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Sunday, April 21, 2013

How to Decide if College is Right For You

By the time they enter their senior year of high school, all students feel the pressure of having to find colleges to apply to as they also battle with deciding upon a major and what career path they’ll follow. College isn’t always the right decision for every student, regardless of what their grade point averages are at the end of their high school careers. Many students choose not to go to college and instead enter the workforce immediately after they graduate. And, though there’s nothing wrong with this decision, they may feel that others look down upon them for making this choice.

Even though there’s a stigma associated with not pursuing a college degree, is a degree really necessary in today’s world? It turns out that many successful individuals never went to college or never finished college after they started. There are people who run successful businesses, as well as artists and musicians who have become famous, who never went to college to understand business or to improve their craft.

Below are some of the questions that you can ask yourself to determine if college is really the right choice for you. It is ultimately your personal decision, so think about this issue for a long time, do a lot of self-reflection, and then tell everyone that they can rest assured that you have given this a lot of thought and, therefore, they need to respect your choice.

Think About Your Career Path

The first thing you want to think about is what your career path will be. Does your family own a business that you want to dive into? If so, you may not need to go to college to learn the necessary skills. In fact, you may learn more on the job than you ever would in a classroom. Nevertheless, you may also benefit from working part-time at your family’s business while attending college to learn more about what you can do to make your business even more successful than it already is. Valuable skills that you learn in the classroom can then be transferred to your work environment.

If you decide that you want to pursue a career in a field that doesn’t require schooling, but rather looks for those who have experience, then you’ll probably be better off going right into the field upon graduation. After all, you can easily go back to school later on if you change your mind and want to change paths completely or if you need to improve your skills.

If You’re not Sure

If you’re ultimately undecided about what career path you want to pursue, going to college would be your best option because it will allow you to take classes in a variety of subject areas. From there, you can decide what most appeals to you and you can choose a major and pursue a degree as you move forward. This will prepare you for working in that chosen field and will give you the credentials to get hired.

About the Author: Kirsty is a freelance writer who understands how difficult it can be to decide upon the right college and major. Her advice is to learn from those working at colleges. A message from the director of the tax program can help you decide if a career in law is right for you.