Going to college can be a very expensive, time consuming, and stressful process that many students aren’t prepared for. There seems to be an expectation that every student who graduates high school should go straight to college the following fall. Going to school for thirteen years straight, graduating, and then going to school again for 4+ years is not something that is for everyone, and that’s okay.

There may be plenty of options for hobbies and jobs, but sometimes college isn’t what’s needed to succeed in a career. For students that start jobs in high school, it is possible to build up a career from the bottom and become successful before many of their peers even graduate, not to mention the debt they avoid.

There are plenty of jobs that, in order to move up in positions, employees need experience in working, not in school. It’s possible in these jobs to get leadership positions even as a high school student, enabling more growth after graduation.

Although there are some jobs that require some level of education, that can be done in high school with the right classes. Working in the healthcare field is something that interests many people but it takes many years of schooling to achieve this. Here, with the Hammond-Oliver program, students can earn a certification and go straight to working in a healthcare facility after graduating. The cosmetology class is another program offered here allowing students to learn and practice skills in class in order to have the opportunity to make big money straight out of high school. Even though moving up in these fields may take additional schooling, there are still options open for students who don’t want to attend or aren’t ready for college.

Going to college may be what some students want to do though, and that’s also okay. There are many jobs and career fields that don’t accept people without college degrees, so school after high school is required. The people who know for sure that they want to go to college tend to know when starting high school, so they know to keep their grades up and keep a high GPA their entire high school career in order to get into the colleges they want to attend. Even if they aren’t sure when they’re starting out, there are four years to think and plan out how they want their future to go.

College is neither a good nor bad thing for many people, and people shouldn’t feel the pressure or expectation that they need to go right after graduating. Even a year gap should be more normalized, as some may need the break or need to save money to make college possible.

Nobody should have to deal with people telling them they’re making the wrong or right decision, because we know what’s best for ourselves, and sometimes going to college just isn’t the right answer.