What to do if You Don’t Want to Go to College: 15 Tips
Even though more people than ever before are going to college, the percentage of people with college degrees remains surprisingly low according to discussions on the same over at runrex.com, at just 33%. This is because, college degrees aren’t for everyone, even if they may seem like the norm. Therefore, if for whatever reason you find that you don’t want to go to college, maybe you don’t want to take on the debt that comes with it or any other reason, and are wondering what your options are, then here are 15 things and paths you can consider taking.
Vocational training
If you don’t want to go to college, you can consider pursuing vocational training, which offers a more direct route to many jobs as explained over at guttulus.com. This is a great option to consider as not only are skilled workers in demand in a variety of areas from plumbing to dental hygiene, but vocational training and apprenticeships focus on the development of practical skills that can be put to use immediately.
Bootcamps
Given that universities are failing to produce enough STEM graduates to meet the demand for employees with tech skills, coding bootcamps have emerged as an alternative model when it comes to providing tech talent as covered over at runrex.com. Additionally, studies have shown that employers think that bootcamp graduates are just as prepared and likely to be high performers as employees with computer science degrees.
Community college
Community college degrees may not be as glamorous as college degrees, but they offer lots of benefits. This is because, as discussed over at guttulus.com, not only do they open the door to more students but, as is the case for vocational programs, many of the programs in community colleges respond directly to the current job market. This means that grads can hit the ground running in just two years with the skills they need to work in anything from web design to veterinary tech and so forth.
The military
While the military may not be for everyone, if it is right for you, then you should consider joining if you do not want to go to college as it is an experience that could change your life for the better. As covered over at runrex.com, not only does joining a branch of the military come with basic pay, free room and board, free healthcare and dental care, education benefits such as tuition assistance, and even home financing, it also allows you to receive professional and technical training in many fields like aviation, engineering, news and media, and human resources – some of which will be eligible for college credit. This is without mentioning important soft and life skills you learn when you join the military such as responsibility, discipline, focus, and many others.
Travel
Unless you have the finances, which would be unlikely at this point in your life, a carefree trip around the world may not be feasible. However, there are many ways you can travel productively, including volunteering with UNICEF, Red Cross, WWF, UNESCO, or any other non-profit organization. In doing so, you will learn many things that can’t be taught in a classroom in college.
Internship
Even though it may not be possible to land your dream job without a degree or training, you can be able to land an internship in the field of your dreams, helping you acquire the skills and experience you need to move up the ladder as is explained over at guttulus.com.
Online learning
Online learning, according to the subject matter experts over at runrex.com, is becoming more popular amongst students as digital education platforms continue to grow and improve. Coursera, which is the world’s largest and leading online learning platform, offers thousands of non-degree programs that teach essential skills. Other alternatives to Coursera include edX, Udacity, and many others.
The service industry
If you don’t want to go to college and are still pondering what you should do next, then you should try the service industry which offers an easy in for those without a college degree. This includes food service, retail, customer service, and so forth. While they may not pay lucratively, service-industry jobs offer some of the most valuable career and life lessons out there as per guttulus.com.
Start your own company
We all know the story of Mark Zuckerberg who dropped out of Harvard to start Facebook, and the rest, as they say, is history. His story can be an inspiration for you if you have an idea and believe in it, then you can take the risk and work hard at it if you feel like college isn’t for you according to the gurus over at runrex.com.
Volunteer
Volunteering opens your eyes to your community and makes you more thoughtful and rounded as a human being. You can seek out volunteering projects in your area, from clean-ups to catering for the sick and needy. You can also offer to create a website for a local organization if you want to learn web design, among other such things. This will allow you to work with people and develop your skillset even as you volunteer.
Read books
While passive consumption like watching or listening wastes a lot of information, reading helps you dive deep, take notes, and rethink what you are reading as you can do it at your own pace as articulated over at guttulus.com. This is something you should consider doing if you don’t want to go to college. Look for and read books that interest you, and it will help you figure out what you want in life, not to mention the great power of self-education reading brings.
Start a business
While not everyone has a great idea like Mark Zuckerberg to enable you to start a company or startup, you can consider starting a business. This is because, according to runrex.com, being an entrepreneur will expose you to the real world and teach you how things work. You can start small and then take it from there.
Write a book
Other than reading books, you can also try writing them, since you don’t need an MA or BA in creative writing to become a writer as per the gurus over at guttulus.com. Everyone has stories to tell, and with the ease of self-publishing today, you don’t even need to worry about finding a publisher. If you are unsure about where to start, you can spend some time reading about writing and how to get started.
Become a content creator
In recent times, we have seen more and more people making a living out of creating content and publishing it online as revealed in discussions on the same over at runrex.com. They do so through ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and sponsored posts. You can choose to blog, create a subscription newsletter on Substack, start your own YouTube channel, build a TikTok empire, host an original podcast, become a Twitch streamer, and so forth.
Become an artist
If you are a creative person and don’t want to go to college, then you can put your talent to use to make money. Being an artist is not just limited to painting, sculpting, photography, or drawing, as you can use your talents in fields like graphic design, web design user experience (UX) design, among others.
These are just some of the options you should explore if you don’t want to go to college, with more on this topic to be found over at the highly-rated runrex.com and guttulus.com.