Why Some Are Against Going to College

We’ve all been told since we were young students that going to college would help us achieve success in life. Our parents and teachers constantly forced the idea of college into us, saying that it will get us a better paying job, make our lives better in the future, keep us off the streets, help us gain more knowledge, widen our perspectives, and prepare us for the outside world.

With good intentions, guidance counselors drilled in our heads that we were to go to college or imagine ourselves barely surviving, starving, and miserable. Although all of these people had good intentions, they hyped up the idea of college without exploring the negatives to it. College should be a choice for students, and in order for students to decide whether they want to continue with secondary education, they must be presented with the negatives along side with the positives of going to college.

There are many reasons why students don’t attend college after high school. The list of reasons include:

1. Many careers don’t need a college education, instead favoring vocational degrees or some training, e.g mechanics and pilots.
2. College does not guarantee getting a job for the career paths that need a Bachelor’s or Master’s.
3. There are many rich, successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and the late Steve Jobs  who did not go to college or complete it.
4. College is very expensive, and many people take decades paying off their student loans.
5. Many college graduates work at jobs that do not require degrees such as cashiers.
6. Many students get steered off course by their new independence in college and squander their resources doing useless activities instead of trying to advance their career paths.
7. College may not be necessary for a student’s eventual career path.
8. College does not promote entrepreneurs, but nurture job seekers instead.
9. With online resources such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) , it has never been easier to teach oneself something.
10. College is not the only way to be successful.

For most IMSA students, college is where they will definitely end up after high school, as expected by their teachers, parents, and friends. However, all students need to make a personal choice about college, and they should not be judged if they choose not to make it part of their future.