The Right Path

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" was always the question asked by prodding parents when we were kids. They'd laugh at our naïve-minded responses, but we had every intention of becoming the President of the United States, an astronaut and a country singer all in one lifetime.

        Just a short time later, we are asked the same question. Only this time we aren't supposed to give such senseless answers. Barely adults, we are asked to make some pretty big decisions, but rarely are we equipped with enough knowledge about ourselves, or the world, to know which way is right. Nonetheless, if you ask any high school senior what they plan to do after graduation, chances are you will get the same answer almost every time: College.

DO OR DIE?

        After high school graduation, most students think their only option is to go to college. And why wouldn't they? For younger generations, a college education has always been a given, a sort of rite of passage. From a young age our parents, and even society, give us the idea that the only way to be successful is to earn a four-year degree. But truthfully, college is not for everyone, and though a good thing, a degree is not essential for success – personal or financial.

        Andrew Motiwalla, a returned Peace Corps volunteer and executive director of Global Leadership Adventures, an organization that offers community service summer programs abroad for teens all over the world, says that in his experience, young adults often make premature decisions.

        "They haven't really lived very much, to even know what the range of possibilities are in life," Motiwalla says. "And they are already making decisions about going to this school to study this very specific thing."

        It would seem most people don't think about going to college critically enough to determine what they want to get out of it. And with the cost of college escalating as fast as it is, one should be pretty clear on why they are choosing to take on such a burden.

        In an essay titled "Beyond One-Size-Fits-All College Dreams" by James Rosenbaum, Jennifer Stephan and Janet Rosenbaum, published in the fall of 2010 issue of American Educator, the authors contend that although many students intend to get a degree, less than half of high school seniors planning to get bachelor's degrees succeed in doing so. Whether it is poor preparation or lack of motivation, these students end up wasting valuable time and money that could have otherwise been spent on other career-focused opportunities. 

        "Schools are like learning factories that train you for one of the top 15 traditionally thought-of jobs," Motiwalla says. "[We] need nurses, we need teachers, we need doctors and we need lawyers, but what if your passion doesn't fit neatly into one of those buckets?"

        If the ultimate goal is to secure a job or earn a living, then there are many alternatives to a traditional college education. While college is good option for some, others might benefit more by pursuing other options. College professor and founder of quintcareers.com, Dr. Randall Hansen puts it best: "Education is critical; college is not."

        So, if you are not college-bound, what else is there?

MASTER A TRADE

        There are an array of career opportunities that exist outside the realm of a college degree, and if one is able to master the skills needed for the trade, they could very well make a decent living without having to go to college for four years.

A vocational or trade school is a great way to learn a set of skills required for a specific job. There are schools that specialize in training students in areas like mechanics, cosmetology, media production and some healthcare fields, among others. Usually, a student can get through such a program in about two years and be well-equipped with the knowledge to take on a new profession.

        Though trade schools' scope is usually narrowed to a particular job, it can still be extremely beneficial if it is something that you know you want to focus on. "I think it's really having a passion for something," Motiwalla says.

                If your passion lies within a kitchen, perhaps culinary school is a better suited alternative. Or if you are interested in the field of aerospace, a school like Embry-Riddle, which is a univeristy – but one that specializes in highly focused aerospace-related degrees, would be more appropriate than attending a liberal arts college.

        In recent years, research has shown that for-profit colleges can engage in some dubious practices, but according to the essay in American Educator, these colleges have also developed some successful procedures to help students secure a job. "They motivate students by offering a series of credentials with frequent milestones, and they hire job-placement staff that helps students land desirable mid-skill jobs," the authors write.

WORK FOR A NON-PROFIT

        It is common for students to struggle to find clarity on what they want to do with their life. That is when non-traditional educational programs can be huge, says Motiwalla, who once struggled with this himself and ultimately found his passion in working for the Peace Corps.