Leading into your junior and senior years here at Oakdale, teachers, guidance counselors and especially colleges become more interested in one’s academic worth. In reality, it might depend on what to do after one graduates. Putting themselves in huge amounts of debt to get a degree in subjects someone could have learned in high school might not be the right option.

Here at Oakdale and many other schools in the county, there are a wide range of classes to suit many interests. A student can even take classes where college credits can be earned. If high schools would continue to move up into a more professional and job like mindset, like many colleges do, and give real world experience, there would be no need to attend college.

While it may be more useful to go somewhere and find something to specifically major in, it doesn’t end up going very well with putting themselves in huge amount of debt for a degree, where you could do the same amount of work if they were taught how to in the first place.

Freshman Adan Boldry thought it would be more useful to go to college after high school.

“I think I would want to get experience before going to work,” Boldry explained.

Senior Clay Cloggins agreed with him: “I would want to go into college and major in something I know I like, before moving into work.”

While many other high school students would agree, there is a lot one could do without the help of a college education and still have the knowledge and skills to work, without large amounts of debt, being stressed, and still in school for another two to ten years. Getting a stable job right away is possible with the right amount of effort and could help save money for the future.

Sometimes it would be much easier to jump right into the work than to spend another few years of your life relearning things that could have already been taught. Next time college letters arrive in the mail, and applying is a possibility, think how it might impact you and the way you think!