They Want To Purse Other Interests
Pursuing the things that are important to you is imperative if you want to live a happy life. That said, there is almost objectively an avenue for you to pursue those dreams through schooling.;
Sure, there are some specialties where schooling isnt necessary in all cases, but almost all specialties have degree options that improve your chances of success.;
If youre in high school and youre considering dropping out, consider how much youll be limiting yourself. Youll be confined to a very limited number of career options that pose little to no opportunity for advancement.;
That means living on a very low wage. Pursuing passions is certainly one way to make a living, though. There are some people who have taken that risk and succeeded.;
Moving through school doesnt restrict you from pursuing your interests, though. In fact, it opens up your opportunities to pursue diversified interests.;
Having a reliable means of income and stability will allow you to invest much more into personal projects and passions that you have. Those passions wont go away if you dont choose to pursue a degree in them.;
Our argument is that dropping out of school is an impediment to your interests that dont even have to do with professional life. Educated people tend to have higher-paying jobs with more flexibility than individuals working in entry-level positions.;
That added freedom and comfortability will allow space for more engagement with the things you love.
She Cant Handle The Academics
Some kids thrive in the classroom. Others do not. If your child struggles in high school to the point of hating school, will she be successful in college?
Theres no point in setting a kid up for failure. Im all for challenging kids to push their abilities to the limit, but if your child truly cant handle the academic requirements of college, maybe its best to pursue another plan.
Sometimes it can be hard to know whether to push your child toward college or not. As a parent, you know your childs personality the best. When your child has faced challenges in the past, has she risen to the occasion? Does she struggle because shes scared or because she could benefit from extra help or tutoring? If so, pushing a child gently to take a couple of college classes could be a good thing.
But if your child struggles because she is not at all academically bent, or because she is rebellious and not interested in trying, it may be best to skip college altogether, at least for now.
Be An Intern Or Apprentice
Being an intern or an apprentice gives your teen the opportunity to “test drive” a career before making a commitment. While many internships and apprenticeships are unpaid, they provide valuable experience in the work force, and may give your child the push he needs to excel in his area of choice.Additionally, internships and apprenticeships only focus on what applies to the field, making this a good choice for a teen that might not have been fond of the “general studies” aspect of high school.
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Go Out To A Fancy Dinner With Your Best Friends
If your best friends aren’t going, rally them up and book a reservation to a fancy place that you’ve always wanted to try. This is a perfect excuse to pick out a new dress, but obviously that’s optional if you’re not into it. Bring a camera and make your own memories. After all, you’ll be creating an experience that’s pretty close to a prom, but way more exclusive, way less expensive, and with people you actually enjoy spending time with.
Build A Digital Footprint And An Audience
Today, being a content creator is an increasingly viable way to earn a living. Whether you blog on Medium;or WordPress, curate a newsletter on Substack, launch your own YouTube channel, build a TikTok;empire, host an original podcast, become a Twitch;streamer, or create educational online courses; or whatever avenue you choose creating content online and building an audience can be a full-time job.Sure, not everyone is cut out to be a TikTok or Youtube influencer, but there are endless ways to monetize your content, for example through advertising;and affiliate marketing.In addition to being an avenue for expressing yourself and earning an income, building a digital footprint a brand, if you will allows you to build a signal;thats stronger than any college degree.
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Options For What To Do After College
Chip Stapleton is a Series 7 and Series 66 license holder, CFA Level 1 exam holder, and currently holds a Life, Accident, and Health License in Indiana. He has 8 years experience in finance, from financial planning and wealth management to corporate finance and FP&A.
Many college students take advantage of the few years of freedom post-graduation, choosing to pursue other paths instead of jumping right into a 9-to-5, full-time career.
If you’re a recent graduate who’s hesitant to jump into the “real” working world, consider doing something else with your time, like interning, volunteering, or traveling. Whatever you choose to do, consider how these roles may impact your future career options, if that’s a concern for you.
Here are 15 options for what to do after college.
Become A Research Assistant
If you’re still living close to a college, look into a research assistantship, as universities have a significant amount of their resources invested in research. Although research might seem exclusive to the sciences, you’d be surprised how much research goes into other fields, toofrom the obvious, like biology, chemistry, and psychology, to the unexpected, like journalism, international relations, and art history.
There are generally many opportunities for students who hold a bachelor’s degree. If you’re a recent graduate, you can tap into your connections with your past professors and other faculty and staff you may have gotten to know while you were at school.
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Get More Life Experiences
No matter what anyone says, high school doesnât prepare you for the real world, which is why many people feel lost right after getting their diploma. And itâs totally fine to wait on your career and get life experiences first. You want to establish yourself as part of a society before you can move onto bigger things!
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.
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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.
If You Dont Make To Complete It Is A Waste Of Time
College life can be intolerable to an extent where you decides to quit. Quitting your studies before completion makes the time and other resources that were earlier invested into your college education turn to waste. This resources could have been invested in other fields that could be productive.
Despite the above limitations of going to college, there are some benefits associated with going to college. There are many important reasons why a young person should go to consider going to vocational training or going to community college other than the potential financial rewards. College life is full of fun if you plan on how you spend your resources.
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Take A Small Weekend Trip
Nothing crazy, of course â unless you’re an adventurous soul who is no stranger to long road trips. The best part about gathering your friends and hitting the road is that you’ll feel a sense of absolute freedom. Or, you could even go solo, as long as you have a solid itinerary and let your parents in on it. If you’ve been aching to see a state landmark for years, or if you’re planning on going to college out of state and want to have one last big memory of your hometown, this is the perfect excuse to fill up your tank and take a drive.
Proud Alternatives To Going To College
Tweet This
College isn’t for everyone, plain and simple. There are a myriad of reasons for not going to college, but American culture still pushes every high school graduate down that path.;
While there is a stigma attached to not having a college degree, there are solid alternatives to not going to college as well. And even though statistics show huge earning gaps between high school and college graduates, these alternatives show that doesn’t have to be the case.
It’s important to remember that college isn’t the time to find yourself;- the financial burdens of going to college with no purpose can be huge. There are other ways that you can live a proud life without going to college, and still make good money as well.
Tradesman and;Vocational School
Becoming a tradesman or entering a vocational school can be a great alternative to going to a traditional college, especially if you like working with your hands. There are a lot of options that lead to potentially well-paying careers: electrician, plumbing, welding and metal work, masonry, lock smithing, and more.;
Enlist in the Military
Another great option is to enlist in the military. When it comes to job security, promotional opportunities, and even education, the military is second to none. And it’s definitely a career choice that you can be proud of – there is no greater cause than serving your country.
Volunteer
Get An Entry Level Job
Entrepreneurship
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What Could You Do With $20000 Instead Of Going To College For A Year
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For;years my wife and I have dutifully put money into our kidss 529 college savings accounts. Our assumptions, of course, are that a college education is valuable, everyone needs one, and it costs a lot of money to get a college-level education.
But what if those assumptions are flawed?
Im not quite ready to throw in the towel on college or the 529s yet, but it is hard to ignore the mounting criticism of higher education that has emerged over the past several years. While college graduates still tend to do much better economically than non-graduates, it seems clear enough at this point that a college degree is no guarantee of either initial or ongoing employment.
Perhaps more importantly, college is far from a guaranteed way of finding the right path in life, and its an awfully expensive way to try. For a lot of people maybe most it makes sense to wait, or possibly to never go to college at all. In my opinion, thats one of the key points Blake Boles makes in the video above, and its one that clearly inspires his book Better Than College: How to Build a Successful Life Without a Four-Year Degree.
Enjoy, and when you have a minute, let me know what you think. Is college still worth the investment? Are you socking away money for your own higher education or for your kids? Are you worried about whether it will be worth it? What else could you do with $20K?
Jeff
1 comment
Encouraging Students To Get Out Of Their Comfort Zones
Exploration in both your academic and personal life is important.
We shouldnt underestimate the power of what going beyond your comfort zone can do. If youve always wanted to join a student organization, society or club, whats holding you back? Get involved if that is something that you really what you want to do and if there isnt a club or society thats set up for what you enjoy or are interested in, set one up yourself.
Its these experiences that can help build your confidence, positivity and engagement within the local community.
Take a look at what Nobel Prize Winner 2006, Muhammad Yunus has to say about this in the video below.
This article was originally published in June 2020.It was last updated in April 2021
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This Post Has 2 Comments
I think that if the answer to why you are doing anything is I dont know,everyone else is doing it,its what Im supposed to do then its probably a good idea to wait and reassess what you think you are going to get out of it.
I absolutely agree that not everyone needs to go to college, or they dont need to go straight out of high school-especially if they have no idea what they want to do as a job/career! Theres no point in spending that money if there isnt a good plan.
I disagree a lot with your opportunity cost assessment, though. Unfortunately, many decent paying jobs require a college degree even if the job itself doesnt require skills normally learned in college. An annual salary of minimum wage comes to $15,080. Some jobs on your list may not require a college degree, but they do require training and certification to the tune of thousands. Take pilots-just getting the certification isnt enough to get a job at a major airline making a good wage. First you have to get enough experience and that means lower tiered airlines and barely making above minimum wage.
You do a really good job of getting the conversation about the necessity of college going! So many people go just because its the next life step but as you pointed out there are many alternatives. College will always be there-but if youre not jazzed about it then its in your financial interest to explore other alternatives first.
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Move Away From Your Hometown
Starting over in a new place and reinventing yourself without the social pressures and expectations of your family and childhood friends is probably one of the most appealing things about college. But the truth is, you dont need college for any of that.Moving away and trying things on your own can be a doorway to all kinds of new adventures.Get out into the world, explore, and figure out who you are when the people who know you arent around.Getting out of your comfort zone is the fastest way to gain some perspective, get to know yourself, and figure out what you want from life. The best part is you can combine this with any of the other college alternatives on this list. You could even move to a college town, get a job, attend a few classes, and go to parties and enjoy all the benefits of college without any of the downsides.
Showing Students How To Learn From Their Mistakes
Its important to encourage students to learn from their mistakes and view them as an opportunity to improve. A lot of the time, setbacks and failure can be the catalyst for future success as lessons are learnt.
While students are equipped with the tools and theories necessary to deal with and overcome the challenges of everyday life, theyre also encouraged to identify their strengths and characteristics and how they can best use them.
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