The Pressure to Attend College & Education Alternatives

In the midst of October, most seniors at MBHS have found themselves overwhelmed with quite a bit; new coursework, grueling SAT prep, and of course, the most daunting of them all, college applications. 

The majority of 12th graders will tell you that their evenings after school are no longer spent as freely as they once were, as they now spend their nights conjuring up personal essays, researching majors, and calculating tuition fees.

College seems to be “the thing” to talk about, with the majority of students set on attending a 4-year university come next fall. However, not all MBHS students plan on pursuing such an education path, a fact that often goes unnoticed. 

A good portion of students are set on attending Cuesta Community College come next year, an option that is almost entirely without cost for local students. Senior Logan Kusko has had this option in mind for a while, planning on transferring to a 4-year after getting her general education. 

“Cuesta is a wonderful opportunity,” said Kusko, “you get a degree free of charge and it’s local, so you get to still get to experience all the places you loved growing up. Though, I feel teachers always did push the Cuesta option on me  from a young age, as they often spoke about what an amazing program it was and how ‘blessed’ we were to have it.” 

Trade school, a form of schooling that provides specific education for particular careers, most often blue-collar work, is an option that several MBHS students are sitting on as well.

 Senior Davis Penney, who is taking the alternative of trade school into consideration, with plans of becoming a millwright, spoke about the increased push to attend typical college as opposed to a trade school. 

“I think that there’s a lot of pressure to go to college because it’s seen as like the you know like the normal path,” said Penney, “but, trades are just essential, trades are like, real hands-on skills and they offer stable jobs and careers that will last you for a lifetime.”

Junior Ysa Garza, though 2 years away from graduating, already has plans to attend a trade school, specifically a cosmetology school, with the intention of becoming a hair dresser. 

“Having curly hair, I want to learn how to style that specific hair type, to help other little girls with curly hair so they don’t have to go to a hair stylist who only specializes in straight hair, like I had to do,” said Garza, “Cosmetology school allows you to have a sort of direct access to the career you want, in a way college doesn’t.”

Senior Rowan Basch intends on joining the work force right after high school, but not through trade school. Instead Basch plans on seeking an apprenticeship and becoming an electrician. 

“I just [want] to start working as soon as I can, as fast as possible,” said Basch, when asked about this alternative career route, “Everyone just kinda assumed I was going to a 4-year, this option was something that I had to seek on my own, but it’s a good one, it’s the one I’m doing.”

In speaking to students regarding their post-graduation plans, one thing was ultimately clear; no career or education route is a lesser route, simply a different route. The plan a young individual chooses to follow post-graduation doesn’t automatically determine their success, their work-ethic and passion does so.