I just recently graduated from High School in June, and College starts on August 18th. Now my problem is im not sure if I should work for a year and take time off of school. Or start College right away? I'm not really sure what to do and I want to know what your opinions are. So any kind of help will be great, thanks.

Why don't we start like this.

YOU give US YOUR reasons for doing both. Give us what you feel and think about each option.

I'd kind of like to know what is making the decision difficult.

i'm still in high school, but every halfway successful person i know, says to go straight to college. the year off may not sound like much, but stuff could happen. what school do you plan on going to? i'd make sure you know everything bout the school that you can, and apply for admission as soon as possible. knock out college now, get it done with.

go to college boy.

don't be stupid like me.

What type of a college were you accepted to?


Whatever you do, don't get into a rut where you are working at MCDonalds until you are 29. Even if you don't go to college, you MUST get a certified skill of some kind. If you've been accepted to a good college, go for that degree... but, if you don't feel that college is right for you, you MUST learn a trade or skill that involves being certified in some way or another (by a union, association, government, etc.). Remember, if you don't have a college degree or a certified trade card/license of some sort, you are what employers call "unskilled labor"... and your salary/wages will reflect that.

If you think you can successfully take a year off, do it. I wish I had. I just got done with my first year, and didnt do to well so now I am going to community college.

And hence the reasoning for the initial questions.

It is not always black and white. The correct answer is going to come from him, but he seems to be asking us to help HIM decide. I think that is doable...us assisting him, but I don't think we need to be telling him one way is absolutely right or wrong.

It was five years in between my high school graduation and starting college. I ended up divorced and a single mom...it doesn't get much harder than that. There is no decision that can prevent a person who truly wants to go to college from going...except the decision to give up on the dream. You can darned sure make it more difficult, but not impossible.

I personally feel I did so well in college because when I got there I

1.) appreciated it for the wonderful opportunity it really is (versus the younger people who were there to party), and

2.) committed myself to doing and learning all I could (versus the younger people who were there to party).

I started my freshman year with Merit Scholars who ended up at the end of the second semester treading water, on their last SOS...so, how you can say which decision is best without information on why this is appearing to be a difficult choice for him?

Go to school. College is a lot of fun. I envy you. I fear that if you take one year off, that one year will turn into two, then five, then you will never go to school.

um...did you get into a college? usually decisions like this are made rather long before now. I mean, when I applied to colleges I sent my applications out around Halloween and recieved word back from most of them before Christmas.

Well it's a little community college down here that I applied for just yesterday. All I got to do now is go take the assessment tests to see where I will be placed. But classes begin on August 18 and i'm honestly not ready yet. I'm not really sure what I want to do as my career, and I think that taking a year off and working around different places, I can see what I enjoy. I like computers, and want to build them and become a Computer Engineer, but I'm really not fully sure yet. But i WILL go back if I take a year off, I won't get lazy and not return. I just don't really feel ready yet, like it came too quick. I don't know what to do.....

Well, first of all, you don't HAVE to know what you are going to be to start college. There are a lot of "basics" that must be taken regardless of your final major. So take that into account.

Second, you can also investigate different careers through testing (usually computer-based - most libraries at colleges have these type of computer aptitude tests). If you take one of these it will ultimately result in a list of potential careers your thought-processes, likes, hobbies, interests point you toward. You then take that list and start researching the careers on it. And you don't have to hurry, because you're going to have an entire semester (and maybe more) of nothing but "unclassified basics".

As for it coming too soon...you have to decide if the potential knowledge that you think you MIGHT get from holding out a semester or two and (what??? hanging out at workplaces???) is greater than the potential risk you will take at something happening (i.e. debt, relationship, baby, etc.) that could make going to school VERY, VERY difficult.

[Edited on 9-7-2003 by Valhall]

Hmm, well Thank You all for the great advice.....

I hate to sound like an old geezer against fun, but Freddie is very right. Also, you'll lose some of your study habits in a year, not to mention a little drive.

what do you plan to do in that year though? If you're going to work at any 'ol job for that year and 'think' about things you're probably wasting your time. If you have an internship, or something meaningful like that, than that year might be well spent. Also, if it's a community college you're probably not going to have to commit to anything career-wise right now anyway. To start, you'll probably be taking basic prerequisites. In other words, you don't have to pick your future now and any time spent in school will surely not be wasted: Do yourself a favor and go to school.