Dear people of education,

Through spending the last few years of my time after graduating high school, and
spending my days working away at getting good grades in classes I don't necessarily
like; I pondered. Do I really need to get a degree? More often than not today we see the
rise of self proclaimed entrepreneurs and business makers. People making travel their
work and not necessarily having a degree, let alone a high school diploma. So while I'm
spending my time on homework I look to my future. Will my job give me a raise after I
get this degree? Do I want to further continue my studies and get a bachelors? Maybe
even a masters? What jobs require schooling? Which don't? Furthermore what will my
degree do for me?

I guess I should start with an example, and what better to explain than with a
personal one. I recently graduated from high school back in 2018 and for the past 3
years I've been going to school for an associates degree in Graphic Communications to
better myself in all things art. I'm in my last semester and honestly, I don't know what to
do next. Art has been my passion but the more I look into possible jobs with an art
degree, the less I see it's required. Of course a degree is part of the job application but
what's more important to them is a great portfolio. I've been drawing and building a
large portfolio myself years before entering college and wonder if a small slip of paper
really proves my worth to them? But as I go to school and take what seem like
neverending classes, I don't see how this degree is helping me. I don't need it. I've
taught myself most, if not all of the subjects the art classes I've taken. I'm spending my
parents gracious money on classes I don't even know will help me in my future.

Personally I believe I went to college because school is all I've known. We've
been going to school for around 14 years and once we reach the perfect age of 16,
college has become the main topic for the remaining time of our high school education.
We have to study hard for the ACT/SAT test to get scores based on how well we can
take a test and are thrown pamphlet after pamphlet for different colleges we should go
too. They show us college like it's the next best thing in our lives, it's what we have to do
next or that it's the only option after you graduate. But truly, why is this what's next?
 The more I think about why I need to go to school I wonder why I just didn’t go in
the first place. Maybe I was scared of what would happen to me if I didn’t go. Would I
not be able to get a job I’d like without a degree? The future is scary, and looking ahead
there are a lot of unknowns. But when I think about what I want my future to be, I don’t
see school being a part of it anymore. I’m glad I get to have this choice and decide for
myself if I want to continue after all. Who knows if I'll regret it later in life, that's future
me’s problem.

Sincerely, your friend

Ashley