College. If you ask many, they will tell you that you must go to college. While taking the time to get a college degree does usually pay off in the long run, I often hear of friends who switch their degrees part of the way through college. 

Across the United States, the average cost of tuition to go to a 4 year public college in the state is between $9,000-10,000. However, the cost of all of the attendance fees on average is over $25,000. Going to a 4 year college out of state, will cost, on average, nearly triple the cost of tuition, and about $20,000 more for attendance fees. This is mainly because of housing fees. The annual growth rate of the cost of college is about 6.8% in the United States. In just the 21st century, the average cost has more than doubled. 

On the other hand, going to a trade school and learning specific job skills can be a much better option than going to college and obtaining a degree. There are many reasons a trade school is a better option than a college. As far as job salaries go, people who go to a trade school often have a higher salary than those going to college. As many know, President Biden is currently helping pay $10,000 in student loans to students across the United States. This plan is very beneficial to some students. However, in my eyes, this plan is such a bad idea. For students who made good choices and got a job before, and throughout, college, they might already have their student loans paid off. That makes this unfair to these students, since these students will get nothing. Also, many people who attended a trade school, or made a better decision than going to college, may lose more money when having to pay taxes. That makes this plan very unfair to students who were go-getters and got their student loans paid off right away. If I was in this situation, I would be mad that I get no compensation for over-achieving. He could have taken more into consideration when proposing this plan.

Another option people often overlook is going into the military. Going into the military can help you attain many benefits after serving. I will always have respect for someone who goes into the service, even if I don’t like you as a person. 

So, if I had to advise someone who is looking into college, trade school, or the military, I would definitely tell someone that college is not the option they should be choosing. Between the time wasted that could be spent working and having to pay off tens of thousands in student loans, there are much better options to partake in after graduating high school.