To College Or Not To College

"What if one of your kids doesn't want to go to college?" asked one of my friends.

I have a bachelor's degree in finance. Going to college was instrumental in opening the doors that eventually led to my career. I'm a believer in secondary education. What about my kids, though?

My only desire for my kids is that they pursue work that matters to them. If that means a college education, great. If that means trade school, great. If that means immediately starting something entrepreneurial of their own, great. If that means going directly into the workforce, great. All I care about is for them to live a meaningful, purposeful, fulfilling life.

Here's what I don't want. I don't want them to enter adulthood crippled by student loan debt. I watch countless young adults start their adulting journeys set up to fail. I so badly don't want my kids to experience that. Therefore, my commitment to them is to help guide them into the next season of life without the debt. Part of that will be helping them financially, but a larger part will be helping them make wise choices, work hard, and pay the price to remain debt-free. As a parent, I must play a major role in helping these young men see the bigger picture (and not let four years of fun and excitement sabotage their decades to come).

Far too often, we blindly and naively ship our kids off to college with no end in mind. There, they wander for 4-5 years, accumulate tens of thousands of student loan debt, and have no natural landing spot after the college experience is over. It's sad to watch that reality play out in families all over this nation.

I pray my kids feel convicted in their next steps by the time their high school journey comes to a close, but regardless of where they are called to go next, we'll support them and encourage them to relentlessly pursue work that matters. I can't wait to see where they end up, but not too fast; I still gotta enjoy these sweet young years!

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