Is College Right for You: Making the Biggest Career Decision of Your Life

Junior year of high school is always a high-anxiety time. I remember traveling far and wide with my parents to investigate all the schools on my dream list. At this time in my life, I was Katie Couric's most dedicated fan, and I was determined to enter the field of journalism. My search of schools narrowed down to 1 dream school in Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University. After a weekend road trip to the prestigious university with my parents, my heart was set on being accepted to this school.

When I got the letter in the mail, my dreams were devastated. I was not accepted. However, my back up school, Penn State, was willing to take me. So I settled for my back up school and entered into the Public Relationship field at Penn State University.

Halfway through the semester I determined my dream was now music, a passion I had followed throughout my school years. By the spring semester I had dropped out of Penn State, and enrolled at Montclair State University in New Jersey for Music Therapy. By the end of Spring semester I was homesick and now completely unsure what direction in life I was headed.

This story is very familiar to many of my classmates, and those who have just finished their first year at college. Unlike the days of our parents, we are overloaded with options for career success. When I came home from New Jersey, I took a full time job and decided to soul search before wasting any more of my parents' and I's money.

In our Junior year of high school, we are pushed to go straight into college for instant success before we lose any of the knowledge we acquired in high school. While this does make sense, and is the course of many, for others it is not a perfect fit. Now I, 3 years after most of my high school classmates have acquired their bachelor's degrees, am heading back to a local community college to finally finish my associate's degree in Business.

I have no regrets for taking the path that led me through 3 different colleges, numerous full time jobs, and almost 9 moves. It has been an exciting and fun 6 years since graduating high school and I wouldn't trade my future associate's degree for any of those memories.

The push for kids to enter college directly after high school is extreme, and not always in the student's best interest. Many of us felt and feel lost during that process, and feel that we are like lost puppies finding our direction in life. Some student's just need a break from the 12 years of primary school. Kids want to see the world, travel, and see what is really out in the world before they make a decision on their career future.

So many of the people I graduated with in high school, who have their bachelor's degrees, are now regretting the course they took. They are considering going back to school for a different degree and switching careers as they discover all the options out there and feasibility of strong careers. Had they take some time off between high school and college, they may be in a different place in their lives right now.

Not everyone needs that time off between high school and college. Many student's know exactly what they want, push themselves through to graduate with honors and enter into great careers. But some need real life direction before making those great decisions.

I am sure no school counselor will agree with my philosophies, but having lived through college, through dropping out of college, and now re-entering 6 years later, I feel I am better prepared to make a positive career decision. I encourage students who are fighting through this major decision time in their life to consider taking an alternate route to the education of a lifetime. Do not be afraid to take the detours that may lead you to greater success down the road.