With many seniors graduating high school each year, it’s no wonder that college is such a highly discussed topic at school. Many seniors plan to simply just go to college after they graduate however many students still don’t know if going to college is really the best for them

For many students going to college may be just what their future needs but for others, it’s just simply not worth it to go to college. 

It’s no secret that college can be extremely expensive. Students in the state of Texas alone is estimated to be 101.5 billion dollars in student loan debt. Many students end up having to take up part-time or full-time jobs in order to support themselves throughout college as well as pay off their student loans. This ends up being extremely overwhelming for students because they are having to juggle a full course load of studying and a job. This ends up putting both a physical and mental toll on the students.

Many people see college as a logical stepping stone from high school while this is the case for many people, this isn’t the only choice. There are numerous other options out there if college just isn’t what’s right for you. The military is a really good alternative for those who can’t financially support themselves through college. With the military, you can enlist in a non-combat role and get training in whatever study you want. Not only are you helping the country by doing this when an employer sees that you served in the military they can conclude that you will probably be much more disciplined and responsible than someone who went through college partying all the time.  

But maybe the military also just isn’t for you. In that case, there are thousands of jobs that have very little requirements but are still promising careers. Many tech jobs like web developers for example don’t actually require a college degree. If whatever skill you have or what you want to pursue doesn’t require a college degree just don’t get one. Many people without degrees take up freelance jobs or start from the bottom of a business and make their way up.

Many educators and parents push their students to go to college that way their kids can have some training and education for their career under them and can immediately jump into the job force. While this is a good thing many students a lot of the time students finish college with a degree they hate and don’t have passion for. If they do want to change majors in the middle of their education at a college this just increases the cost of college.

Instead of just blindly jumping straight into college think about and consider the alternatives to college. I think it would be wise to just consider how much college actually costs and also consider the many alternatives to college or maybe don’t even go to college at all.  For many people college just isn’t financially viable. If the career you want to get into doesn’t require a degree then why should you?