Why I don't want to Go to college (yet)

I’ll be turning 18 soon. I am so excited and scared and sad and happy... My life has gone by so fast. I will no longer be a kid. I’ll have responsibility and expectation resting on my shoulders. It’s been awhile since I’ve written or told anyone the answer I get asked most often: “What are you going to be?” It comes in other forms, too: “What will your major be? What college are you going to?”
In reply I usually answer “Uhhhh…I have no idea.”
Disappointed, they probe, “Well, what are you interested in?” 
“Nothing.” I say “And Everything.”
“If you have so many interests why don’t you just pick one.” they say, “Make sure to pick one that makes lots of money, too”
Usually I’ll nod and thank them for their advice and they’ll walk away, feeling proud to have helped me make one of the most important decisions of my life. 

But they don’t understand, I don’t want a career!

So many people in my generation have this problem.We just don't know what that one thing is that we want to spend the rest of our life doing. Even as a kid, I remember being asked what I want to be when I grew up and I would start to list off all the possible career options that I was interested in. Fireman and dancer and racecar driver and writer and... But it was never or  for me, it was always and  because the world had always told me that I could be whatever I wanted and I wanted to be all of those things. Once I got older the world was suddenly telling me to pick one that would excite me and I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. But I never found one. I thought something was wrong with me when I would search and search for a new career idea but nothing came up. I thought, "maybe I’m afraid of success or commitment."

But that was never my problem. I’m not afraid of commitment, I’m simply turned off by containment. The thought of putting all my time, effort, and money into ONE thing, forever, bores me. I find it quite stupid that adults tell us teenagers not to get tattoos or piercings because we’ll  ‘regret them later on’  but then they turn around and expect us to choose what our life focus will be for the rest of our lives at such a young age. That’s not for me, I refuse to choose just because I’m expected to. So I set out to compile a list, not of options to do for my life, but in my life. A list of ands, not ors. Here are just a few:

Backpack Europe/ Travel- a lot!
Tutor
Volunteer/ do Missions work
Work for a tiny house business
Writer
Barista
Artist/ Graphic Designer
Fashion Designer
Street Musician
Taxi/Uber driver
Blogger
Farm Laborer
Yogi
National Park Ranger
English Teacher Abroad


You see, these jobs are not really careers, (not for me anyway) they’re just fun ways to fill my time and making money, too. I could see myself being completely happy working as a waitress or barista, doing many hobbies, simply hanging out with friends, and traveling. That seems much more fulfilling to me than any single career. And the fact that I could hop from one to another without making a huge life changing decision is liberating. This gives me the opportunity to focus on other areas of my life, striving for a more balanced existence, spending more time with God, family, friends, and myself rather than stressing over my next career steps, and paying off student loans. People center their entire existence around their job. I am a lawyer, I am a writer, I am a doctor. I want to say that I am happy and I am me, regardless of my occupation! 

By now, you’re probably saying “Hestar, that’s fine that you don’t want to focus your life on a job, but what about money? None of those things pay well. What about buying a house or a car or retirement?” Jesus, Gandhi, Buddha, Mother Teresa all lived peaceful, simple lives with little to no money. They simply existed in service of others, focusing on the moment and turning to the kindness of others whom they attracted. Simply put: I don’t care about money right now. I trust that when I do service for the world, the world will do service for me by providing for, at the very least, my basic needs. What you put out is what you get in. We all believe this to a point: “If I work harder, I will get a bigger paycheck.” And maybe there will be a day when I desperately want a big house and a nice car and that will be motivation enough to settle down and start my career (and make an explosive impact on the world when I do!) But for now, that’s not the life I choose to live. 

So, what am I going to do next? Is college out of the picture? No, college is a great place where you can learn many things. But living in the world of information, anything I could learn at college, is at my fingertips- online, through libraries, teachers, mentors- all for half the price or less of a college tuition. This means that if I were to go to college, it would be in order to earn a diploma. I have no need for a diploma right now, that's geared more toward specialists (reference to Ted Talk below),  but maybe one day I will find that one special thing that I can invest myself into and change the world with, but for now, I rather not waste tens of thousands of dollars and years of time for an unfulfilling life, one in which society has dreamt up for me and one in which I’m expected to live. So, the first goal of my life is to travel! I might stay put for a while, checking off some things from my "and" list while saving money to put towards my travel time, but within the next two or three years, I want to  be on a plane to Europe with nothing but my backpack and a camera! After that, who knows? Maybe you’ll find me creating my own Tiny House business, or doing missionary work in Nepal, or going to school to become a marine biologist...

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Highly recommended for further reading and watching:

WHY YOU SHOULD SKIP SCHOOL TO TRAVEL THE WORLD -Nomadic Matt

EVERYONE SAYS I’M RUNNING AWAY -Nomadic Matt

What is a good Career for someone who doesn't want one?

The Financial Confessions: “I Don’t Want A Career, And Everyone Judges Me For It”

​It's Not Just You—I Don't Have a Dream Job Either -Kat Boogaard

Unpopular opinion: I Have a Minimum-Wage Job and I Don't Want a Career -Zed Gower

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Hestar McLaws

Hestar is a teenage roadschooler, gypsy, entrepreneur, artist, and lover or life! She enjoys doing schoolwork, drawing, writing, reading, and daydreaming. ;)