Although my older brother and I have a very good sibling relationship, we are two different people when it comes to education. After he graduated from high school, he joined the Army. He wasn't much of a bookworm. He got passing grades in 90 percent of his classes. It's not that he's unintelligent; he just envisions attaining his future in a different way than I do. For me, I thought of education as my pathway to success (although at varying times, I have thought the opposite). I couldn't get around not going to college. Perhaps you could say that I might have listened to my parents more, but I don't think that's truly the case.

However different my brother's approach to education, I respect his decisions. I know that college isn't right for everyone. How? Because I've been through the phase when I thought, "Why am I going to a traditional college, anyway? Why didn't I go through my plans to attend a culinary arts school?" Twice this year, my freshman year in college, I broke down mentally, thinking, "What am I ever going to get out of an English degree?" At those times, I regretted not having gone to a culinary arts school, just as I had planned three out of four years of high school. At those moments, I truly understood why college is not for everyone.

Many different kinds of people exist, and people learn in varying ways. Some learn technically; this includes all vocational schools (i.e. non-traditional schools) and trade schools. It's not that they won't do well in a rigorous academic setting, but that they learn in such a way that they need to actually apply their skills. Most traditional colleges and universities usually don't include many "vocational" or "technical" majors, because the traditional majors require and develop "critical thinking" skills (i.e. abstract concepts).

Personally, I've always been the technical type. Why did I go to college then? Because I believed (perhaps mistakenly?) that a technical career, in my case, being a chef, wouldn't pay the bills. Then, I ended up thinking about majoring in English. So, I guess you could say I didn't really win.

Traditional colleges are best left to those who like to go to school for the sake of learning. They want to broaden and expand their academic knowledge. However, if you're one of those who like being hands-on, then college might not be right for you. As for me, I'm still thinking about that day when I open up my own restaurant and my English degree won't really matter.

Learn more about this author, Joan Inong.
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