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9 reasons not to go to college

By Candice Walsh On February 11,
2012 · 56
Comments

Photo by
ralph and jenny

Yes, there are alternatives. No, they won’t teach you how
to shotgun a beer.

IF I HAD BEEN TOLD 10 years ago, before embarking on my university career as
an English major, that I’d end up working 11-hour days struggling to make ends
meet as a freelance writer…well, actually, I would have stubbornly applied
anyway.

I value my educational background. I became more open to new things, and was
given my first real taste of travel through a study
abroad program at my school.

I also learned how to shotgun beer, experiment with hallucinogens, and
somehow maintain a pretty good GPA despite partying three nights a week and
rolling into class at 8am each morning.

But never once did I question my decision to immediately enroll in university
right after high school. My friends and I talked about this recently.
Alternative routes were never discussed with us before we left home. University
was a given.

1. Some things you can learn on your own.

You can’t become a doctor by studying WebMD, but some careers require your
own exploration. I started out as a writer by stapling pieces of paper together
and creating squiggly lines that resembled words.

I was a creative kid, not a prodigy.

Lucky for us, we live in a time when any information we desire is at our
fingertips.

My buddy, Dan Nahabedian, is
someone who spent several years devoted to learning the tools of his trade as a
photographer. In addition to a few good books (like The Digital Photography
Book by Scott Kelby), Dan used online resources and forums to post his work
and receive feedback. Now he’s a working professional, and one of the faculty
members behind MatadorU’s photography
program.

2. You might not be “book smart.”

Maybe you’ve heard of Howard Gardner’s theory of “multiple
Intelligences,” an idea based on extensive cognitive research that proves
students learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways. There’s
even an “interpersonal intelligence,” the ability to effectively understand and
interact with others.

Photo by Simon
Shek

“Book smart” nowadays seems to be a term used to describe people who excel at
their studies but fail to function as a normal person. Sometimes they miss
social cues and forget to change their underwear. Unfortunately, much of college
is catered to these people.

When we spend so much time studying and absorbed in text books, we may limit
ourselves to other possibilities. Hey, maybe I could have been a
ballerina.

3. You’re not financially prepared.

I’m more than a little pissed off about my debt.

In the USA, student loan debt is expected to exceed
$1 trillion soon. In Canada, the information is a little more obscure, but
is estimated at something like over $14
billion.

If there’s one thing lacking in our education system, it’s a prep course on
how to handle money and a reality check for what happens once you graduate.

I spent my student loans without a thought. Hoorah, free money! Now the
majority of my pay cheques go toward paying off that money I threw around.

In the USA, student loan debt is expected to exceed $1
trillion soon.

I would have worked my way through my undergrad, even if it meant taking a
few extra years to finish my degree. Instead, I’ve been out of school for nearly
four years, and I’m still below the “poverty” line. And my university had the
cheapest tuition in Canada.

4. You haven’t had the opportunity to travel yet.

While the gap year has been basically a rite of passage for some students
around the globe, especially in the UK and Australia, it’s only recently
becoming more
accepted here in North America.

Most parents look at it as an excuse to be careless, ditch responsibilities,
and partake in a round-the-world jaunt just to party, make new friends, and to
engage in unprotected coitus.

And to that I say hell fucking yeah.

Travel experience provides valuable life skills that employers consider
extremely attractive on a resume these days. Attributes like confidence,
awareness of the world, and people skills could be your gateway to greater
things.

5. Experience can be just as valuable as a degree.

My father was a born woodsman — a lumberjack who built his own house and
could survive a week in the wild with just a pocketknife and a shotgun. His
skills and experience have made him more self-sufficient than most, and his
ability to turn lumber into gold has made him employable for over 40 years.

Nowadays you can’t be taken seriously unless you have a Doctorate of
Philosophy in Ufology.

What happened to recognizing practical skills and talent when you see it? My
friend Liz from Toronto works in PR/advertising/marketing, and she’s never had
any formal education. Back in her early 20s, while working as an intern at Heinz
Canada, Liz became very close with the marketing department and was snatched up
due to her talents.

She’s one of the most successful people I know, and she spent most of her
life struggling through school.

6. Go to vocational, technical, or trade school.

Photo by
USACE Europe District

When I was in high school, only the “dumb” kids went to trade school. “Smart”
kids were encouraged to attend university. The dumb kids are now making
six-figure incomes.

Hands-on work is in huge
demand in the workforce. Trades usually takes much less time to complete,
and you’ll usually pay much less.

7. Be an entrepreneur.

During my brief time working at a marketing company, I interviewed a young
local guy named Scott Oldford, an entrepreneur since he was 13 years old. Now he
owns a business specializing in
online marketing, web development, and mobile and online applications. In less
than a decade, he’s expanded his company to five other locations in Canada.

Plus he was diagnosed with multiple learning disorders when he was seven
years old. He’s just a really, really hard worker.

Now I’m working for him, writing web copy. Go figure.

8. Start off as a volunteer.

If there’s a cause you truly care about in the world –- wildlife
conservation, hunger relief, world domination –- you’d do well to start
out volunteering. With some hard work, you’ll be able to prove yourself and
move your way up through the ranks. At the very least, you’ll get some stellar
recommendations.

9. Become an expert in something.

Jay Canter, a professional
photographer whose career has taken him all over the world and even on music
tours, became internationally known for his work in the motor sports world.
“When I wasn’t driving a car, I was photographing them,” he says. At the age of
16, he was offered his first real gig for a magazine.

By finding his niche, Jay became an authority, and then expanded his career
into other fields of photography.

Just the same, I’m not sure what you can do with a Doctorate of Philosophy in
Ufology.

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About The Author

Candice Walsh

Candice Walsh is a Professional Experience Collector and full-time writer,
blogger, and inventor of job titles that don't make much sense. She's based out
of St. John's, Newfoundland. Follow
her website for more shenanigans.

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view all → Candice Walsh

http://sparkpunk.com/ Zak

I’m so glad to see #6 included on this list…too many of my friends don’t
even know how to drive a nail, use a table saw, or know what teflon tape is
for…

Mike Rowe (of Dirty Jobs fame) launched an initiative a while back towards
addressing the decline of the trades, hoping to re-ignite trade schools as a
viable alternative to college. And I have to say, at least up here in Alaska,
things are starting to look up :)

Candice Walsh

Honestly, I wish I could go back and do a trade and then take up
professional writing as a thing on the side (or as a lifelong learning
diploma, etc.). So many interesting trades out there.

http://sparkpunk.com/ Zak

It’s never too late

http://amanofnonation.com/ Kevin Post

The reason trade schools aren’t talked about in high school is due to the
fact that high schools across the country want to be able to show that X% of
their students go on to obtain college degrees and receive more funding from
state and federal governments. To them, trade school isn’t as
prestigious.

Turner

Avoiding debt is probably the best argument out there, but I don’t think
anyone can make the “experience instead of education” point anymore. As you
said, most employers only care about those two or three letters on your
resume: BS, BA, MA, MBA, MS, PhD. Limiting it to “high school diploma” (or
even just a BA) closes so many more doors than I would have thought
possible.

Candice Walsh

In MANY cases, yes. But not all. I get paid to train small businesses how
to use social media, for example, and I’ve never had any formal “training”
in that area.

http://amanofnonation.com/ Kevin Post

Exactly! Although this is a very well written and inspiring article I
find it so easy for university graduates to write essays like this. I am 26
years old and don’t have a university degree and things have been anything
but easy. I am struggling to find work that pays well and worst of all can’t
afford to travel. In my early twenties all I wanted to do was rock-climb,
summit mountain peaks and learn languages. I worked shitty jobs to be able
to achieve these goals and even borrowed money that I eventually paid back
to achieve them. I speak Spanish at a C2 level, speak Turkish at an A1 level
(a lot of room for improvement) and am good sport climber. I can honestly
say that no employer gives a shit about these skills that I have. If
anything from the gaps in my résumé they assume that I am just going to take
off as soon as I get the chance (in some cases that’s not far from the
truth).

Sure, some of the people listed above achieved success without degrees
but they are a very small minority. If I could turn back time I would have
used my money to have obtained a degree in foreign languages or at least
become a rock-climbing instructor. With a degree it would have facilitated
my chances of obtaining work abroad while I studied languages and
rock-climbed.

RudeAudio

this all rings so true to my heart. I am at my third post secondary school
in a pile of debt.  I never failed out but I dropped out of one, failed
one course in my next college program which rendered me ineligible for the
rest and for my internship, and now i am at my third. I am a pretty
intelligent individual, everyone tells me I am, I have a passion  for
world issues, and music etc but I feel like university doesn’t cater to my
strenghths or my skills. I need something to inspire me to get to class or
else I don’t go. I am broke as hell because I am not allowed to make a lot of
money under OSAP –which does not provide enough money for
rent/groceries/bills/life.  I wish I had taken a year off after high
school and really focused on what i was passionate about. Now i am 24 in my
first year at uni but really my 5th year of post secondary… and still am
worried of what i will do in the future.

RudeAudio

I just wish I was done and travelling and exploring the world
now!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_K632TZJIMGU7TOWACHTKIQPMPA Mutant

“Experience can be just as valuable as a degree.”
Only with
extraordinary luck, since–on balance–businesses are still more likely to
require a degree than not. Can you really suggest someone take the
gamble?

http://matadornetwork.com/ Carlo Alcos

Why is not going to college a gamble? Why is going to college *not* a
gamble? Going to college is as much a gamble as not going. You take the
gamble that you will be able to find a job to pay back your loans (if you
needed them), you take the gamble that you will still like what you took by
the end of your education, you take the gamble that you will enjoy your
career that you will most likely feel pressured to stay in regardless of how
you feel after years (or months/weeks) of doing it, but because of the time
and money invested in the education you will not leave it to pursue
something else that you actually enjoy doing.

http://www.voyagersquill.com/about Patrick
Hearn

It is indeed a gamble; you can waste years on something to discover you
don’t want to do it for the rest of your life. Of course, that doesn’t have
to be wasted time, if you find yourself in the process.

I spent two years as a Comp Sci major before realizing – hey, I want to
travel, not sit behind a desk all of my life. So I switched to my true
passion of writing, and I freelance to earn money now. It wasn’t wasted
time, but something I wish I had known before I threw two years into
studying Java.

http://twitter.com/DanAnnweiler Blogger
Dan

A college education, which I have, is extremely overrated.  Unless a
high school senior has a good, solid career plan, financial backing and a
strong drive, I would say stay away from college and find another way.
And if you don’t have the money to pay for it, don’t go to college taking out
loan after loan.  If you do, you’ll be enslaved to Sallie Mae for life!

Markwiz

I finally got my BS at the age of 48. 25 years earlier.  I started as
technician at a computer company. They later re-trained me as a programmer.
This was fine until the dot-com bust. Everybody was getting laid off. The only
reason I survived was I had some really valuable skills. I knew if I did get
laid off, I would be competing with people with masters, let alone BS’s. I got
my BS and then got an MBA. If I had gotten my BS earlier, I would probably be
making 20k more a year.

EzequielBruni

To all of those here saying that the lack of a degree makes for missed
opportunities, ask yourselves: which opportunities? Today’s culture is
constantly pushing for people to get desk jobs, and regards other forms of
employment as lower class.

I say this is bull. Additionally, the best kinds of desk jobs are the ones
where your employer is more impressed by what you can demonstrably do, and not
those little letters on your resume.

Two friends of mine are English teachers, getting paid quite well, and
neither have degrees. One is a Japanese 20 year old in Mexico, and the other
is an Italian, working in a state-run school in Italy. From what I hear,
Italian state-run schools have the highest standards in the country.

I myself am a self-employed web designer. I got a couple of jobs working
for local companies based solely on my portfolio. Now, I freelance, and make
even more money doing it. No, I’m not making six figures, yet. I am paying my
bills, I’m not in debt, and I can afford the occasional fancy toy.  And
my business is getting better.

The question here is, “Does everyone *need* a degree?” I say that the
answer depends on what you want to do, and where you want to do it. If you
don’t want to get stuck at a desk all day, learn a craft of some kind that
allows you to do what you love. Craftsmen who work with their hands are in
high demand these days, in more developed countries (here in Mexico… they
don’t get paid very well).

And if you love your desk, then ask yourself whether or not a company that
values certification over actual practical experience is really worth your
time.

Of course, there will always be jobs that simply require specialized
training. If that’s what you need, then by all means, find a way to get it.
When I need rocket surgery done in my spleen, I don’t want no self-taught
amateur doing it.

http://twitter.com/Snowfoxx Rho Drummond

When 68% of the jobs out there require college degrees for positions that
did not require them ten years ago, things are looking pretty bleak, at least
in the U.S.

The Truth

English majors who are out of touch with the real world – “Hooray, free
money”??!!! – should not be allowed to right such articles.

And they say the Truth Hurts

Well, the word is “write” but I agree with you.  This person clearly
doesn’t get it – yes if you become a “freelance writer” you will struggle
with money and be in debt.  That said, I got my undergrad degree in
Economics and Mechanical engineering, then got a masters in finance, and
through applying in the corporate world myself now make a great living as a
consultant (4 years out of school, started @ 55k now up to $100k).  Get
a BS English degree, get a BS job.  Granted its probably much more fun
to spend 12 hours a day writing these puff piece articles than actually
making business decisions…

Candice Walsh

It’d be a sad world if we took away the arts, especially if we let
engineers “right” all our articles.

Congrats all on your success, you sound like a person I’d love to hang
out with!

http://matadornetwork.com/author/emilyarent/ EHA

“The Truth” is that you wouldn’t be quite as happy if you didn’t have a
little journalism, art, and debate to cheer you up after a long day at the
grind that you’ve chosen to commit your life to. Your profession is
admirable. Someone has to do it. But all of the artsy people out there are
around for a reason. You consult stuffy people in three piece suits all
day, and we create culture, we write self reflective articles that you
choose to spend your limited free time commenting on anonymously. I
wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss someone else’s contributions to this
world, especially when it’s interesting enough to warrant your
attention.

http://solofriendly.com Gray

I wouldn’t go so far as to say people shouldn’t or don’t need to go to
college. Statistics will bear out that those with an undergraduate degree earn
about $1 million more over their lifetime than those without one. Of course,
if you don’t care how much money you make, feel free to do what you want. I
can honestly say, from the position of someone who has been on the hiring end
of things, I wouldn’t even look at a resume of someone who doesn’t have a
college degree for a white collar job. Sorry, but that’s reality. The
education system definitely has problems, the biggest one being cost, but it’s
still very important to get that education. I do think most people would
benefit from taking a couple of years off between high school and college,
though. Most 18 year olds don’t know what they want to do with their lives.
Forcing them to choose a career path at that age is crazy and results in a lot
of them winding up unhappy in their career paths. Let them get some real life
experience–working, traveling, volunteering–before they go to college, and
they’ll have a better idea of what they want to do with their lives. People
who know what they want get more out of the college experience than those who
are only there because mom and dad are paying for it. Now, having said all
that…I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going to trade school if that’s
where your passion lies. God knows plumbers and electricians make more money
than a lot of us.

Candice Walsh

But I’m not saying DON’T go to college, not at all. Just question it. Do
you want it? If you don’t want it, why are you doing
it?

http://solofriendly.com Gray

Okay, well, the title of your article threw me, Candice. It does
imply that you’re suggesting college is not necessary. I will agree with
you that people need to ask themselves some serious questions before just
jumping into college blindly–Do you want it, are you cut out for it, are
you ready for it, should you take some time off before going to college to
figure out what you want to do with your life? Knowing that you’ll
graduate with debt, do you need to go to the most expensive school or
would a less expensive state college suffice? Would you be better off
going to trade school? All good questions.

Engineers Rule

Your being under the poverty line 10 years after graduation is not because
of tuition cost.. it’s because of your major!

http://matadornetwork.com/ Carlo Alcos

From comments I’ve read here and on Digg, this seems to be a polarizing
issue…the article is set up on one side of the debate, but I think more
importantly what it does is provide a different perspective than what is
popular thought in our society. I don’t think Candice is trying to tell anyone
to not go to college, she’s just saying: think about it, and here are some
reasons to think about.

Going or not going to college is a personal choice that is unique to every
individual. The most important thing is that there is healthy questioning
before the decision is made. There is a feeling that going to college after
highschool is a given…there’s pressure from parents/family, from society, that
to be “successful” this is what one does…I don’t know how many young people
I’ve met during my travels that have degrees/masters, who are in a shit-load
of debt, and who don’t even like what they took in school and, in many cases,
can’t get a job. There will always be examples of people who have “education”
and have high-paying jobs, but there will always be examples of “educated”
people who can’t get a job, and people with little or no “education” who have
high-paying jobs…what about your “average” person who, “educated” or not,
makes enough to support a lifestyle he/she wants to live, and is content?

The paradigm of graduating highschool, getting a degree, and having a
lifelong career in that field is dying. For one, job security, as it used to
be, doesn’t exist anymore (this is thanks in large part to the death of labour
unions…but that’s another topic altogether). But more than anything, I think
these days people are becoming more aware of passion and are questioning
happiness in their lives. The notion of the nuclear family, while still
strong, isn’t the given anymore that it used to be. A shift is occurring, yet
we hold tight to the way things used to be, and have a hard time imagining it
being any other way.

This isn’t a black and white issue. Nothing is. Think critically about
everything you do.

Candice Walsh

Precisely. I don’t regret my education, but I wish I had gone about
things differently, or had even been encouraged to question how to go about
things differently.

Missbiancab

College was a very valuable part of my growing up. I understand that the
costs of school are daunting and you study something that you may not even
care about 4 years after you get that piece of paper, but the safety in
becoming an adult in a structured environment taught me so much.  It
was/is a rite of passage for so many and its worth it just for that reason
alone.

Simpletips

The unfortunate fact is that school (high school and college) is really not
designed for certain people who are very talented, and often it’s not cost
effective to go to college.  Part of this is simple math.  If you
have two people who get out of high school, where one goes to college and the
other doesn’t, what you find is that if the one that doesn’t (this is a big
‘if’) starts working and saving money right away, even if they make
substantially less than the person going to college makes, due to compounding
interest they could have more money saved than the person that goes to school.
This isn’t always the case, but take this (very simplistic) example.
Let’s say that I get out of high school at age 18 and go straight to
work.  I keep my expenses in check and save $300/month (so $3600/yr)
which grows at 5% per year for 33 years (when I want to retire).  At the
end I’ll have about $302k.  If I go to college and make a 25% higher
salary I can save $400/month ($4800/yr).  Now, I’ll point out that if
I’ve got student loans I won’t be able to save as much money to begin with,
probably not even what my counterpart is saving, but for the sake of this
example let’s say my parents paid for it.  I keep my expenses in check
and save $400/month at 5% per year for 29 years.  I’m going to have
$314k.  It’s a little more, and there is a lot that (again) isn’t taken
into consideration.  If you have to pay for college yourself, at all, it
wouldn’t be.  There are companies that (I’ve found) initially won’t
consider you if you don’t have a degree, but at least in my field (software
development), they’ve been few and far between.  My experience almost
always puts me on their radar.  College was not that interesting to me,
mostly because I wanted to work more than anything else (which gave me the
ability to save money really early), but because most of the people I went to
college (for the year I went) with weren’t all that bright.  They did the
footwork, listened and took notes, but at the end of the day they couldn’t
really think critically and were not prepared for the real world.  Most
of the folks I went to school with a struggling in this economy (other than
the ones who went on to become Doctors, they’ve done very well) and have
crushing student debts.  I could have saved more money than most of them
if I had only saved half of what I did in the past 15 years.  I think
finishing college makes a lot of sense if your end game is to become a Doctor
or get your Ph.D. and teach, or if you want to be a teacher in general.
Also, if you want to go into certain trades (like be an attorney or CPA)
it’s pretty necessary.  What I think mostly determines success is
interpersonal skills, the ability to think creatively and common sense.
I would also suggest that the ability to live within your means
(something they don’t teach at college) will predict who will save money and
who won’t.  An actual salary is only a small part of the
equation.

Whalley

Thanks for putting this message out, I couldn’t agree more. My story
is very similar… I was a creative hard-working kid and
when it came time to graduate from high school I really wanted to go to ITT
tech for drafting.  My parents didn’t want their kid being “blue collar”
so they said go to 4 year college or else you’re on your own. I wasn’t ready
for that so I went to a private liberal arts university, struggling for 4
years and racking up $25,000 in debt before dropping out.
After leaving, I went on a walkabout for a couple years and finally settled
down in the biotech industry.  My first job was entry level and
it was managing inventory in a manufacturing plant.  Growing up I had
maintained the inventory at my family’s small bookstore so I was able to use
that experience to convince the hiring manager.  That was 14 years ago
and since then I’ve developed my skills and grown into a management position
in computer compliance.  For the last 8 years I’ve made over
$100,000 a year and I just finally paid off my student loan debt.
Overall, I’m very grateful to have had the college experience but I
haven’t found the absence of a degree to be a major problem.  The
biggest issue for me has been self-esteem.  There’s a lot of
messaging in our society that drop-outs are bad.  Additionally, I didn’t
have a strong sense of self in the first place or else I would’ve made a
different choice after high school.  I think the key is to find
yourself and believe in yourself, and to find supportive friends and
family to help you do whatever it is you want to do.  If you are
adaptable and hardworking, you can make something from
nothing.

GRCgirl

I paid cash for two years and then supported my son’s decision to be
an entrepreneur.  You are so right about life in debt.  We
spent nearly 100K cash and not one penny was noted in a tax break. The system
is broken.

http://iblog4dollars.com/l Dennis of iBlog4dollars.com

Great points.. I’m all for #7.. The thing that confuses people is they
think that college is the answer. No college is a path you take. The answer is
hard work and determination.

It just so happens in these days, college is not looking like the best path
and that same path is riddled with corporations selling text books for profit
and money hungry executives.

I would never tell anyone not to go to college but I would never tell
anyone to go either. I’m actually glad I didn’t go to college. The years I
spent in the world grinding taught me a lot about how huge corporations don’t
give 2 pennies about you. Degree or no degree..

As long as you’re working for someone, you are just helping them fulfill
their american dream; and I’m all for fulfilling dreams but at some point you
have to fulfill your own.

Plus mines only cost me a few years of my life. Many people I know went to
college and we all lost the same amount of years but they paid 40k for those
years…

Want to know more about the college scam, go to youtube and watch a video
called “The College Scam”.. It’s real good and explains in great detail the
text book hustle that colleges are running.

I wish everyone the overall best and your life…
Dennis

Owner of iBlog4dollars.com

Dr. Phil

Most people lack the interpersonal skills, writing ability, and
organizational ability to succeed without attending college.  The degree
might not give them success, but the discipline of attending classes daily
will enhance the skills they need to later succeed.

Some people will succeed without attending college.  Most will not.

Some people are suckered into piles of debt for an experience they could
have received much less expensively in a junior college with a part time job.
They need a little perspective.  A wholesale rejection of the
usefulness of the college experience is an excessive reaction to that
situation.

Rvmazzola

I think you are giving people terrible advice. Let people expand their
intellectual horizons, its woth the high price even if it doesn’t immedietely
pay off.

http://matadornetwork.com/author/emilyarent/ EHA

I guess it’s all in your perspective, and I have a sneaking suspicion
that you’re still in college, yet to be slapped in the face by the real
world. I have friends who went to private 4-year colleges and went on to pay
tuition at another private school for their master’s degree for the SOLE
purpose of avoiding their undergrad debt. Are two liberal arts degrees
really worth upwards of $200,000?

Bogdan_can

this is such an unnecessary article…for the 90% of the jobs in the market
you will need a college degree…people blame college because it doesn’t teach
them anything and this is because they want to be spoon fed….college is what
you make of it; you have to work hard and be conscientious just like in any
other aspect of life…. otherwise obviously it will feel useless. You get a
great education out of college, not to mention a great network of industrial
contacts as well as academic ones. Just because some people that dropped out
became rich doesn’t mean anything…I think being a ‘free spirit’ and doing what
you love is overrated because often people don’t have the slightest clue about
how things work in the real world so they drop out and pursue something and
they quickly realize they’re overwhelmed.

You think that travelling, or becoming an expert in something or being an
entrepreneur won’t leave you in debt? Where will you get the money to travel?
This is such a useless suggestion…you can only travel if you have money.
Pretty much anything you do will leave you in debt at the beginning, unless
you live with your parents and they pay for all your bills. If you’re gonna be
in debt, you might as well get something pragmatic out of it.

http://www.bravenewworldtraveler.wordpress.com/ Jill

This comment is in response to

What a horribly narrow-minded reponse to an open and limitless discussion
about alternative lifestyle choices. Certainly everything you do in life
will cause you to acrue some sort of “debt,” whether it be financial or
otherwise. Isn’t anything we do out of love or kindness because we believe
it will make us a better person, giving us brownie points or karma points or
any other sort of spiritual retribution you personally believe in? Perhaps
we can consider such things “paying a debt,” but most prefer to consider
doing nice things for others (in turn for personal satisfaction and growth)
not a chore but a delightful part of everyday life.

Why consider doing what you love (whether it be taking a pragmatic
approach to life or being a “free spirit”) overrated? Does anyone really
know how the “real world” works? Define real world in terms of pragmatism
and you, sir, may have won this round. But I dare say words might escape you
when you try to narrowly box up something as funny and superfluous as life
in a nice, tighly contained little box. Life then loses its magic and
mystery: Chasing happiness becomes a laborious chore of what we’re told to
do rather than a true persuit of our own perceived path to happiness.

You can always make more money. I have heaps of money sitting in the
bank, saved from when I was an infant, waiting there. For what? For Mr.
Right to sweep into my life, to change my mind about how to spend my small
fortune? Just in case I might want to buy a house? Sure, it’s good to have
money saved, but at the same time, I can always make more. If you believe in
living a life true to yourself, at the same time believing that in life, you
will find yourself where you need to be when you need to be there, it’s such
a silly arrangement to throw away fun experiences like travel for cumbersome
worries like “debt.” I prefer not to live as a slave to something as fickle
as money.

Perhaps you should reevaluate how you let “debt” inhibit your life.
Choose your life. Don’t let it choose you.

I don’t entirely disagree with you. Yes, you should spend money on
pragmatic things. It’s a necessity and a part of life. Part of being a
well-rounded adult essentially comes down to whether or not you’re able to
take care of yourself. To me, having your own house with a mortgage and a
nice new car doesn’t equate success. I know I’m successful that I can wake
everyday, find a way to feed myself, take care of my bills, interact and be
amongst those I love, and share a nice meal with friends. Hardly is there a
night, after a great day with good company and after doing some amazing
adventurous things, when I’m drifting off to sleep, that I’m missing my
desk’s carress. The money will come. It always does. Trust in thyself and
let the good things happen once in a while.

Tiffany Hawk

I agree that not everyone needs to go to college, but writers definitely
should. To write about the world, you should have a broad background on how we
got here, how things work, how to research, how to think
critically.

http://kharlamovaa.wordpress.com Arina
Kharlamova

I totally agree with this article, and with Candice. University isn’t
everything. Even for a writer. Many writers over the centuries didn’t step
foot in post-secondary and still managed to churn out beautiful
articles/books/poetry. High price tags do NOT equal lots of knowledge
acquired. Of course, you can make the best of your experience, but college is
not the high-and-mighty, or even the high-and-necessary thing it once was.
People don’t have to pay hundreds of thousands to get a “broad
education”.

http://www.ivorypomegranate.com/
Kirstin

I would love to see a follow-up, “9 reasons not to go to grad
school”

Guest

This article is so poorly written, it’s pathetic.  The introduction
does nothing to set up the list and many of the items on the list are
completely applicable to college.  If you’re struggling to make ends meet
as a free-lance writer, it’s because you’re not every good.

http://matadornetwork.com/ Carlo Alcos

Not sure why I’m feeding the trolls, but here goes…

1. In what way does the intro not set up the list?
2. What does “many
of the items on the list are completely applicable to college” mean?
3.
You don’t know very many freelance writers do you? There are a shit ton of
outstanding freelance writers who struggle to make ends meet, who take on
other work to do that. Sometimes it isn’t even about writing skill…there are
people who make good money “freelance writing” but who are not very good
writers. They just understand the business side of things and are social
media savvy.

Crap. Just wasted 5 minutes of my day.

Guest

I wasn’t trying to troll.  A friend posted this on FB and I
was actually interested in what it was about.

1.  Her introduction is all about HER EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE.
From what she writes in the intro, it basically sounds like her place in
the world right now is directly related to her use of hallucinogens and
being hungover every day at 8am.  She should’ve framed it as why
college almost failed her, not why she almost failed college.  See
the difference?
2. My statement means that much of what she is
suggesting can be done while going to college and nothing about college
should inherently prevent someone from doing these things.
Examples:
-you can learn a ton of stuff, on your own, from other
people, while you are at college, outside of class.  you don’t have
to skip college to use the Internet…
-you don’t have to be “book smart”
to go to college and succeed.  to believe that college is all about
“excelling in studies” or whatever that means, is just
ignorant
-financial issues.  Here is probably her most valid
point.  Sure, that’s a reason not to go to college, but unless you
want to get into a debate about cost/benefits of higher education, then it
doesn’t belong on the list
-travel?  are you kidding me?  If
you live in NYC, then travel to California and go to college there.
SHE ADMITS that she traveled abroad for the first time in college! but
then she is telling us not to go to college so you can travel? and I
guess, use those funds that you didn’t have to pay for tuition

-practical skills and talent can be cultivated while at
college…
-vocational/tech/trade schools, sure, this is a good point, if
you’re interested in those things then you don’t need to go to college per
se
-you can start your own business before/during/after college.
Remember that Zuckerberg went to an Ivy League and started Facebook
there.  I’d say he qualifies as an entrepreneur.
-volunteering,
you can do this at college and after college, heck, if you’re smart you’ll
start during HS
-no one really becomes an expert on something in
college, that’s what grad school is for.  you can read all the books
you want while you’re in college if you wish though, no one’s stopping
you
3. I don’t understand many free-lance writers.  The writers I
know publish in academic journals, but we don’t get paid for publication,
we simply have to do it or we lose our jobs, so I guess it’s
similar.  But I will concede that free-lance writing success may have
nothing to do with writing ability.    However, I still
stand by my earlier statements.

http://matadornetwork.com/ Carlo
Alcos

Based on your original comment, I hope you can see why I would think
you were trolling (using Guest as name doesn’t help either). But thanks
for expanding on your thoughts, that kind of feedback is much more
constructive than “This article is so poorly written, it’s pathetic.”
Cheers.

http://twitter.com/JessicaRawlins Jessica

This kind of sounds like it should be titles “9 reasons to wait to go to
college”. Most people get a degree at some point but definitely good to try
some of these things before.

http://matadornetwork.com/ Carlo Alcos

I prefer “9 things to think about while deciding to go to college
(although it’s perfectly acceptable if you don’t)”

http://www.travelerahoy.com/
Alouise

I really enjoyed this article and I think some valid points are brought up.
College isn’t for everyone. And it’s a big decision to make, and definitely
not something a person should just rush into. I didn’t go to college right
after High School because I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my
life. If I had been forced to go to college I probably would’ve taken a
general studies program, or worse something I had no interest in. I would have
wasted money on something I didn’t want and I would’ve regretted my decision.
Instead I worked for several years, and while I regret staying at a job I
didn’t like for five years I don’t regret waiting until I was 26 to go to
University.

Several years ago I wanted to go into music therapy. I love music, and I
love the fact that music can help a variety of people. It seemed like a
perfect career. So I went back to piano (I took lessons as a kid), and looked
to apply at different music schools. And while I waited I took some psychology
courses that I would need for prerequisites. I remember being at the audition
for a University music program and all I could think was how I hate to play
piano in front of people, how I hate performing. And you can’t really be a
music therapist and hate performing, it’s sort of required. Needless to say I
didn’t make it into the program, and I think it was for the best. As good as
this career sounded on paper for me, in reality it wouldn’t have worked.

I went into a professional writing program after taking the MatadorU travel
writing course back in 2009. I realized that I wanted to be a writer. Writing
was something I always enjoyed, but a writing career didn’t seem like a
possibility. And as much as I could just try to be a travel writer I also
wanted to learn about other types of writing and communication. So I’m glad
I’ve gone to University, because I’ve discovered other types of writing I
enjoy, like technical writing. I was also careful to pick a school I could
afford. I estimate that I’ll probably have about ten thousand dollars to pay
in loans after I’m done school, which is a lot less than what many people
have. I also picked a program that had an internship (in the last year). This
will give me work experience, and hopefully I can find a paid internship. I
won’t graduate until I’m 30, but I’m glad when I do graduate it’ll be from a
program I’ve enjoyed, and I’ll be able to have the skills to get into a career
I want to have.

http://www.locationlessliving.com/ locationlessliving

One big issue is that most people would not have the initiative to get the
experience if they were not thrust into college. We imagine people are more
smart than they are.

http://profile.yahoo.com/IR6SHMYSWJPOS46TVWLYU7A2BQ AE

I really like the alternatives that you provide for college.  I agree
that traveling or volunteering can be more rewarding than going to
college.

I’m also working on my own list on my blog, 100 Reasons NOT to Go to
College:

http://reasonstoskipcollege.blogspot.com/

I hope to highlight some of the pitfalls of college life and offer some
good alternatives to college.

Drphilgood George

well sure, but the major thing that is being overlooked is that nowadays,
getting a college degree is absolutely mandatory in the professional world.
The fact is, getting a job is a lot harder for people that do not have a
college degree.

Roscoe Rudolf

meh, the “professional” world is overrated. it won’t make it far into the
future before we have to change the way we run our economies anyways (it is
happening now, but the status quo is stubborn). better off to have life skills
in the simple but essential things…growing food, finding abundance in
simplicity, building mutually nurturing relationships.

Carlo Alcos

One of the problems is that to live the “American dream” which is what
most people still seem to want (buying a house, building a massive pension,
having a family, etc) it costs a lot of money…but if minds were opened up to
different kinds of lifestyles, more meagre and simple ones, like you said
growing more of your own food, living more communal, sharing, we actually
need a lot less income than we think. the way we’re set up right now is that
we all have to be so independent, that we have to do everything on our
own…and we build walls and isolate ourselves from everyone else.

We work so bloody hard and long for this notion of future security…but in
reality there is no such thing as security. It could all come crashing down
(and really, would anyone be surprised if it did?)…what will be more
important if/when a really big collapse happens is life skills…and having
community to help each other through it, being more spiritually open and
ready and willing to accept change.

Daniel Chikwelu

nice, keep it up.

Ron Reed

I agree wholeheartedly Like it says from the book Successful Intelligence
“Dropping out of school and low grades do not guarantee failure the same way
good grades and college degrees guarantee success”.

James Westave

9 excellent reasons not to go college especially in the current economic
climate. Entrepreneurism should flourish in these times. I have started a blog
http://www.event-traveller.com/ which one day I hope will
allow me to travel the world and get paid, heres to dreaming

vero4travel.com

I agree in everything. Sadly, nowadays in Spain we think like this ”When I
was in high school, only the “dumb” kids went to trade school. “Smart” kids
were encouraged to attend university. The dumb kids are now making six-figure
incomes.”. It’s sad but it’s true. I don’t know in America but in Spain and
Europe it’s difficult to find a job, they don’t mind that you have spent a lot
in your graduate and postgraduate program so… you can save
it.

Connie Mack

Interesting tips, This will certainly help many people acquiring
information for there needs.Business
loans for bad credit.

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