No college necessary
The day I shocked a group of elementary kids with a truth bomb
It was a virtual author visit like any other, the only difference being that it was with an elementary school that prided themselves in setting their students on a track toward a college education.
I had read one of my picture books, talked about the writing process, and answered questions about my life as an author. We were just about out of time when the teacher said they had one more question. After explaining the school’s emphasis on higher education, she said, “So we want to know. Did you go to college, and if so, where did you go?”
I smiled and said what in hindsight seems like the most shocking thing possible: “I did not go to college.”
The students responded with a collective gasp.
They were faced with a paradox: a college education is essential (right?), but the woman in front of them became an author without one.
Their teacher and I both chuckled, and then I went on to explain that a college degree is a good thing, especially if you want to pursue certain careers, but that you don’t have to go to college to be an author.
I like telling this story because I think it’s funny. But I also think it’s an unfortunate indictment of our college-obsessed education system. Here was a group of kids that seemed to believe that college was an inevitability. That it wasn’t just a good option—it was the only option. To not go to college was to doom their futures. Of if not doom them, at least make them a lot less appealing.
Maybe I’m reading more into this incident than I should. Maybe the administrators and teachers and other adults in authority at that school and those like it are also sure to point out other options for learning beyond high school. Things like trade school, apprenticeships, certificate programs, and military service. Or even just…work?
But they probably wouldn’t want to encourage their students to be like me. I did very well in school, and all my teachers encouraged me to go to college. But I couldn’t be bothered. I had other plans.
I had a job in retail when I graduated high school. Then I got married. And when I was pregnant with my first child I quit my job to be a stay-at-home mom. Some of my teachers would have shaken their heads, lamenting the waste of my potential. But I didn’t waste it. I simply poured it into something more than what they thought was best for me. I was living my dream, not theirs.
While I was living one dream, I discovered another. And with a lot of hard work, the grace of God, and a hard working (non-college-educated) husband by my side, it came true. I’m living it. I’m a published author, and now illustrator! I’m still living my first dream too.
No college necessary.
I have nothing against college. I’ve considered going more than once, and both of my daughters have college degrees. But there are other paths to “success” and many other goals worth pursuing that don’t require a college education.
In some ways, things aren’t as simple today as they were for me and my husband when we were young. It can be harder for a high school graduate to reach their goals by just working like their parents and grandparents before them did. But one thing hasn’t changed: not everyone needs to go to college. We are doing students a disservice by not showing them all the possibilities before them.
Mari in the Margins, my middle grade novel in verse (another dream come true) is available through Bandersnatch Books!
I remember when a young woman in my life married her high school sweetheart, and they began working and having kids without pursuing college. Some of us were unsure if they were doing the right thing. Shouldn’t they get their degrees just to have them? Just in case??? Now, about five years later, they are happy and thriving. They have a rich spiritual life, a full family life. They are focusing on the things that matter most and we are all so happy for them. They have great jobs that provide very well for their growing family. Our fears were totally unfounded in this case.
I love this. My experience was in reverse. I was doing the job before I was educated. It was an interesting experience to pursue education after having the experience. How many people go to college and what they're actually doing in life has nothing to do with their degree? Let God lead you. He'll take care of the rest.