Poll: "I am smart papers"

[the-real-steve]

Not original with me. Came across my social media feed recently. Read, vote, and discuss.

In no way, shape, or form is this a bash against those here that have furthered their education.

Credit to the original author.

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I heard it again yesterday at my son's baseball game. A well-meaning parent leaned across the bleachers toward my son and asked, "So, where are you going to college next year?" The question hung in the air as my son shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting toward me.

My son isn't going to college next year. And the assumption that he should be—that this is the only acceptable next step—is something we've been navigating with increasing frustration.

When my daughter graduated five years ago and announced she was taking a gap year to work for a conservation corps in Colorado, people responded as if she'd declared she was joining the circus. "But when will you go to college?" they'd ask, their voices tinged with concern, as if her life was now on some tragic detour.

She's now a certified wilderness first responder with specialized technical training, leading backcountry trips and making more money than several of her college-educated friends.

She loves her life. She wakes up excited about her work. Yet at family gatherings, relatives still ask when she's going "back to school," as if her current path is just a placeholder for the "real thing."

My son and his friends are all seniors planning their next steps. Among them are future electricians, mechanics, entrepreneurs, military recruits, and yes, college students too.

But guess which ones get asked about their plans most enthusiastically at graduation parties? Guess which ones receive the affirming nods and approving smiles?

We've created this strange hierarchy of post-high school plans, with four-year universities sitting untouchably at the top.

Trade schools, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship, gap years, military service—these are often treated as consolation prizes for kids who "couldn't get in" somewhere prestigious.

The reality? These paths aren't lesser alternatives—they're legitimate first choices that deserve our respect and celebration.

My son's friend Tyler spent weekends during high school apprenticing with his uncle, a master plumber. While classmates were touring college campuses, he was learning a specialized trade. He'll graduate from high school on Friday and start his official apprenticeship on Monday, debt-free and already equipped with valuable skills. In four years, when his classmates are collecting diplomas and student loan statements, he'll be earning a solid income with benefits in a profession that can't be outsourced.

Yet at senior night, I watched teachers enthusiastically announce college destinations while Tyler's future received a quick, almost apologetic mention.

I've started interrupting this pattern in my own conversations with teenagers. Instead of the automatic "Where are you going to college?" I ask, "What are your plans after graduation?" It's a small shift, but I've seen the relief wash over faces when young people realize they can share their actual plans without apology or explanation.

I've watched too many teenagers trudge off to universities not because they had a passion or purpose there, but because no one ever presented any other option as equally valuable.

So this is what I want to say to the parents who have spent 18 summers raising these remarkable humans now standing at the threshold of adulthood: College isn't the finish line. It's not even the only race. It's just one of many paths forward, and success looks wildly different for different people.

When we narrow the definition of success to a single path, we rob teenagers of the confidence to find their own way. We teach them that their worth depends on following a specific route rather than discovering what makes them come alive.

So please, the next time you meet a high school senior, resist the automatic college question. Instead, open the conversation to the beautiful diversity of possibilities that await them. Ask what they're excited about. Ask what they're good at. Ask what problems they want to solve.

And then, whatever answer they give you, respond with the same enthusiasm you'd offer if they said "Harvard." Because their path—whatever it is—deserves nothing less than our wholehearted celebration.

[temporal1]

^^good stuff. i agree.

My beloved grdaughter is 17 and i’m distraught at how she’s being pushed+forced.
Her worst problem is, she’s able enough to be pushed .. heart breaking.

i’m constantly wondering, “this is fine, but who is my grdaughter?” i see who she’s being pushed to be.
i’m pretty sad about it. all these egos ..

a couple of years ago, she was firm. she wanted to have a gap year after high school.
i highly encouraged her! i thought it was a great idea (for her, specifically). not a bit worried her education would stop there, her life ruined. not at all.

that seems like ancient history. the push is on.

many years ago i recall obama describing his idea that most students would benefit from a break between high school and college, or their next step. i was surprised he said that. as POTUS. (i don’t recommend the obamas main interests, politics+hollywood) to each their own.

i’m bothered by this.

to my knowledge, NO ONE is discussing the importance of marriage and family. its importance in the grand scheme of things. and preparation to be a quality wife and mother. it doesn’t come out of thin air!! also, the idea of being intentionally celibate. options.

i’ve occasionally talked with her about all these things since she was very young. i believe i’m the only one. that’s not very good.
the messages should be many, coming from all corners of her life.

i gave her an unconventional hope chest a few years ago. we have fun with that. i give her this+that to tuck away.
one recent contribution was an idea found here. she loves it! we have fun with it. thinking of the future.

i have no intent to suggest “you must marry”.
i believe marriage or no marriage deserves LOTS of thinking YEARS before it’s a serious thought.
today it seems too much of an afterthought, if that!

i digress.
today, many have valid questions about being “college bound” as the only possible option. i’m glad to witness.
colleges do not have a monopoly on education. lifelong learning should be encouraged.

the result of “everyone gets a degree!” is that the value of formal higher ed has been compromised.
it often costs much more for less. a predictable result.

great topic.

[Neto]

I went from HS directly to Bible institute and then on to a Bible college because I had a vision for what I wanted to do (career missionary service), and that requires a college degree. We sent all of our children to the BMA Bible school, but only one has a college degree, and he didn't do it until years later. (First he got an associates degree, then much later went back and completed a BA.) He did so because he needed that in order to get into the type of work he wanted to do.

Lots of my friends in college also came right out of HS, and some young people do not have the question of "What will I do in life?" settled when they start, so if they ever finish a degree, they may switch around to various degree programs before they actually graduate. So it takes them longer to finish, and then some of those same friends never use the degree they did get. So my opinion is that a couple of semesters or years for a Bible study program is the most that is advisable right out of HS, unless there is already a vision and determination to go into a vocation that requires a degree. My Dad attended a couple of different Bible institutes and a state Junior college, and completed a 4 year degree for pastoral ministry but was never called to a congregation beyond youth minister. But he didn't waste his Bible education, even though he only ever worked in the auto industry, as a service parts salesman - He taught SS classes for well over 50 years, missing only about a single year during that span of time. He started with a 5th & 6th grade boys class, and was then asked to take adult classes, until he spent most of those years teaching the older adult men's class. (I only ever heard him preach one time, and his style was teaching, not 'preaching'.) I'll say one more thing about his SS teaching - he never just relaxed and taught without doing more study on the same texts and lessons. In the later years he tired of teaching out of SS quarterlies, because of the 3 year cycle. So from then on he taught through entire books of the Bible.

But no, a college education is not necessary for many types of work. (We have a family friend who we sat with once, attempting to convince him to finish HS. He dropped out. Later, because of the death of another friend, he decided he wanted to be a doctor, and that is what he is today. There has to be a purpose behind further education or it can be nothing more than a waste of time and money.)

[Grace]

Interesting post Steve. I am very thankful for the college educated doctors, nurses, dentists etc. that treat us. However, I am equally thankful for our auto mechanic, our furnace repairman, our electrician, our plumber, and a few others who....gasp...surprise...have no more than an 8th grade education. Although I highly recommend high school for our young people, these men all have conservative Anabaptist background, (the reason for 8th grade education) are highly intelligent, and have dedicated themselves to learning their trade. Just because someone has a college degree doesn't necessarily make them smarter than our service people who have a mere 8th grade or high school education, nor does it make them less valuable in contributors to society.

[the-real-steve]

When I was in 11th grade, I was offered an early graduation package and I took it. My life circumstances was way different than today. Looking back now, I wished I would have found a trade early on that would become a passion for me.

I got my EMT in high school and later in life I did work part time for the nearby city EMS. I also have volunteered at various ambulances. Thought about going for my medic, but sorta glad I walked away from that industry.

[JohnL]

College isn’t for everyone. Trade school isn’t for everyone. That’s why I think it’s important for a discussion starting in hs that gets kids thinking about their future.

[JohnH]

When I was in 11th grade, I was offered an early graduation package and I took it.

Is this like being offered early retirement?

[Neto]

When I was in 11th grade, I was offered an early graduation package and I took it. My life circumstances was way different than today. Looking back now, I wished I would have found a trade early on that would become a passion for me.

I got my EMT in high school and later in life I did work part time for the nearby city EMS. I also have volunteered at various ambulances. Thought about going for my medic, but sorta glad I walked away from that industry.

When I started my Senior year in HS, I only needed 1 1/2 more credits to graduate. I considered quitting after the first semester, and start some college courses at a local Junior College. A couple of my HS teachers really went out of their way to encourage me to finish out the entire year, and that's what I did. I took Algebra that year, and that had to have helped me when I did the GRE for graduate school. (I did not complete a masters, just took the courses which were necessary for Bible translation work.) When I was going into 9th grade, the school advisors basically told me that I was 'not smart enough' for Algebra, and put me in 'Business Math'. I think that the course work in that class has been much more useful than anything I could have learned in Algebra II, etc. (It was all very practical stuff. I think that should be a required class for HS, instead of pushing kids into Algebra & on from there. 'They' say that the ability to understand the more complex reasoning in Algebra, Trig, etc., is closely related to physical development. I do agree, because I was near the top of the class in Algebra I, and while I worked for it, and do not consider math to be one of my strong points, the additional years of development before I took it was, I think, part of the reason I succeeded in what they had earlier told me I would certainly fail.)

But one general comment about smartness vs success - I was by no means the smartest Bible translator, either. But I was highly motivated, a 'plodder'. From my observations of my former co-workers in that field, the plodders are the ones who keep going, while the really smart ones either loose interest because of the lack of a challenge, or they are pulled out by the mission administration for other things, where their 'superior abilities' will not be 'wasted in some tiny language community back in an isolated part of the jungle'.

[As far as the poll goes, I can't figure out if I 'partly agree' or 'partly disagree', but I am certainly not 'neutral'. I guess I both agree AND disagree at the same time, but in different ways, of course.]

[Ken]

I taught for 10 years at a public HS in Texas. This was in Waco so it was a college town with lots of educated professionals and also a conservative and predominately Republican area.

One of the things that made me most uncomfortable in the job was how they did high school graduation which as a teacher I was required to attend. Every year it was exactly the same.

Every year at the beginning of commencement the principal or superintendent would get up and begin his speech by announcing how many millions of dollars of college scholarships the graduates had earned this year. Which was usually a record number since it was a growing district.

And then he would say: "If you are the recipient of a scholarship to attend college please stand" and a bunch of students would stand to a big round of applause

And then next he would say "if you are going on to attend some form of college or university, please stand" and a bunch more students would stand up to more applause.

And then he would say: If you are enlisting into one of the branches of the armed forces, please stand" and still more students would stand up to another round of applause

And at this point students would be looking around at which ones of their "loser" classmates were still seated and obviously doing nothing with their lives. And the entire audience of thousands would be looking down from the bleachers to also see which "loser" students weren't doing anything with their lives.

The school newspaper also did the same exact thing with the "collectors edition" they would publish at the end of the school year. They would publish a list of every graduating senior and then list what each graduating senior was doing after graduation: "Attending University of Texas," "Attending the Air Force Academy, "Attending Vanderbilt," enlisting in the Army," would be the common types of responses. Occasionally you would get some kid who would write "backpacking through Europe" or "moving to NYC to pursue a career in fashion or acting" or whatever. A bunch of kids would just put "attending MCC" which is the big community college next door even if they had no intention of doing so. Because at least that wasn't as lame as putting down "undecided" or worse still "going to keep working at the mall or work in my parents restaurant" or some such.

I actually made a point of mentioning to my principal how inappropriate I thought it was to call kids out that way. But their mentality was that they were here to encourage kids to attend college and that was what the school board, community, and state board of education expected. Which was, in fact, true. In fact, college attendance is one factor in school rankings and even things like real estate prices would be affected by school rankings and how successful that school district or school is in getting kids into college.

Here on the west coast I don't see the same thing happening to nearly the same extent. If anything it is kind of the reverse problem. The school districts are almost too laissez faire about student success and if some kid wants to spend his life living out of a van and being an Instagram influencer while surfing it's all good. Teachers and counselors are less likely to ask: "have you really thought this through?" To some extent schools are too unjudgmental and don't provide enough though guidance about the real world. So I don't know what the answer is. The happy medium is hard to find I guess.

[Bootstrap]