Saying No to College

spiritinthenight
Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:33:55 +0000

As someone who went to public HS, I don’t think it’s right at all to compare college vs. no college to boarding school vs. public school. Going to public school is not the equivalent of not going to high school. A more apt analogy to boarding school vs. public school would be expensive big name private college vs. state school. Foregoing college entirely means foregoing an educational experience that can be extremely helpful (if not essential) to a successful career. There are some fields where college is unnecessary - my brother left college after one (very unhappy) semester, and almost immediately afterwards began pursuing a career in stage lighting and sound. He has a stable job at a production company, is working his way up in the industry, and hopes to own his own business someday. However, it’s unrealistic to think that leaving college is the right choice for everybody, just because it was the right choice for a few very wealthy (and also, let’s not forget, very determined, intelligent, and LUCKY) individuals. In my opinion, if you choose to leave college you should have a plan. If you don’t have a plan, stick it out and get the degree, so that you can keep your career options open. My stepsister also dropped out of college, but she had no plan, and is now 26 and has only held waitressing jobs and a few administrative assistant positions. Twice she has gotten really nice job offers, only to have them taken back once she told them that she didn’t have a college degree. So there you go, an example of the right way and the wrong way to drop out of college. Everyone’s situation is different, and there is no answer that applies to everyone.