Continue Schooling or Begin Educating?
The Big Choice After High School
A lot of teenagers are coming out of high school almost mindlessly entering college. I know that's what I had done. All five of my older brothers had gone to college, so obviously it was expected of me. I didn't really give anything else a thought. My mother started to nag me about applications and scholarships, so I did them. The biggest question though, is what would happen if I had gone the other route? Of course there are a million of routes, but in this case: school or job?
A job could be anything almost. Any high school graduate can enter the world with a minimum wage job, manage their finances, and still create a business if they'd like. Many blue collar workers easily bring in millions utilizing the route they had chosen. Many of these individuals were perfect candidates for college, some not so much. Looking into our society, you may notice a lot of students dropping out, or leaving mid semester because of some mental problems. A lot of times, these can be caused because they chose the wrong path. College is not aligning with them, and they have problems because they're confused and feel lost. With this feeling comes disappointment, discouragement, and overall a negative vibe.
So, for the people who have not yet entered the world after high school. Here are some ideas of what you could be without a college education.
A founder of a multi billion dollar company.
This one may be a little more challenging, but it is not impossible without a college degree.
A welder
A lot of science in metallurgy goes into welding. It can be looked at as an art form, no it is an art form. Playing with the elements of this world can make a man feel creative and limitless. My closest friend is a welder, and he is one of the most hard workers I know. This is not directly related, but welders can't be slackers.
Fly airplanes man
Many people don't know that you can become a professional pilot without any college education. You can train to be a CFI, these certified flight instructors teach pupils how to fly and allow people to learn in safe manners. My father was a captain for American Airlines for over 30 years, so I also learned to fly. Its an amazing change of perspective; it will bring a sense of freedom and adventure to life.
There are banner towing opportunities that pay decently well and allow people to have travel freedom. Flying up and down the coastline for 8 hours a day can be tiring, but being paid a nice wage while joy riding can be a beautiful thing. Audio books are cool right?
Be a jock mahn
Commit to a sport and don't stop until you're paying your way with it. People think that you have to make it big in order to live professionally as an athlete, that couldn't be anymore wrong. There are plenty of athletes who make respectable wages that are well below the mainstream athletes; they are simply drowned with the noise. Choose a sport you love and give it your all. If it doesn't work out, not many could say they truly tried.
Create Beauty
Give art a try. Being an artist can be unsteady and challenging, but its a type of sacrifice that can bring passion, love, and adventure to a world of simplicity and minimalism.
There are tons of different types of art. Sculpting, welding, moving, painting, drawing, pottery, poetry. Art is love, and creative characteristics are pretty nice long term investments; these skills can translate into business creation and expression, tons of things!
Create Literature
You enjoy learning and spreading knowledge? Write a book, or start a blog on Steemit! People are intimidated by writing books, heck they're intimidated by reading them. They are some of the most empowering things that have been handed down in history. If you want to write a book, do it instead; just make sure to give it your all and do it right!
ATC
Become an Air Traffic Controller, often making upward of 100k they have extremely serious jobs, directing air traffic, but it can be an extremely meditative job that can bring much satisfaction. 100k without a degree, meh I'd take it! They don't even have to learn from a traditional college, they must have education from a regulated school that is cleared with a certain association.
There are so many choices besides college
Don't take this decision lightly, it is extremely important. It will determine the next couple of years of your life. After college, you can explore, or after a job you can go to college. It will be all alright, but choosing wisely will save you time and effort toward certain things. Learning will come from both routes, along with life lessons!
Comment below with your thoughts on skipping school, or staying with the system. What jobs can you think of that do not require traditional schooling?
Upvote with Love,
Don't Stop Steeming Hooligans!
College can be over rated as a link to a job depending on your degree. A lot of the drop outs you listed above used college as a networking tool to meet the people they needed to know to push their ambitions forward. Once they had what they needed they took off. It can be a social networking tool, a pool of knowledge, a way to shape discipline, or even a romantic tool (meet a future wife etc). If you plan to succeed with a project you can find the people you need elsewhere, and easier then ever with the internet, but you need a community for most projects to go from dream to reality. Achieving your goal destination can be accomplished easier by taking the highway then walking through the forest. Also if you have the capital to start your business, and work for yourself it helps as well though most people don't have that option from the get go.
Yes trades are a fantastic way to earn a living. Anything that harvest's or shapes the resources of this world into tools will always have a value. Though machines have diminished the amount of people required in trades. For better or for worse is yet to be scene.
As for art. People like to draw, but sometimes it takes a mentor to show you the path of discipline. Putting in the 10000 hours to become a master. A College loan could by you the time to put in the hours early in life to succeed. While in college I spent many hours walking through the art students thesis project galleries. There is a large difference between the work of a 1st year student, and a graduate, not only technically, but mainly conceptually. There is a shift from the real to the abstract in how they are able to present a concept. You can feel the growth of their thoughts.
Finally "be a jock mahn" the NCAA as an outsider is one of the greatest things about america. Athlete exploitation aside. The NCAA allows the exceptional cultivation of talent at a world class level. Its a machine that breeds pro athletes, and Olympians while generating scholarship money that pays for intelligent people to perform research that has earned Nobel prizes. Plus their is a built in plan B with the degree that minor league athletes do not receive. Its a win win win. Great invention in my opinion. Though coaches I believe should be salary capped.
Just some comments for discussion.
Really good points man! I really enjoy your different perspectives about going into College. Thanks for posting. The NCAA is definitely great, but the institutions profit too much for the certain athletics. Others dwindle. College is a good tool, if used correctly. As you said, those who dropped out and succeeded did it when convenient almost. Getting a bigger picture of the world will come through the attendance of college. I however do not like the time it takes away from self-discovery; i believe this is one of the highest priorities of life.
I've never looked around my schools art gallery too much, I'll have to check it out for sure! What did you study in school?
Self discovery takes a lifetime. Its not a sprint, its a marathon. Life would be boring if you figured it out at 18.
Also I have an English, and Film degree. Also the required Math, Science, Philosophy, Sociology and what not.
Also I wrote a recent post about what a place is that you might enjoy. :)
Fair statement, but many make it further spiritually than others. I started mine way earlier than my father. I seem to be 20 years ahead almost; DNA replica, just best circumstances this time. Evolution is amazing.
That's a unique degree. What do you do with it? You must love this platform, lets raise your reputation there!
Yeah just trying to make a point to write more for the moment. My rule for now is -doesn't matter what you write about just do it everyday- I can't improve if I don't practice. Steemit gives me a place to work on it. A Tool and community.
That's awesome man, I really enjoy your responses, keep it up. I started with a goal of daily posts for a month. After a week, I started two a day, and now it seems like they just flow 2 -5 sometimes. You got it though. I don't know how you're still at 25 with your commenting activity.
While I'm really glad that I decided to go to university, I do have a few observations about the matter, which I keep thinking about.
-University made me learn programming, but I didn't really learn it from classes. We were just forced to learn it and that made me realize how much one can learn by oneself. I think the most important thing one can do if one does not go to college or university is to learn to learn.
-What university considers relevant knowledge isn't always the same as what students, or even employers consider to be relevant knowledge.
-Whenever you actually want to use what you've learnt at university for something useful, they have a tendency to just skip to the next chapter and give you something new, less exciting to learn. In my opinion, learning through personal projects gives a far greater understanding of a topic, than being forced to hand in a specific deliverable. There is nothing more demotivating than not having time to do what you want to do with what you've learnt.
-I've come to realize that exams give neither a good estimate on knowledge, nor understanding, nor experience. They do measure something, but I'm still not sure what.
-I think on of the most valuable resource you get at college/university are the people you meet.