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I’ve been following your “You don’t have to go to college” posts for a while now, and the more I sit with it, the more I agree. The more it makes the most sense for ME. I realize this choice isn’t for everyone, but making huge life decisions based on anyone else’s belief system is usually pretty catastrophic. I’m 25 and I have one semester of college under my belt. I was planning on going back to school this Fall, but I think it’s safe to say that isn’t what I’ll be doing come September. Financially I can’t afford it, and I don’t see college debt as “good” debt in the way Suze Orman preaches. I’m choosing a different path and that really excites the hell out of me. I only have one question; did you go to college?

I've been following your "You don't have to go to college" posts for a while now, and the more I sit with it, the more I agree. The more it makes the most sense for ME. I realize this choice isn't for everyone, but making huge life decisions based on anyone else's belief system is usually pretty catastrophic. I'm 25 and I have one semester of college under my belt. I was planning on going back to school this Fall, but I think it's safe to say that isn't what I'll be doing come September. Financially I can't afford it, and I don't see college debt as "good" debt in the way Suze Orman preaches. I'm choosing a different path and that really excites the hell out of me.
I only have one question; did you go to college?

teresasaurusrex

Hey Teresa,

Thanks for your note.

I did go to college. I studied art and writing at The School of Interdisciplinary Studies (informally known as the Western College Program) at Miami University, probably the best state school in Ohio. Graduated in 2005.

I loved college. I went on a full academic scholarship. I had such a good deal that I even had beer money. I got to study abroad in Cambridge, England, and Florence, Italy. I met my wife in the dining hall. Graduated summa cum laude, all that stuff.

I was super lucky: I got a bad-ass education free from monetary stress.

So, you might be wondering: where the hell do I get off posting under my “You Don’t Have To Go To College” tag?

Let me explain.

First off, the tag is kind of a joke, a reference to an Animal Collective song. I started it because I was collecting articles about why *graduate school in the humanities* is a bad idea. You see, ever since I graduated, my mother has been bugging me to go back to grad school, but I knew that, for me personally, I should just keep working and making my art on the side. In hindsight, I should’ve named it “You Don’t Have To Go To Grad School.” (Back then, I really had no idea so many people would follow this Tumblr.)

But you know what happened? The more I started researching and collecting articles, the more I realized what a crisis there was going on not just in graduate school for the humanities, but in higher education in general, and how many people were going into ridiculous amounts of debt and handicapping themselves for life for an undergraduate degree.

Personally, I think that debt is one of the most crippling things that can happen to you in life. This is a value passed on to me from my father. Being in debt means you limit your choices. My favorite artist, Lynda Barry, says that “Happiness is low overhead and no debt.” We don’t talk about money in this culture, and that bothers me.

Put simply: higher education continues to get more expensive and it continues to become based on a profit model and sold and marketed as a product. All the while, wages go down, and people graduating from college are less equipped to deal with a changing economy.

So, the tag became one of my side interests.

Now, school is a tricky subject for me. I loved school, I loved being a student. I love learning. I was raised by two educators. I was the valedictorian of my high school, etc.

But as an artist, it was when I got OUT of school that I did my really interesting work. Work that wouldn’t have been made if I’d have gone straight to grad school after college. (Believe me, it wouldn’t have flown: even as a published author, I’ve been rejected from an MFA program!)

Let me be clear: I’m not saying that college or grad school or formal education is a bad idea. I’m just saying that you have to be smart about your options, match your passions with the right education, and be smart about how much money you shell out for it. Not everyone has to go to college. (I know guys from back home who went to vocational school who make 3 times what I make doing what they love as car mechanics and carpenters.)

My rule: get the education you need for as cheap as you can get it.

If I was a student with limited means and average grades who wanted/needed to go to college, here’s what I’d do: I’d get all my pre-req coursework out of the way either through post-secondary options (college coursework during high school—I did this, it was awesome) or community college. Then, I’d transfer to a good state school and finish off my four-year degree, preferably in way less than four years. I’d avoid the usual route of using college as a four-year extended adolescence. I’d try my best to get a good internship in the field of my choice during the summers. In the meantime, I’d learn HTML/CSS, and start a website around my passion, or better yet, start my own business. I’d try my best to engage with the world outside academia *while* I was still there.

Anyways, I’m no expert. There are tons of books out there on the subject.

And you’re so right: you shouldn’t let anybody else’s beliefs drive your decisions in life. Including mine.

Good luck to you!

My very best,

Austin

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17. listofnow said: I too, loved being a student, but I wish I had read this kind of sound advice/common sense when I was a young artist contemplating schools. That was a very thoughtful response and your readers are lucky to have it.
18. 12pies said: I agree with everything but the “transfer to a state college” part—private colleges often give better scholarships to transfer students.
19. doggabone said: I’ve also been following these posts for a while now, with personal interest (starting a business that ignores my education, and I’m still second-guessing!). This reply is my favourite - it hits every note perfectly. Thanks for the comments.
20. austinkleon posted this