By Isabelle Lounsberry
High school takes up most of any person’s young adult life, so much so that anything but high school life may become abstract. It doesn’t help that the majority of the school process is preparing you for more school, whether it be college or any other form of education to prepare you for “the real world.” However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 69.7% of high school graduates went on to college in 2016. Others join the military or go directly into the workforce.
Another option for upcoming graduates is tech school, a form of education focused on training specifically for careers. Unlike traditional colleges, where a more broad type of education is applied, tech school is training for a specific job or task, such as cosmetology, military, or anything else you can think of. The advantages of tech school include less time being spent at school –only two years, having a job ready for you, and money. The average cost for a degree is significantly less than that of a Bachelor’s degree– $33,000 versus $127,000. This is, however, still quite a sum of money, and can be difficult to cope with depending on your economic situation.
Kelly Tracy, a recent AHS graduate, is studying cosmetology at the Aveda Institute in Tallahassee. She stated that, “Tech school was a little easier [to get into] than most universities. Granted, a little on the pricey side…” Michaela Crisan, another recent graduate, also mentioned that because of the finances required, she had to apply for many scholarships and encouraged others to do so as well.
College, on the other hand, is what high school is “preparing” you for, and is the option nearly all people will recommend for a stable job sometime in the future. Again, colleges have a rather exorbitant pricing system, with the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2016–2017 school year being $33,480 at private colleges, $9,650 for state residents at public colleges, and $24,930 for out-of-state residents attending public universities, according to the College Board. The main deterrent from college is the generalization of fields, which makes finding jobs much more difficult right off the bat.
Michaela Crisan, a first-year college student, is currently enrolled in the culinary program at her school and is planning to go into the hospitality program sometime within the next two years. She believes that, “If you want to be successful and have a well-paying job, yes, I do think you should go to college. But it doesn’t always mean by not going to college you can’t be just as successful. It just means you have to work harder than those who did go to college and get a degree.”
A former college student and now graduate, Valkiria DeSouza, stated that her college gave her, “so many experiences that made me grow as a person and professionally.” She believes that college allowed her the growing period needed for her success as a second-grade teacher and overall person, and that living on her own with the crutch of dorms made it more manageable to ease into adulthood. And she is not the only one with this opinion. American culture publicizes the college years as a time to get to know yourself, to party, and to find people to support you. While all of this may not be exact, college is a good place to meet new people, and to find what you are good at. The variety of classes allows students to explore their skills, and build their abilities in ways that were possibly not previously available.
This, however, is not essential for a career, or to be successful. Despite the decreasing rate of college applicants, the employment rate is slowly, but steadily increasing. The passage of time is making for new advancements and new jobs because of it. Government jobs are becoming more available as new projects are being built, businesses need workers, and the military is always looking for new members.
There are many things for anyone of any education to do, so the choices are limitless. Whether it be college, the military, or any other means of living, the decision is best left in your hands.