Graduate high school.

Get a college degree.

Guaranteed success?

Not exactly.

Attending college has become the socially demanded path and getting a college degree has become a goal in the chase to achieve happiness. The only problem with the ‘college = success’ equation is that an academic education is not the answer for everyone.

With young people making six-figures through Youtube and Instagram, the value of having a college degree is decreasing. People like Mark Zuckerberg and Lebron James, who both did not either finish or attend college are making way more than some of their peers who did. Of course, I’d hope you’re going to college if you are an aspiring doctor, lawyer or architect, but not all jobs require you to show a piece of paper that you are competent in your skills.

The numbers show that nearly 50% of students who start a bachelor’s degree never finish. And the average student loan debt for students in America is $30,000. As parents, is it right to push your kids down that path? For most people, is that kind of debt necessary to give their children a chance at the good life?

If you opt out of a college education, what are the alternatives?

Instead of the traditional college route, you can go to a trade school, go to community college, join the military, volunteer, enroll in a technical college, try an apprenticeship or fellowship, or even consider a gap year. Whatever steps you take after or during high school for your future, just be sure that you’re doing something you wont regret when you’re 36.