This is the second video of the college series that I’m doing. If you haven’t watched the first video, all about how you can start college the right way and how you can support your kids as a parent. Please go ahead and watch it now.
This video is going to be all about the different choices you can make after high school. Do you not go to college at all? Do you start at community college, or do you go to a four-year college? I’m going to go ahead and delve into each of those choices and give you my thoughts about which one I prefer.
Anything you do is work, and that’s something I keep telling my kids. Just because you don’t go to school or go to school, you’re going to have to put in the work for people to recognize you, respect you, and trust you enough to work with you.
Not Going to College
The first choice is not going to college at all. If you don’t have an interest in going to a two-year or four-year college, and you just want to go ahead and start working right away, there are different things you can do. You can start your own business. Many of us see these like stories where someone puts a video on Tik TOK, YouTube, or wherever else. And they instantly became famous, but that doesn’t usually happen. You have to put in the work. And I, believe me, those people are also putting in the work in the background. You have to really think about that because there will be days you’ll probably work 50 plus hours a week to get this business going. The other option is you can become an apprentice for someone’s, and this is especially true. If you want to become an electrician, a plumber, HVAC technician, usually there’s an apprenticeship that you have to do and a certification. And I’m telling you, I say to my kids this all the time. If I could start my life again, I probably would have learned how to remodel and do things around the house because, man, those people make good money. But, again, it’s a lot of work as anything. Still, it’s great to be an apprentice for someone who learns the ropes and gets the certifications needed. Then you either can continue working for a company that you really liked, or you can go off and venture off on your own.
Yes, you can make money. You can become an apprentice for someone. You can start at the bottom of a company, or you can start your own business. It’s not something that you have to think that to be, you have to go to college. I tell my kids this all the time. It might be a little more complicated in some ways, but you reap the rewards. So one option you can take is not going to college and just starting your career right off the bat.
Going to Community College for Two-Year Degree or Transferring to a Four-Year College
The second option, which is what my kids are doing, is starting off at a community college. And then, from there, you can either do a two-year program and start your career. After that, we were looking at like vet tech because my daughter really loves animals. You can go into something like a Vet Tech program or a Nursing Program.
You can get an Associate’s degree in something you love it. There are many other jobs you can get after doing a two-year program at a community college. The other thing you can do is start off at community college and then transfer. One great thing about community colleges is that many partner up with four-year colleges around the area. And so you can start at community college and then have a pathway to that college. They even show you online the way like if you, when you transfer how your, what courses to take to transfer without losing too many credits because that is a waste of money. So I think that community college is excellent. The pros are you save tons of money instead of going to a four-year college and spending money on the classes, the dorms, the food meals, and all that other stuff that goes along with that. Also, you save all that money when you go and just do the two years, which are usually the general classes you have to take.
Community college is a great option, especially if you have a good community college around where you live. The only con is that there’s still a stigma.
If you say, you go to community college, people kind of look down on that. But I have noticed that now that people realize that you don’t have to go to college to be successful, that is changing, but it is still there. So that is something that if you don’t care like I don’t. And my kids don’t. But I am letting you know, and just putting it out there, that there is a stigma out there still. I’m going to tell you that it won’t matter in the long run when you leave college. You start your career initially, maybe the first one or two years; they do focus on what college you went to, what GPA you got, and all that kind of stuff. After that, no one cares. I don’t even think anyone cares what college you went to. As long as you got your four-year degree and show that you’re willing to learn, you are a team player and a go-getter; in the long run, people don’t care what college you went to. So I think that if you want to go to college, community college is probably the best choice.
Four-Year College or University
Lastly, there is a four-year college now a four-year college. The great thing about a four-year college is you get to have that college experience. Believe me, that is something that you’ll share: you’ll usually be friends with those people you meet in college for life. I know that happened to me, my nephew, and other people in my family.
They made great friends in college. So that is one thing about starting that four-year college is that college experience that you’ll never forget. And it’s something that if you do community college, you won’t get that experience, because again, you won’t be living in a dorm. You’re more, uh, just commuting there and commuting back. So it’s not the same experience as a four-year college. And that is one thing that is great about a four-year college. So if you want to have the college experience, then definitely go to a four-year college right away. But again, it’s not something that has to be done, but if you don’t do it that way, you might miss out on that college experience. And the other thing, too, is that many colleges require freshmen to live on campus ambitious. And that is a nice experience.
It also helps with your independence in a way, because then you’re not living with your parents and you’re making your own decisions. And so that is great about going to a four-year college. So those are my thoughts on not going to college community college or four-year college. My thoughts are, if you are someone who’s a go-getter and you want to go for it, then don’t go to college, start your own business, or do an apprenticeship again. If I could start my life again, I would have learned how to renovate houses and have my own contracting business. It doesn’t just have to do with things around the house. You’re into fashion. You can be an apprentice in the fashion industry. You can also be an apprentice for an interior designer, a realtor, any type of job.
You can be an apprentice. I love Gary Vee, and in a podcast, I think I heard it last week. He was talking about that. Message people on a social media platform, and be genuine when you reach out to them. Believe me, you will find someone who will give you a chance. Suppose you really want to go to college or go into a career where you have to go to college, like in the medical profession. In that case, I recommend going to a community college. If you can. I took a couple of classes at the community college around here. Oh my God, I loved it. That is an option for you. You have that there. But if you are someone who really cherishes connections once to just have that college experience, then do the four-year college. But that is just how I feel about it. You decide what makes sense for you again. It’s your life. And as well as the fact that you are young. So if you do make a mistake, this is the best time to do it before you become 40 or older. Then you have a family, and you have other responsibilities. You can’t make those choices that you can when you’re younger. So let me know your thoughts. Did you go to college? Did you go to community college first, or did you go to a four-year college? What did you think? I would love to know, so connect with me on one of the social media platforms listed on this site.
