Often times teens are put under pressure to attend college, especially juniors and seniors, but not all students want to or decide to go to college.

College is expensive and it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor because it’ll still be expensive. Some students get scholarships and financial aid and some are athletes, but we need to remind ourselves that not all students get those benefits. People can also end up in debt because of how high the costs of college are.

A student doesn’t necessarily need to go to college as soon as they’ve graduated high school. It’s okay to take a gap year to figure out what you want to do, work and save up for the future, and just have fun for a while because you’ve been working hard for your diploma and college just might be more tough than high school.

Skipping out on college doesn’t make you less smart either. Nowadays, getting into college is said to be the only way a student can be successful. There are a lot of students who have a passion for something else other than college. Some want to be actors, singers, dancers, painters, etc, and there are a lot of successful people who have dropped out of college to pursue something that they really like.

From a young age, students are told that they have to attend college because it’s the only way to get a job that pays you well. Yes, education is very important but students don’t have to be a college graduate to be a successful person. Some have different ways of learning, and while some learn fast, others don’t and that could also be a factor as to why college isn’t for everyone. Not all students are interested in pursuing their education for another 4 years.

Having a degree isn’t a guarantee to success because there are people who go to college for a number of years just to end up not using their degree or not getting employed. In the end, it’s your choice what you decide you want to do. College is an option, not mandatory. You should be educated, but also follow your own dreams, and choose what you really want to do because if you’re just pleasing others and not yourself, you will not be happy!