500 gamers in the industry have all made more than $200,000 by playing games competitive. For more information on eSports and to access news, forums, live matches, and resources, check out esports.com.
Strong Return On Investment
Trade school grads are rewarded with job offers and sizable paychecks, one of the top reasons trade school enrollment is increasing. Check out these annual mean wages as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics:
Production workers such as metalworkers, machinists and welders: $40,140 Roofers: $45,820 Installation, maintenance and repair workers: $50,130 Construction and extraction workers: $52,580 Carpenters: $52,850
Also Check: 2.0 Gpa Colleges
Reason : You Dont Need College To Make Great Money
There are plenty of well-paying jobs out there that dont require a bachelors degree. According to US Labor Department projections, 63 percent of all new jobs that will be created through 2020 wont require a college degree.More importantly, there are plenty of opportunities to make money by increasing the value you can create .Here are a few examples of jobs that typically dont require a degree, keeping in mind that this is just a snapshot of the many opportunities available.Also bear in mind that theres an entire landscape of jobs that may list degree requirements, but these can easily be bypassed if youre creative, hardworking, and daring enough to bet on yourself.
- Registered nurse Median annual earnings: $73,550
- Administrative service manager Median annual earnings: $90,966
- Construction supervisor Median annual earnings: $62,192
- Wholesale or manufacturing sales rep Median annual earnings: $58,383
- Electrician Median annual earnings: $60,370
- Plumber Median annual earnings: $53,910
- Insurance sales agent Median annual earnings: $59,776
- Brickmason Median annual earnings: $50,950
And thats not even counting tech jobs that dont require a degree:
Starting Your Own Business
Length: IndefiniteBest for: Those with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to work for themselves.
If you’re the kind of person who prefers to work independently and is full of creative ideas for making money, then setting up your own business could be a fulfilling alternative to university or a full-time job.
But you don’t even need to set up your own business to become self-employed. You could do freelance work, make money on the ‘gram, start a blog, become a paid driver or even a dog walker!
It takes some serious drive and determination to make money this way and it certainly won’t happen overnight, but you never know you could end up a millionaire!
Don’t Miss: Berea Acceptance Rate
The Impact Of Student Loan Debt
Even if youre prepared for the cost of a college degree, you may not be aware of the more far-reaching effects of college debt on your financial future.
Student loan debt can significantly impact your ability to buy a home. Even if you can afford a monthly mortgage payment, meeting your student loan payments could prevent you from saving the down payment on a home.
If your student loan payments do compromise your income, you may even struggle to pay rent. You could be stuck living with your parents for a lot longer than you expected.
According to May 2019 Zillow data, approximately 14 million adults aged 23 to 37 are still living at home with one or both parents. So, if youre keen to fly the nest, you may struggle being tied to student loan debt.
Serve In The Military
Joining the military after high school can offer a host of benefits. Your teen will have the chance to serve his country, and the military offers career opportunities in the service and the chance to earn or save money to further his education, if he chooses to do so.For more information on military opportunities, visit the United States Army’s website.
Don’t Miss: Is Ashworth College Good
Reasons You Should Go To University
Here are the best things about going to university and being a student:
We’ve also listed some reasons why going to university might not be the right choice for you.
A College Degree Is No Longer A Guaranteed Path To Success If You Are Unsure About Your Career Consider These Three Alternatives
A few years ago, I heard a fantastic quote that really stuck with me:
Do today what others won’t, so that tomorrow you can do what others can’t.
The source of this quote is unknown, though a quick search revealed it might have come from San Francisco 49er’s receiver, Jerry Rice. Regardless, the message to me is clear — success tomorrow comes from preparation today.
This is a message I feel compelled to share with young adults trying to find their way in an ever-changing business environment. Today, it feels like career decisions are made based on the paths of successful and famous business tycoons, such as Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos — go to school , start a company, make millions and become famous.
Of course, this path to success is not only misleading but dangerous. The narrative leaves out the trials and tribulations and hundreds of hours of work that led up to the success, much of which included pursuing interests and challenges that nobody else was pursuing at the time.
Moreover, not everyone that found business success did so through starting a company. There are far more millionaires who work in organizations than those that sit atop the organizational chart. And those individuals had to devote time and energy becoming great at what they did — and better than others — to advance in those jobs.
So what should you do if you aren’t sure about a career path? Here are three alternatives to consider as you ponder this question.
You May Like: Grammerly For Students
Reason : For Most People College Is A Really Bad Investment
A college education doesnt come cheap, which means many students resort to student loans to afford it. While student loans can certainly make the cost of college seem more manageable, many students discover a harsh reality once payments come due.In 2017, the average student debt balance owed was $26,900 for graduates of public colleges and $32,600 for private four-year school graduates, according to a recent report by College Board.The average monthly repayment falls between $200 and $300, although three out of ten borrowers are not required to make payments on their loans due to deferment. This is often to their detriment, as interest is continuously added to the amount owed. According to a recent CNBC article, some 25 percent of student loan borrowers are behind on their debt in 2020.While having a degree may seem like a guaranteed increase to your earning power, more often than not it doesnt translate into higher earnings.According to recent Statista data, 42.6 percent of recent college graduates are underemployed, working jobs they didnt need a degree for in the first place, often because theyre the first jobs they find. When bills are due, any job seems better than no job. Whats worse: debt can make you feel trapped and afraid of taking risks like changing jobs so it can be easy to get stuck in an unfulfilling, low-paying job.
Earning A College Degree Is An Impressive Achievementbut Its Not For Everyone Completing A Bachelors Degree Isnt The Only Way To Launch A Successful Career
You do not have to go to college to have a good career.
Have you ever read a sentence like that before? It almost feels taboo, like it was designed to send a chill down the spines of academic counselors across the country. But its true. College is not the only path to a successful professional life.
Now, dont get us wrong a bachelors degree can do a lot for you. College can introduce you to new people, new opportunities, new ways of thinking. Traditional education is nothing to sneeze at people who have earned bachelors degrees make more money on average, and a lot of professions simply wont consider someone without one.
But millions of people without a four-year degree have the skills, talents, and experience to make a big impact in the working world. And with the national student debt crisis towering at a record $1.7 trillion, college is not the right option for everyone.
The good news is there are plenty of opportunities out there for high school graduates. So, if youre one of the 67.9% of Americans without a bachelors degree, whats your best path after high school?
Weve put together a list of eight great professions you can dive into without a four-year degree. But first, lets talk about all the ways you can get an education and learn marketable skills without going the traditional college route.
Recommended Reading: Cfcc Housing
She Cant Go Without Taking On A Mountain Of Debt
If your child cant afford to go to college without taking on tens of thousands of dollars in debt, she should consider waiting.
I know it seems unfair, but she will be better off in the long run, especially if she doesnt know exactly what career to pursue.
Its better to work for a couple of years to save some money for college before taking out loans. Id rather have my student delay college than live out the rest of her life trying to repay large amounts of student loans.