The Issue With Rushing Off to College

At 18 years old, many students are graduating high school and deciding on what their career path will be for the rest of their lives.

The issue here is that the plan at this age almost never works out.

I attended my university the first semester after graduating high school and chose to major in journalism. I can’t tell you how many times I have fumbled the thought of “is this something I really want to do?” in my head.

I have even been told by teachers, professors, and other adults in the workforce that what they studied in college has nothing to do with what line of work they eventually went into.

This is concerning information to get as someone currently going through a bachelors degree program.

The age of 17 to 19 years old is just too young to decide on a career path for the rest of your life. It isn’t uncommon for students to decide they want to switch their major in college once, twice, maybe more. Students realize what they thought they wanted to do for the rest of their lives 2 years ago doesn’t stand the same way with them now. The old major disappears, but the student debt doesn’t.

Tuition costs can be up to tens of thousands of dollars per year depending on the university and that doesn’t include book and meal costs.

Many students aren’t blessed with scholarships or grants and face the issue of having to take out student loans. These student loans can accumulate quickly and can be a burden.

So when the issue occurs to switch majors, many students are told “well go switch it.” For a student potentially thousands of dollars in debt, this might be the least possible option. So now they go through the motions and finish out a degree they don’t care for and now have to look for work. This is why so many people in the United States wake up in the morning and dread going to work. It isn’t something they love.

In reality, there is nothing wrong with taking a gap year or getting a part time job after high school. However, there is a social norm that exists that considers going to college directly after high school a must.

Taking a gap year is something many students leaning toward getting a higher education should consider. However, if this is a plan in consideration, it is very important to measure out the benefits and drawbacks.

The benefits are the easy part to sort out. Students have more time to spend finding their interests which hopefully leads them to a more clear career path in their heads. Also, it gives the student time to save a little money for college books or tuition.

But taking a gap year also has its drawbacks. For one it puts the student a year behind of all of their high school friends that are now going through the motions of attending orientation and picking classes for the first time. This can be a much tougher experience when you don’t have people to bounce ideas off of and receive advice.

Also, taking a gap year is a risk in general by posing the threat of just wasting a bunch of time. A student considering taking a gap year must make sure he or she has the self control and discipline to stay on track and use all valuable time toward finding what they want to do in life.

In high school, especially during the later years, students are swarmed with questions about choice of college and choice of major. It can be overwhelming, but with parents and teachers constantly on the topic, many students feel they have no choice. This leads to students going off to college with only half an idea of what they might want to do. There is hardly ever a certainty that what a student wants now is exactly what they are going to want midway through a bachelors degree.

Recent graduates shouldn’t be pressured into jumping right into college right after high school. Today’s students should be allowed to take a gap year and discover their own interests if they feel it’s necessary to do so.