Alright, let’s talk about this whole “I don’t want college, I want work” thing. I totally get where that feeling comes from because, well, I kinda lived it.
Back when I finished high school, everyone was buzzing about college applications, SAT scores, campus tours. Me? I felt this huge pressure, but also this deep nagging feeling that it wasn’t the path for me, at least not right then. It felt like delaying the inevitable, you know? Like putting life on hold for four more years of classrooms when I just wanted to do something, to get my hands dirty.
My First Steps into the Working World
So, I made the call. I decided I wasn’t going to apply for college straight away. My folks weren’t exactly thrilled, but they saw I was serious. What I did first was pretty simple: I started looking for jobs. Any jobs, really.
- I polished up a basic resume, highlighting stuff I did in school clubs or part-time gigs.
- I hit the pavement, walked into local businesses, asked if they were hiring.
- Scoured online job boards for entry-level positions. Anything that didn’t require a degree.
It wasn’t easy. Lots of places wanted experience, even for basic jobs. Felt like a catch-22. How do you get experience if no one hires you without it?
Landing a Gig and the Reality Check
Eventually, I landed a job working in the stockroom of a local hardware store. Not glamorous, right? But it was work. It was a start. And let me tell you, it was an education in itself.
The grind was real. Early mornings, long hours on my feet, dealing with inventory systems that seemed ancient, grumpy managers sometimes. It wasn’t the freedom I maybe naively imagined. Work has its own set of rules, its own kind of homework, you could say.
But here’s the thing: I started learning practical stuff almost immediately.
- How to manage inventory.
- How to deal with suppliers and deliveries.
- How to handle customer requests (even the weird ones).
- Most importantly, how to work with different kinds of people, how to be part of a team, how to just show up every day and get the job done.
I learned about responsibility fast. If I messed up counting stock, it caused real problems. If I was late, it affected my coworkers. There were immediate consequences, unlike missing a class sometimes.
Looking Back on the Choice
Over the next few years, I bounced around a bit. Did some construction labor, worked in a warehouse, tried some basic office admin stuff. Each job taught me something different. I saw friends graduate college, get office jobs, talk about student loans. My path was different. I had earned money, gained work experience, but maybe missed out on the structured learning and networking college provides.
Was it the right choice? Honestly, it’s impossible to say definitively. It was the right choice for me at that time. I needed that practical, hands-on experience to figure things out. I eventually did take some night classes, got some certifications later on when I knew what skills I actually needed for the jobs I wanted.
So yeah, that meme resonates. Sometimes you just want to dive in. It’s a tougher road in some ways, maybe a slower climb career-wise initially, but you learn things you just can’t get from a textbook. You learn by doing, by making mistakes, and by showing up day after day. That was my journey with wanting work over college, right from the start.
