Is it vital that I go to college?

[Riley Nettles]

I’m an 18 year old senior in high school who is just about to graduate. I have two options in mind. I can either go to college and get my associates degree for some type of trade/skill or, hop right into work, save money, and learn everyday about real estate and stocks and make that my main priority. What is the smarter decision here? What would you guys do in my shoes?

[George Griffeth]

I can only speak for myself, I’m not suggesting it’s the best route for people in general, but I always say not going to college was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I’m 28. I used that time to travel and live in Hawaii for a year, meet a ton of interesting people with perspectives I wouldn’t have been able to meet had I not gone, then jumped in with both feet in to construction, carpentry and painting specifically, which I still do to this day. I’m going to go out on my own in October. Today, information is so abundant, the only benefit I can imagine to going to college other than having the piece of paper would be immersing yourself in an environment with other people focused on education, but you can find that outside of school. Legitimate sources of it too, not just “checking the box”. You can find older people that have been in the private sector rather than education. Access to information is freely available, as much as you could ever need. There is the social experience college offers, but considering what forum we’re on I’ll assume that wouldn’t be a deciding factor for you. My 2 cents. 

Also, a vast majority of people I know that did great in high school and went to great schools, ended up back in our small town with giant school loans to pay back. They’d end up at home at 22-23, and it was soo common for people to be in the “now what” mindset. I remember that time vividly, I didn’t feel that, I felt like I had 4 years down a path at that point, and everyone that went to college was starting a new path and weren’t sure how to proceed.