College

Getting ready is about preparing for your future.

Students choose to attend a 4-year college because they want the campus experience, four years of classes, the name brand, access to a large network, the social experiences, and to pursue professional options/graduate programs, etc. This is a great option.

Some students may choose to attend 3-year college programs either in the US (there are a few) or abroad. These students save a full year's worth of tuition, may or may not want some of the options listed above, but usually hope to pursue more classes within majors, and if attending abroad, experience another culture while building a global network. This is also a great option.

Some students are not interested in the traditional route at all. Some may want to attend programs that require building a skill or mastering a skill they already possess: coding, entrepreneurship, painting, golf, film, design, photography, graphic arts, graphic facilitation, etc. If a skill is demonstrable, meaning one can instantly assess/judge the quality of the product or work, and you are gifted in a particular area, there may not be a need to pursue the traditional route. Our country needs young people with these skills.

Some may not have the money to pursue a typical college education, but that doesn't mean you cannot receive a quality education or build your own skill set. Education comes from many sources: online, on-site, apprenticeships, books, or programs which range in cost from free to a few thousand dollars, etc. Everyone has options.

Some would rather travel the world and experience all the globe has to offer before settling down into a job or school. There is nothing wrong with that.

There are many ways to land where you want to versus where you are forced to, but you have to understand how to get there and how to make the most of it.