Stop making decisions based on what you think others expect you to do.
Don’t go to college just because that’s what everyone else does after high school and “it’s your only option.”
Don’t go into finance just because that’s what your dad does and it “just makes the most sense.”
Don’t buy the fancy car that doesn’t fit in your budget just because your friends have nice rides and you “want to fit in.”
Don’t do anything “just because…’
Have real reasons for the things that you do.
Break free
Listen, if you actually want to do any of the things I mentioned above, absolutely go for it. I won’t stop you. You’ll find that I’m all for people making their own decisions.
I just want you to know you have options. You don’t have to live your life on autopilot. You can break free from the mold.
Why go to college?
Let’s focus on the whole college thing.
For basically your entire life, you’re taught that to be successful, you have to go to college.
Here’s the problem with that: it insists that success is encapsulated by this: graduate high school, go to college, get a job in your major, and serve your time there until you can retire.
Now, this is only my opinion, but there’s a lot that’s wrong here.
First of all, you can go get a “real” job and be great at it without a college degree. I don’t even need to pull a source to prove this. I’ve done it myself, and so have hundreds of others who went through Praxis. On top of that, there’s plenty of people who have carved their path almost entirely by their own doing. It’s clearly an achievable goal.
So already, we’ve eliminated the need for college if your goal is getting a job.
So, why go?
For the social life.
This usually refers to the party lifestyle that the college experience typically offers. That can be done without college. I personally believe it’s one of the worst ways for a person to spend their time, but nonetheless, it can be done without enrolling at a college.
You could move to a college town, you could go to house parties, you could go to bars/clubs…you get the point.
If you can get a job without a degree and you can get the social experience without college, why go?
To be honest, unless your desired vocation legally requires that you hold a degree to practice it, I can’t see any reason why someone would go to college. Yet, so many high school graduates still elect to pursue a degree.
Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the absurd amount of debt that you’ll likely collect. That’s not something to overlook.
Make the decision for yourself. Take a look at all of your options. Don’t let the pressures of guidance counselors and academic institutions push you into their groupthink machines without at least seeing what else is out there.
But look, If you’re definition of success is the one we outlined at the beginning of this section, then go for it. As long as that’s what you really want to do.
Changing the perspective on success
We haven’t even considered the fact that success might actually mean something completely different for you than what the “system” offers you.
What if you wanted to travel? What if you wanted to live by the sea and spend your days on the water? What if you wanted to do something different than the mob? Wouldn’t your definition of success be different from what we presented earlier?
If you got a job waiting tables at a little bistro in a shore town, made enough to have a place to stay, and all your necessities (food, water, bathroom, clothes, etc.), you could enjoy your life by the sea. If that life was your goal, you’d be a success.
But if you graduated high school, went to college, got a degree, and by chance landed a desk job, then by your standards you haven’t achieved success.
What a shame.
Because of the pressures of academia and culture, you give up your dreams for the sake of fitting in.
You seriously don’t have to do that.
There’s almost always a choice
The ball is in your court.
When it comes to how you spend your time, build your career, and how you define success, it’s all up to you. Embrace that.
Make the choices that best suit your goals.
Signing off
When it comes down to it, the choices you make probably have a very low chance of impacting me. So, I’m a pretty neutral party when it comes to your life and decisions.
I really just want you to know that you have choices. The manufactured path is not mandatory, but most people won’t tell you that. So, I’m telling you.
I will leave you with this:
You have options. Find out what they are and figure out which one is the best way for you to reach success. Don’t conform to what everyone else is doing.
It’s up to you.
John Ciannello 