After you have finished your schooling, it’s time for college! It’s finally time to move out and choose your area of study to specialize in! But this is not the only route that your life has. You can choose to not go to college and rather pursue your dreams differently. You could also have been a student at a college and then realize that you are not cut out for college. There are a lot of different reasons that you may not be cut out for college and a lot of ways that you could realize this. This doesn’t mean you are any less than those who get their degrees and go for higher education. Nor does this mean that all hope is lost. There are still fields that you could succeed in without having higher education. Let us know about ‘Not Cut Out For College’.
Not Cut Out For College:
Not being cut out for college is not unusual as many students have their priorities set somewhere else and that’s okay! It is not a compulsion to attend college at all. Nor is it a prerequisite for a successful or happy life. If you realize you are someone who just can’t sit in classes and study more or college would be tiring for you, you can very well make the decision not to attend one. While it may be a social convention to attend college to do jobs that look for an academic background, you can still excel in other fields. Some industries look for experience and skills over academic qualifications.
Some fields look for experience and skills rather than knowledge about a particular subject. There are art-related jobs where excellence cannot be brought in by qualifications but merely by talent. There are other alternatives to college as well, if you might be interested in academic qualifications but do not want to attend college and classes every day.
Realizing that You are Not Cut Out for College:
This realization can dawn upon you immediately after your schooling when you look for various colleges and courses to go for. You can realize that they are not your cup of tea and you can choose to avoid college altogether. You could also have realized this beforehand and you can channel your energy in the direction that you want to go in. For instance, if you want to begin a band, you can participate in local concerts and manifest your energy that way. Rather than attending college, this will be more helpful if you want to make a mark in the field of music.
If you realize that you are not someone who would fit the college atmosphere after having attended or enrolled yourself in college, dropouts are still possible. You can choose to act on your passion and lead the life that you think would fit you better than attending college. You could also want to have an academic qualification but not attend classes physically or go to college every day. There are alternatives available for this as well. You could take up any one subject class at a community college and pursue that or you could go for distance education methods and study online. In distance education, not only will you be getting an education from any college from any corner of the world that you want, but you can do so from wherever you like.
Pros of not Attending College:
You could be saving up money that would have otherwise gone for fees and living. You could instead use the time that you have on your hands and tone your skills. This will help you especially if you are someone who wants to get into the field of art. You can take up a job and work on it full-time, thereby earning money. Eventually, investing in this will fetch you good returns and you can manage your finances well. Also, being on your own can give you a lot of experiences and lessons that can be used later in life. It is a known fact that you learn more from your failures than your successes. So when you are on your own and you make mistakes, you remember them the next time and avoid making the same mistake. Learning on your own will make the lesson stay longer in you than learning through someone else.
You can be street-smart and develop genuinely helpful skills. If you manage to learn skills that work well for a particular job, and you apply for it, you will stand out from the employers from the rest of the applicants. Your investment can increase and you will gain a lot of exposure that you might miss out on if you had attended college. If you make good use of the time that you have on your hands, you can get a lot more productive, and hone your skills or even start a business!
Cons of Not Attending College:
It is shown in multiple studies that people who attended college tended to earn more than those who didn’t. In cases of jobs that are closely linked to academia, college qualifications play a huge role. Employers also look for qualifications on your resume when they want to know whether or not you are fit for the job in question or not. Your career prospects will reduce and you will have to choose from a narrowed list of choices.
In the 21st century, where society is more advanced in technology and other careers that require academic qualifications and expertise, it may not be a good idea to drop out of college or avoid going to one altogether. There are some advantages that people have over their counterparts who did not attend college. A college degree can ensure career stability and even if you do lose your job suddenly, you know you have your qualification to fall back on. This does not mean that everybody who has a college education is an expert. Not only would you have to have a college qualification but you would have to stand out amongst your peers, considering the highly competitive nature of the world that we are living in right now.
When you attend college and choose to specialize in any one field, in particular, your classes and course of study would ensure that you get a 360-degree view and learning of the subject and are industry-prepared. This is not the same case if you are not someone who attended college. You might have taught yourself the necessary skills but there might be some that you missed out on, due to various reasons, like lack of resources and so on. In colleges, there are experienced and learned professors who can guide you in the right way and you can go a long way with their mentorship. You also form bonds and make connections in college.
Also, eventually in your life, your college life can be something that you cherish as a sweet memory that you might lose out on if you choose to drop out of it earlier.
Alternatives to College:
There are a lot of other ways in which you can educate yourself in the skills or the subject that you need. There are diploma courses that you can choose from. Online certificate courses are also a good option, especially as they are also taught by experts. These also allow you to choose only those that you need and you needn’t waste your time learning stuff that you do not require. Distance education is another option that is available for you and some courses are self-paced as well. All of these increase your options multifold and you can compare each of them to decide which is best for you.
Conclusion:
Whether or not you are built for college, you will have skills and you will be needing them to survive and make a living. It is advisable to ensure you hone your skills and excel at them. But going to college is not a compulsion, for anyone. You can choose whether to attend college or not. It is entirely up to you and whatever decision you take, you will end up doing okay in your life. Sometimes, people may not be cut out for things that others are cut out for and it is important to recognize if you are one of them. Do not let peer pressure or parental pressure cloud your thoughts. Have a clear mind and think about what’s best for you. You can ask people for opinions, but ultimately, it is your decision to make and your life to live.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can you survive without a college degree?
You can still be successful and manage to make both ends meet without a college degree but having a degree does have its advantages, especially if you wish to excel in one of the academically demanding jobs that are out there.
- If I am sure I am not cut out for college, what can I do?
Find something you are naturally good at, cooking, for example. Hone that skill of yours till you know you are actually good at it and can survive with that skill in a competitive environment. Manifest that skill and use it in the best way that you can think of. In this case, you can try renting out a shop at a mall or something small and eventually expand to bigger businesses.
