College?

[martyj]

Hey guys. I'm kind of caught in an education-based dilemma and thought I could use others' opinions on this factor.

What are the pros and cons of taking a year off to work before moving off to college? 'Cause I'm planning on doing so but family matters make it difficult to declare this. And is it really common for many to take a year off before college? Among my friends it is, but I'm not sure so everywhere else.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[SilverRRCloud]

Basically, working b4 college always looks good on a resume. The more challeging and demading the better. Working abroad and learning a foreign language sounds like another excellent idea...

The only drawback, I could thin of at the moment would be that you may get entangled in a web of a sort and not really hit the college after all. This might not be bad in itself, but it usually spells bad news anyway.

Spill out some more details or pvt for more on the subject.

SC

 

[Pringle]

Yeah SilverRRCloud has pretty much hit the nail on the head. It is a fab idea - would give a brilliant insight into the "real" world but the biggest issue would be to motivate yourself to get back into the studying regime.

Not sure I could have kept going if I had stepped away from it for a year.

 

[Orlandude]

I agree with the others. I took TWO years off to work before college and it was really hard to stop that and hit the books because I became used to making some very decent money. That's what happens a lot. You work and make money and then you buy a car or something else and then you can't afford to stop working and go back to school. A lot of people fall in that trap. Yes, it's true that there are many millionaires out there that never stepped foot on a college campus but they are very few and far between. And lucky.

If you can make a pact with yourself that, come hell or high water, you are going to school in a year, then do it. You MUST get that education. That is more important than anything. After that is done, do whatever floats your boat.

 

[thermodynamics]

I don't recommend it. There's too much temptation to never go back. And it's really not that common either.

If it means you need to take out a bunch of loans to pay for college, do it. It's "good debt".

It's also possible to hold a part-time job while in college to pay a few bills/have spending money. And you can probably find work in a field related to the one you want to study, so that's really what I'd recommend.

 

[Croynan]

I agree with the temptation to not go back to school...but if your truely devoted and already know exactly what it is that you want to be when you grow up, then it should be no problem.

I dont know how you are socially, but I have come to realize that the drop out rate of freshman is on the rise. Too many teens are going to college right after high school and not really being mature enough to handle the pressures and responsibility. They go out and party and cant focus on their school work. You may think this isnt going to happen to you and it might not, but chances are good. I have seen a lot of nerdy geeky people get corrupted during their freshman year.

I have come to realize that those who wait a little bit after high school, work for a year or 2 and live at home, are able to handle college alot better because they become more responsible and more driven. They are usually about 20 when they transfer, which doesnt seem that different from 18, but it really is. HOWEVER, if you dont go to college right out of high school, then your going to have to transfer. Which means, you must get your AA at a community college before applying to a college. So while your working, your probably going to have to take night classes.

...this is coming from somebody who experienced both situations. I went to college right out of high school and it didnt work out. I wasnt able to focus. So now i am back home taking community college classes and only have 1 semester left. Then im off to college again, and this time i am more than ready.

What a really honest and fine posting you have made here. So many of the issues you have brought up and are so important in trying trying to make a decision as important as this one. I think you have given a very balanced view of the various pluses and minuses in try to make the decision being discussed.



What a sensible and meaningful posting. Well Done.

​

eM

 

[luminum]

I would say the one draw back is that it's very possible that you'll keep putting of enrolling in college and you'll fall out of the practice and methods necessary int he current education system.

I sort of wished I had taken a year off to do some world exploring or something, but either way, I feel like I have the rest of my life to work and college is really just high school + 1 in terms of difficulty (to me anyway). I figure most seniors party a lot anyway so the difference isn't too severe. All the kids I go to school with still know how to hunker down and get their work done when they need to.

But if you've done a job before college, I don't think you have much to gainf rom taking a year off, and you can do a college job during your school year (which is what many college kids do anyway).

So I would go to college after highschool isntead of taking time off, unless the job is an exceptional one that can offer an experience of a lifetime unreplicated by anything else (like an offer to go to the jungle and collect specimens on a groundbreaking research project...which can actually come up at college anyway...).

 

[belamy]

I did.
Well, I did after a first year at college (university, I´m a damn Spaniard, remember?) before having my second first year in a second career choice.
But, about what hard-candy said, in some career choices the hard work is not the schoolwrok you have to do but the one they should have done, make you do and the one you must develop yourself.
Oh well, I guess that doesn´t make sense for those who just learn the techniques necessary for the job of their choice, and even less for those who believe they don´t really have anything to learn, let alone develop.

 

[backpacker]

Everyone above has very valid points. In general I don't advise taking a year off as I have known too many people who never ended up going. Those who do start after some time off do tend to do better than those we go straight from high school, but I think that is because many of the people have already weeded themselves out. If X% of people who wait start within one to two years of high school, I bet they don't do as well as the top X% that go straight to college.

I really think it comes down to a personal decision. If you are the party type, you may need to get some of that out of your system first. If you think you are just tired of school and want a break, the low paying job you are likely to get will be even more tiring than school.

My friends who didn't go to college definitely regret it. I have heard them tell their kids many times that they need to get good grades so that they can go to college and not have to work crappy jobs like them. One of them even has a very good paying factory job, but he hates it. He can retire at age 55, which is many years away and he can tell you how many years, months and days it is until retirement.

There is also an option to do both. Work part-time and go to school part-time. Good luck!

 

[martyj]

I'm definitely intent on getting back to college within several months. Actually, I've been held back a couple of months by my school due to credit requirements and I needed to take an extra few courses and finish them up quick, but by the time I finished them up, it was about late November/early December, and I didn't want to start straight from the second semester. That, and the added pressure of SATs (I didn't do so well the last time) and finding great colleges (my parents want me in an at least semi-prestigious one, and they're mostly paying). I'm not intent on being a CEO or vice president of a company or something one day, anyway. I'm not a party person either, definitely not! I'm more of a reserved homebody moreso than anything.

So the money I'd earn is pretty good in a job I'm considering, and only for six months really to earn a bit to pay for my living, or save up for the future. My personal feeling is that I feel I'm being rushed with everything (SATs, finding colleges, applications) and most of the app. deadlines are within a couple of weeks, and I never make good decisions when rushed, I just tend to be somewhat impulsive there. And I didn't want to spent the next few months doing nothing, so I'd take a job because doing something everyday will help me get my frame of mind functioning well, knowing I can be productive day to day and be industrious. That way, when I get into college next Fall season, I'll be well rested and prepared mentally. Besides, I'll be studying for and taking SATs in between, which I'm sure is good with all the high school coursework out of the way. So I personally think it will be good for me, my only concern was the fact that I KNOW my family isn't going to respond favoribly.

But thank you for your responses, I'm considering each one.

 

[drhladnjak]

HOWEVER, if you dont go to college right out of high school, then your going to have to transfer. Which means, you must get your AA at a community college before applying to a college. So while your working, your probably going to have to take night classes.

This is simply not true. You can apply to be an incoming Freshmen at pretty much any college even if you've been out of high school for years. There's nothing requiring you go to community college if you don't get into a 4-year school straight out of high school. It just tends to work that way most commonly because a lot of people ease back into schoolwork with the greater flexibility most CCs offer (more evening classes, take as many or few classes as you want each semester, low price, etc).

Another option that's worth considering for the original poster is to apply now and ask for a deferral. A lot of colleges will admit you then hold your space for a year. It's a lot less risky because you're more likely to return to school when you have a specific opportunity waiting for you at a specific time.

 

[cocktales]

Going to college costs so much and each year the cost goes up more and more....

Do you have any scholarships that you would lose?

How can we get you to "lock-in" that you will promise to go back to school at the end of this year.........sign in blood?? lol

Seriously, I have seen too many young people who at the end of the time allocated to stay out of school ended, they had so many excuses that they NEVER-EVER went back for their education!

You know, you will lose that edge you've got on study techniques, being young and being able to retain information without too much trouble, etc....

I don't see what the BIG thing is about the ONE year hold-out on getting that education!

Are you that burned out that one year would make a world's difference?

If you are certain #1, that you will ""Definitely"" go back to college after one year and #2, that you don't come up with more excuses after that one year is up...

Now.....'splain to us WHY please.........WHY do you have to stay out of school for one year?

 

[luminum]

Yeah, I would agree that scholarships are the deal breaker for me. Since most scholarships are offered to high school seniors, I think it'd be a financial motivation to go directly to University.

 

[martyj]

Well, those were the reasons why I had to stay out of school one year. I figure a delay is better than making the wrong choice just to rush and meet a certain deadline.

 

[BrandonSBCA]

Oh I'm not sure of how your college works, but the college I go to, if you take more than a year off you have to retake a lot of the classes that you already took over again because of something that has to do with the policy. But I'm sure you don't have this type of thing going on at your college.

It's better to take a year off college, and get a job.

 

[_AJ_]

it depends how mature you are for me i wish i had of taken some time off before i did my degree its just crazy if you still have things to deal with or wont take it seriously yet then take some time off

if not then you should do it sooner

but if you have any issues that could bring you down deal with them before you go rather than later

 

[Jeimuzu]

Hey guys. I'm kind of caught in an education-based dilemma and thought I could use others' opinions on this factor.

What are the pros and cons of taking a year off to work before moving off to college? 'Cause I'm planning on doing so but family matters make it difficult to declare this. And is it really common for many to take a year off before college? Among my friends it is, but I'm not sure so everywhere else.

Thanks for all your help!

My best mate at uni is in his first year, like me, and is 25. It's working out very well for him.