There is this social expectation about continuing on with school after you graduate from high school. Most parents dream about their children going to college or university when they grow up. Sometimes they even picture them at certain schools, like the ones they might have graduated from.
Though I do agree, education is important, it is not right for everyone. There are many jobs that require no post secondary degrees, and jobs like that have to be filled as well. Not everyone can go to school to become Doctors because we will eventually run out of Doctor jobs. As well, not everyone is smart enough to become a Doctor.
The point is, people put high expectations on what you are suppose to do with your life. Expectations that a lot of people cannot accomplish, no matter how hard they try. Parents, and other adults, need to understand that you can make a well enough life without school.
In fact, a lot of jobs, like construction, make quiet a bit of money. Whereas a job as a school teacher does not make a lot of money. Sometimes you have to think, how much are you spending on a post secondary education? Is it worth the amount of money you would be making coming out of school?
It is also not always about intelligence. Sometimes you can be really smart, and want to go to college or university, but you just cannot afford it. Yes, you can apply for OSAP or student loans, but not everyone is accepted for this.
If your parents are making over a certain amount of money a year, you will not be accepted for a student loan. This is because they feel you can afford to pay for school and the money should go to someone who needs it more. But, just because your parents are making a certain amount a year, does not mean they are willing to pay for your education. So, this could be a problem.
There is also a clear difference between college and university. If you are a university level high school student, chances are your parents are expecting you to be going to university. A lot of the time this is not true. Many university level students end up going to college not university.
There could be a lot of reasons for this. A big reason would be grades. Some students just do not have high enough grades to be able to go to university versus college. This is not always their fault. If they try as hard as they can, but no universities will accept them, college is there best choice.
So, what if you have good marks? Does this mean you have to go to university? No! A lot of students prefer to go to college even if their marks are good enough for university. This is because the chances of finding a job immediately after getting a college degree is much higher than coming out with a university degree. This is because college gives more hands on training. Whereas university is mostly a broader look at a subject.
I think what I'm trying to get at is: Leave us alone. Schooling is our decision and it should be our decision alone whether we want to go to college or university or go straight into work, People need to trust that whatever we will do, we will be happy.
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I absolutely agree with this. You should be the one deciding your future and what you want to do with your life. If you live just following what your parents say, what are you getting out of life?
ReplyDeleteAnother solid argument that I absolutely agree with. The myth of University being so incredible for every since person is so wrong. If you go to University for the wrong reason it can seriously mess you up financially. This isn't a status based decision anymore, it is about real money and a whole lot of it, you have to make the right choice. I also find that sometimes Educators contribute to the "have to go to University" concept. Everything in school always seems to be centred around going to University and I feel there is judgement when people pick college level courses.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you on this one. It's getting to the point where our industrial sectors are going to be so needy for jobs to be filled that many university degree-holders (who consider themselves above factory work) are going to have to fill them anyway. I understand that many people don't want to live their lives working in a factory, but for those that are likely to end up there anyway, I think they should skip the university step in order to save themselves some money.
ReplyDeleteAnd because so many people are going to University now, admission averages are getting higher and higher, and an undergrad is barely enough anymore, people now have to get a masters or even a Phd if they want an advantage when applying for jobs.
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