“Life is about choices,” my grandpa said. He told me that all the time. Every letter, card, phone call or talk included that one piece of wisdom. Even from a young age, it made complete sense to me. My life from that very moment was up to me.

Every day we’re faced with choices. As students, we choose to work hard, we choose who to surround ourselves with, and we choose what matters on our road to success. But, can we choose to not choose?

See, we have this idea planted in our minds from those before us. You go to school, graduate, go to college, graduate again, work a job from your field, get married, have kids and so forth. But times are changing and so are we as a people. People are dropping out to pursue other goals not related to school, having kids before marriage, and even going off the grid completely.

We’re told all the time how school is what’s most important. How a degree is the golden ticket to life. But what’s a degree worth if you’re going to be miserable for all the years to come?  

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 69.2 percent of the 2015 high school graduates were enrolled in college or universities in October 2015. For those who are bad with math, that means that 30.8 percent were not.

That could be for reasons such as they could not afford it, or responsibilities prevented them from jumping right in or even that they simply did not want to go. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing. Society has made you think that without a degree you’re not doing your share towards being a productive member of society. If you want to skip college, travel and go on mission trips, is that not productive? Just because it’s not the ideal way to benefit your homeland, doesn’t mean you’re not doing some good elsewhere. For those who judge the ones who skip or postpone college, you’re not seeing it for what it really is. Not going to college doesn’t mean that person is lazy, unfortunate or stupid. They just view what’s best for them in a different light.

The current average life expectancy is only 78.74 years. If you’re a senior, you’ve almost used nearly a fourth of that time. Life truly is short; why waste any more time on things you’re not passionate about? Going or not going to college does not define who you are. Everyone needs a mental break sometime, so take it. Go to another state, country or continent. Trigonometry and biology are not the only way to learn. Explore the world and learn about different cultures, animals and landscapes.

I know some people will not agree with this way of doing things, because only you know what’s best for yourself. I’m not advocating skipping out on college but, before you begin to second guess yourself ask yourself this: would you rather read about the world or see it for yourself? And, remind yourself that “life is about choices.” So, choose what’ll make you happy in the long run.