What about non-college options?

To hear the rhetoric you’d think everyone in the United States was doomed to failure without a college education. The fact of the matter is that under 30% of American adults have college degrees.

So what are some non-college options?

• On the job training (including apprenticeship)
• Specialized schools, such as tech schools and schools that teach specific skills like barbering and hairdressing, dog training and grooming, etc.
• Self-education. If you want to learn it, there are plenty of books and people to teach you almost anything
• Work your way up the ladder from regular employee to manager, etc.
• Start your own business
• Correspondence programs
• Seminars and workshops on special topics (look for these from trade groups, small business groups, chambers of commerce, etc.)
• Work that doesn’t require a degree or special training

Something else to consider is that even if a young person does want to go to college, it’s not something he or she needs to jump into right after high school. There’s a lot to be said for getting some real-life experience before deciding to spend many thousands of dollars for an education that may not take you where you want to go.

Also, if your student does wish to attend college, he or she might want to do so at a slower pace, while getting some real-life experience.

Life is too short to waste it doing what other people think you should but what doesn’t make you happy. Help your student explore what he or she really wants to do, then consider the many ways to get there.