Have you ever thought about your future education? What comes next after high school? What colleges you might want to go to or if you even want to go to college at all? I feel like every teenager asks themselves these questions over and over again and never receives a clear answer. Usually, people choose to go to college or get a job after high school. College is an educational institution that has always been something I felt I had to attend. My family always acknowledges how I am going to go, even when I do not know what I want to do. To me, college is an education to further your career path and have an opportunity to succeed, but it does not benefit everyone. College is not for everyone and is not necessary for every job.
I still do not know what I want to do in a couple years. I am really interested in being an interior designer which does not require a college degree. To become an interior designer, all I have to do is pass the National Council for Interior Design qualification exam. I am also interested in becoming a realtor which also does not require a college degree. To become a realtor I have to pass a licensing exam.
With college, comes partying, dorm rooms, and living by yourself, but it is also a lot of work to be able to stay there. The curriculum in college is very different compared to high school and is harder than any other grade. College is also a lot of responsibility, because you have a choice if you want to show up to class or not. You do not have any parental guidance at hand to make you do anything anymore. The one thing about college I would want is the experience. I want to know what it is like to be in college and to at least say that I have been through that. I would also like to meet different people. Also, according to Inc.com, as a college graduate, the average salary is 65% higher than high school salary.This is a huge difference but is not true for every job.
My dad was in the military, which means he qualifies for the G.I. bill which allows me to have access to educational benefits that help veterans and their families. This means, the G.I. bill will cover my tuition and help with some other costs as well. The downside to this is only being allowed to go to a public school and trying to stay in-state. I can go out of state and to a private school, but the G.I. bill will not cover the extra costs or the full tuition, like it would if I stayed in-state and attended a public school. There are only a couple of public schools in California that offer interior design degrees including, California State University, Long Beach, and Sacramento State. Some colleges I would prefer to attend that are dedicated to that major, are FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), Interior Designers Institute, or the Academy of Art. Another option, would be going to a community college first, to save up money and then going to one of the schools listed above. Community college would also allow me to figure out exactly what I am interested in doing.
Overall, I do not know what I want to do with my future yet and I might not know for awhile. I hope that when I do figure it out, that it is solely based on what I am passionate about, not something I dread because school can be very stressful with the workload and grades.
