I Don’t Want to go to College, Now What?

In my experience as a teacher, I realize that there are many different types of people in this world.

I feel like through my students. I was able to meet these different types of people.

I had about 75 students each year; out of all these, I had maybe 15 who knew they were going to college.

They were on the path to getting a scholarship or already came to peace with the student loans they would have to pay.

At the same time, they were still not quite sure what they wanted to do and if it would make them successful or not.

Now, what about the other 60 kids in my class……well, yeah, they didn’t see themselves in college, had no desire to go, and felt that because of this teachers and counselors ignored them.

Here’s the thing, in school, every teacher would tell you that you had to go to college to be successful, but what they don’t tell you is that this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

It depends on the field you’re going into, which determines whether college is a choice that leads to a successful life or not.

If you're not going into Corporate America, becoming a Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher, Nurse, or any of those professions, you don’t need a college degree.

So, what do you need to be successful if the key to success is not going to college?

You need hard work, and you need a plan.

Most of the kids not going to college were some of the most hard-working, creative people I’ve ever met. Sure they were class clowns and got into trouble, but if you didn't think there was a place for you in the world, wouldn't you?

They just didn’t know all the options out there.

Fortunately, things are so different now, in school, they still push the narrative that you have to have a college degree to do any kind of valuable work, but I learned this is all a myth.

In fact, there are countless successful individuals doing things they didn't get a degree for, they will even tell you, that if they could do it all again they would not have gone.

So if traditional college is not for you, how do you prepare yourself to still be a successful individual?

Market a natural skill you possess, in other words, start a business. And no, you don't need a college degree to run a business, you will need education though, and college is not the only place to get it.

Also, you need a plan.

So let's get you started with these 3 things to think about if traditional college is not right for you at the moment.

Ask Yourself, “What am I good at?”

This question is so cliche, but you need to ask yourself, “What am I good at?”

You could ask your friends, your parents, or your teachers. They may see something in you that you didn’t see in yourself.

So many of us have talents that we didn’t know we had or didn’t realize could make us money.

Start writing down the things you're good at, no matter how ordinary you think they are.

Write down the crazy ideas you’ve ever had; you could be sitting on a business and don’t even know it.

Another thing to remember, the thing you love to do may not be the thing that’s going to generate income.

No worries, because the thing you’re good at will save the day. Just make sure you don’t confuse the two.

Save the thing you love as a side hustle and focus on what you’re good at to make your money.

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Plan to Act, Then Activate the Plan

Now that you've figured out what you’re good at, make a plan of action by learning as much as possible about that skill.

Where can you go to learn about the skill? Um, YouTube. Find one or two YouTubers who have succeeded in the skill you want to make a legit career. As reach out to people you know that are doing what you want to do.

You would be surprised at how much you can learn from the experience of others.

Remember, you don’t have to go to college to be successful, but you still need to get educated about your business venture.

Watch all of their videos from start to finish, and learn about their journey and the obstacles they faced.

Take notes in your journal of ideas. These are the things that will replace your college courses.

You are a hard worker, have a vision, and watch YouTube most of the time anyway.

Why not make YouTube work for you by using it to take lessons from real people who have done things in your field of interest?

Ok, so you know the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between; you can start to activate the plan by making the business legit.