<p>I took an alternative route all through college by not going by the traditional “college experience” of living four years on campus at a university. While it was hard, I’m glad I did it for all the lessons I’ve learned and all the experience- for better or for worse. I definitely feel like I have a different perspective of the “real world”. I took a semester off where all I did was work and lived away from home, and I have also gotten a lot of “real world” experience with my major. So I’ve seen what it’s like out there, and I know it’s hard. It’s not as easy as saying “I’m going to have this career and this amount of income”.</p>