In my opinion, too many people mindless go onto college with no real direction just because it is expected of them.
While it is great if you want to go onto higher forms of education, those who choose not to (or cannot) go that direction are not necessarily “stupid” or “lazy”. They might have different plans with their life that do not involve higher education.
Some people don’t learn in a school environment and are much better learning in a way they see fit for themselves. A person might not be enrolled in any school system while continuing their studies and personal education.
There are many examples of people who did not even finish lower levels of education that are extremely smart or considered successful by society. John D. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest people in American history, never finished high school. Paul Allen, billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, never finished college. John Astor, America’s first multimillionaire, never finished high school. These are just a few examples of the kinds of success people have achieved without higher education.
Also, let’s touch on the idea of “successful”. What does it mean to be successful? Does it mean to own a big house, have a lot of cars, have a lot of money, and own a large business? It might be to some but not to me. The idea of success in life is strictly a personal feeling and an expression of one’s own values and goals.
Many people are finding themselves in massive debt after college and not being able to afford it because of a lack of jobs. If you don’t know what you want to pursue in life, why rush into debt because of something you might not even need or want?
A mentality has grown that once you get that piece of paper saying you finished college, you are going to get a good job and you have the key to success. There are a lot of people out there with degrees from higher education that can’t find a job and are struggling to get by.
Personally, I don’t plan to go to college. I don’t think that 4 more years in the education system and massive debt for a degree that I will have no use for is worth it. I want to do what is best for me and my community, learn exactly what I want when I want, and to live my life now. Not to put it off for the sake of feeling secure.
If you have an idea of how you want to live your life, go for it. Why not, a fear of failure? The true failure is the failure to pursue your own life goals and dreams. So if you stick to the safe path that is forced upon you because you are too fearful of failure, you already failed.