Let Students Explore Options

It might seem hypocritical for a University of Maryland student like me to write an essay warning of the perils of a society that over-emphasizes the significance of a college education. Regardless, this is an important issue the “educated” community largely ignores. Young Americans are not encouraged to consider a variety of life paths outside of university, such as the military, the trades or the arts. As a result, the American youth are robbed of their self-determination, as they are instead funneled into academia before they can realize the other options available to them.