To school, or not to school?

That is the question.

I grew up in a household where both my parents had university degrees. One of my grandparents was a university professor. It was always clear that my brothers and I were expected to go to university after we graduated from high school.

For some people, that path makes sense. Frankly, I think it's overrated.

University is a big committment. I think one of the biggest mistakes young people make is to dive in headfirst when they're not really sure what they want. Then they end up with a degree in a field that they don't really like, or in a field that has no job prospects. On top of that, many university graduates end up with massive student loans and no real plan to pay them off.

Don't get me wrong - education is always a good thing, even if it doesn't make you more money. Learning is a never a waste of time. But in today's world of instant access to limitless information thanks to the Internet and smartphones, you can learn anything you want without ever setting foot inside a post-secondary institution. You don't go to university to learn. You go to university to get a degree that leads to a career.

And that's not all! There are so many options out there besides going straight into uni after high school. There's trade school, community college, apprenticeships, entry-level jobs, and specialized training programs for other things like law enforcement. For lots of people, it's smart to take a year or two off to work and save money so that you don't have to go into debt. Or travel, try new things, get used to life as an adult and figure out what you really want. University is a great choice for a lot of people, but what I'm trying to say is that no one should be beating themselves up if it isn't the right path for them.

I've tried a couple of different things, myself. After high school I went to community college and used scholarships to pay for a few classes that I thought I'd enjoy. After that, I took a year and a half off to serve a volunteer mission for my church in another part of the country. Then I went to university. I didn't know what I was doing yet, but I decided to start taking classes and figure it out as I go. For a bunch of reasons, I only stayed for one semester before moving back home to be closer to family. I applied to an online school and took another class from home in the meantime. I thought I'd be going back to university but things didn't work out that way. Now I'm back in community college doing a certificate program that will lead me directly into a career as an education assistant.

It's been an interesting journey, that's for sure! If you're reading this and thinking to yourself that you're in trouble because you still have no idea what you want to be when you grow up, don't worry! Sometimes it takes a little while to figure it out. But I'll also caution you against the opposite problem, which is waiting in limbo for inspiration to magically fall from the sky and knock you over the head.

There comes a point where you need to choose something and work hard for it, even if you're not dead certain you want to do it for the rest of your life. If this sounds like you, though, then I just wouldn't recommend choosing a career that's going to take 8 years of schooling to get to.