University- The good, The bad, and the Not so ugly

When it comes to higher education there is a huge dispute on whether it is necessary or even worth it. After graduating high school in 2015, I took 2 years of college at Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu Hawaii. With in those two years, I have switched my major from culinary arts to liberal arts. After finishing my second year, I took a year off of school to travel and live life. So much has changed over those three years and I still find myself debating on whether going to college is worth it or even a necessity. This is just some of my thoughts about higher education and my thought process of my decision.

Let us start at the begin. As a young child, going all the way back to elementary school, I know I wanted to go to college. I even made the decision that I wanted to go to UCLA for some wild reason when I was in middle school. Even though it was clear to me that college would be in my future, I had no idea what I wanted to study. I vaguely remember wanting to study marine biology, but that quickly ended when I realized I hated science and the thought of dissecting organisms make me sick. Then in high school, I found my love for cooking. I went to an elective class for cooking and was set on attending Kapiolani Community College for the Culinary Arts Program the following year.

It was about three semesters into the program when I realized that industrial cooking was not for me. I switched majors to liberal arts in order to finish my GEN EDs (general education classes) and it was back to the drawing board. After finishing my fourth semester I decided to take a semester off, which turned into a year off. Now, present day, I am left here with a rough idea of what I should do.

Understanding the importance of education and knowing that university is the perfect environment to learn and grow both intellectually and as a person, makes university a look like an easy choice. But, there are also some not so appetizing requirements and fees that come with it. The price of college is not cheap and often not easy for individuals in their twenties to pay. I have seen the amount of student loans that can add up and the amount of time people spend paying it back. It's almost like a gamble. An individual is willing to pay a large sum of money that they don’t have, in hopes that one day they will get a good enough job to pay off the debt.

Another issue that I find myself struggling with is having to stay in one place for a required amount of time. Yes, I have thought of taking university online, but I believe going to college online defeats the purpose of going to school and making connections. After learning the bountiful pros of traveling, I feel stuck and sad to have to stay in one place for four more years. A solution to this problem, is to realize at any time there is a holiday break I can go and take a quick trip to anywhere. Once I am done with college I have the freedom to go anywhere for any amount of time.

Though there are some cons to going to university, thousands of students still choose to go, and for good reason. University is a hub for making connections, learning new things, and finding new hobbies. Yes, there are some sacrifices I will have to make in order to go, but I think it will be worth it. I am excited to learn and grow and see the opportunities that open up. At the end of it all, only you can decide on whether your time and money is worth the education and opportunity. I have come to terms with my choice to continue my higher education and I am excited to see where it takes me. I know traveling and cooking with always be in my life, and I am positive that one day I will find a job that caters to all of the hobbies. I hope my ramble about college has helped you find your path and decision what to do next. Thanks for reading and let me know down below in the comments what your thoughts and experiences on college are.