Just as you are closing up one chapter in your life, graduating from high school, you will find yourself at yet another. Entering young adulthood is an exciting time in life. You experience freedom, to come and go as you please. Making all your own decisions. To some, that may be exhilarating while others may find it intimidating. One of those major decisions to make is the golden question of “Will I attend college or not?” Take all the time you need to come up with the answer.

Let’s face it. College is just not for some of us. And that’s perfectly fine. You may be an extremely talented individual in a specific area whereas you just can’t see the benefits you would gain if you were to attend college. You may just be an entrepreneur at heart. It’s always good to follow your passions. I mean how horrible does it sound to slave away at a job you find miserable.

The most important factor to consider is the cost. College can be expensive. As many college graduates will tell you, although they gained tons of knowledge, they walked away with enormous debt from student loans. If you aren’t willing to work at least part time while attending school, you may want to consider other options. After graduating from a 4-year college, young adults typically will have up to $100,000 in student loans Sounds scary, doesn’t it? Before letting that completely deter you, research what grants and scholarships may be available to you through your college as well as through the federal government. Outside companies often times will give out scholarship money as well.

Forbes.com recently revealed that young adults with no degree have an income of approximately 6.6% higher than those who have a college degree but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are doing better. College can be a complete game changer. When many major corporations are hiring, 9 times out of 10 they like to see an applicant with a college degree. This shows them you have the dedication to stick with a task. Receiving a degree can open plenty of avenues for the future. Even if the work you find yourself doing has nothing to do with your degree it still looks impressive. But what if you aren’t exactly certain what type of degree you want? That’s perfectly fine. Many people head to college with dreams in a particular field only to find that line of work is nothing like they had imagined. Or by fault they stumble upon a subject or line of work they had never considered before. You will find more out about yourself in these next four years than you have throughout your entire attendance of grade school.