For seniors, pressure about life after graduation seems to pile on more and more daily.

When college representatives and military personnel visit schools to encourage students to join and apply, they can feel overwhelmed by the countless number of options they have to choose from. This may lead to tunnel vision and a disregard for what opportunities a student might have after graduation. 

The glorification of college is a problem because it emphasizes so much stress on college, blind spots form on other opportunities, or just working immediately. 

It also places students in a precarious financial situation, as college is not cheap. Most students attend college on a student loan, which for an average bachelor’s degree, costs around $37,853. Then they will pay interest for the next 20 years, maybe even longer, just because they were not aware of the consequences their decisions had and were blinded by the stress caused by peers.

An example of an option that has gained more popularity since the dissent against the norm of  “only college” is the trades workforce. 

The skilled workforce has had a national shortage since the pandemic, reportedly 85% of all construction firms have “jobs they are attempting to fill,” according to The Associated General Contractors of America. Tradesmen and women build our country with their work, and are paid handsome wages, an example being HVAC technicians who are paid $70,000 annually. While it also has its own disadvantages, the trades are a great choice for those who enjoy working with their hands rather than sitting at a desk. 

Micah Samuel Harshbarger, a senior, is planning on going to trade school, but it was not until recently that he discovered that path. He expressed his belief that the school had not taught him properly with his opportunities. 

“Peers and teachers push the narrative that college is necessary,” he said. “It’s almost like they’re hiding other options beside college.”

Another senior, Parker Matthew Black, also details an experience he had where he felt judged for his option to go to trade school. As he explains, his mother and family had been all tradesmen and women and were not well off, thus when he expressed a willingness to enter the trades he was judged for.

“My entire family had been in the trades, and it gave my family the impression that the trades were only for the not well off,” Matthew said. 

While the school does bring up avenues other than college on occasion, both seniors expressed a sentiment that they were not given proper knowledge for their paths in life.

School counselor, Alyson Rizzuti, had different opinions on the matter.

“I think we are limited in what we can do,” Rizzuti said. “We always want students to leave high school at least knowing their next step.”

With everything that has been said, students should be aware of every avenue they have in high school, so that hopefully they make the most informed decision about their future that they can.