College isn’t for everyone. This idea has spiraled across social media platforms for years, encouraging students to take the path that is best for them. Yet, in recent years, school districts have encouraged students to take the steps necessary to enroll in college, often without regard for personal aspirations and goals. 

As early action and early decision deadlines pass, The Seahawk’s Eye wants to encourage students to choose the path best suited for their schools, reminding them that college isn’t the only option. Trade, professional skill, cosmetology school, and more are all valid choices after high school. 

College is useful to those who are excited about its possibilities. For some students, college doesn’t interest them, as it won’t help career aspirations or other professional goals. These beliefs are entirely acceptable. If you are unsure of what your future holds, or what you may want to major in, taking a gap year or pursuing a 2-year degree may be an option for you. 

Taking time to pursue a talent is a necessary part of life, and by enrolling in a different type of school, whether trade or 2-year institutions, may be the necessary path to succeeding in it. 

For example, students who already have a small business or other type of income like artistry may not need a college degree to succeed. Often, owning a business can expose individuals to skills and hands-on experience not possible in a college institution. Life skills and other developmental traits can be fostered through a college education, however, often it is the hands-on experience through apprenticeships that seal the deal. 

Sometimes, the one-size fits all approach taught in college doesn’t suit a students’ needs. It’s time that high school support professionals recognize that. Providing more options besides the traditional 4-year college education is necessary in order to prepare students for their futures. 

For example, exposure to trade and skill schools could be a starting point. Field trips starting freshman year could be essential to increasing students’ access to knowledge about their future opportunities. 

It is essential for students to be able to make decisions about their futures using all available information. By limiting what kinds of information about college, trade school, and other institutions students have access to, it reduces their ability to make adequate decisions about their futures. We at the Seahawk’s Eye believe that information is essential to student development. Because of this, we move for the implementation of different types of programs about students’ futures. 

In order to do this, reducing the stigma surrounding students who chose to take a different path is essential. College doesn’t determine success. Plenty of students will graduate from a 4-year institution without a plan or goal for the future. However, students who took a different path can graduate from their respective institutions with their heads on straight. 

College isn’t for everyone. The idea that college is needed for success is outdated, and should be adjusted to represent the current outlook for students. High school is the place to plan for the future, and by limiting the information students have access, their futures are limited.