How do you put a price tag on an education? Well, to most colleges, pretty easily. The average graduating senior in the class of 2010 left college with $24,000 worth of debt in student loans, and the rate has only increased. Most won’t pay this off for years and leads to their careers being wrapped around trying to shake themselves free of the debt. Why? The idea of education doesn’t sound like one that would be a hassle, yet it has become a struggle for many young adults. The system has become estranged and it has students believing that without a degree, they won’t be able to find jobs. But this isn’t necessarily the case.

Education does not come from establishment alone. The world outside of school is rich with valuable life experience which many benefit from. And yes, many jobs do prefer to see a little slip of paper that says “I’m educated” when overlooking a resume. But a compelling argument from the applicant holds more power than one slip of paper.

I’m not saying college isn’t for everyone. Many people gain a great experience from it. However, I am saying that it’s natural for you to have doubts if college is right for you. Education doesn’t necessarily come from establishment; you can find education from endless other options.

See the world. There’s nothing wrong with putting your career and adulthood on hold to live your youth to a fuller extent. You’d be surprised what good some travel can do for someone. You’ve probably had a dream location you’ve always wanted to visit. Well, now’s your chance to live your dream and get away. Getting lost isn’t always bad; in fact, you might just find yourself.

Take a breath. By the time you graduate, you had just been in school for TWELVE years. There’s a lot of pressure and stress probably built up in you and nobody should judge you for wanting to relax. A year off is nothing to be ashamed of. Think of it as a way for to collect yourself so that you’re sure you know what you wanna do. You can work some extra hours, hangout freely, and let your mind work out the future.

Enjoy The Little Things. There are a lot of things in life that we miss. We’re often too in sync with the clock to look around once in awhile. The education system we are in somewhat supports this seeing as many students are constantly rushed by assignment after assignment. Maybe if we weren’t so tasked with deciding our future career in a haste, we could take the time to explore the several options that have been in front of us the entire time.

At the end of this article and you feel solidified in your choice, if you still want to go ahead and head to college for a degree then by all means go for it. The purpose of this article was to help people understand that they can break from the mould and everything will be fine. Feel free to go ‘outside of the box’ and know that the importance of a college degree depends on how important you make it out to be.