Not going to college is an option!
Most young people do not realize this is even an option. As a society, we have drilled in this idea that the only option post-high school is college. Anything else is less-than. Anything else is an outlier. Anything else will lead to an unsuccessful life. Realistically, the “everything else” is what will lead you to a life of no-debt and endless possibilities.
More and more I am working with young adults who jumped into college. They did not think anything otherwise and yet when they landed is was not feet-first. A lot of them experienced failure for the first time. And with their little-to-know experience with failure this was not a small bump in the road, but rather a terrifying experience that paralyzed them enough to not return.
A university is supposed to be a place for a young person to develop and figure out life. Realistically, this might have been an appropriate approach in the 1970s. Now, we have a lot of developmentally younger college students now who are years behind the college idea of “figuring it out.” Most of Gen Z is reliant on their parents. A lot of them are struggling because they spent more of their adolescent years excelling academically only to land in college and not have the resiliency and/or knowledge of how to thrive as an adult independent of schooling.
Everyone needs to know that non-college options are out there. It is easy to ignore these options when the pressures that surround you include AP coursework, SAT scores, and which college may give you a scholarship for your summer lab research. Other than studying hard and doing research, what life skills did you take away from these experiences? If you cannot come up with a response, that is an even larger indicator that you may need to take a break from school to grow up before enrolling in college. If you did not think that not enrolling in college was an option, know now that it is.
If you do not go to school the world will not end. College is not going anywhere . When you are ready to attend, it will be there. Certainly, some colleges will close their doors because of COVID-19. That may not have been the college option for you anyway. If you decide you are not going to college, know that it is okay! If anything, you need an alternative plan instead. You can participate in a gap year . You can enlist in the military. You can enroll in a young adult transitional program to learn independent skills while not living at home. You can move into an apartment and work as a nanny full-time. Seek opportunities outside of your childhood home. Know that options other than college exist. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the possibilities, consider hiring a professional to help you narrow down the options.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
