College, college, college. That’s all we hear at Gilroy High
School this year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that about 66
percent of high school graduates go to either a college or
university right after high school. However, I am one of the 33
percent that is not going to a college right after high school.
College, college, college. That’s all we hear at Gilroy High School this year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said that about 66 percent of high school graduates go to either a college or university right after high school. However, I am one of the 33 percent that is not going to a college right after high school.
A month after I graduate from Gilroy High, I am going into the United States Army. I will be taking college classes, while still performing my job in the Army. The Army is paying for 100 percent of my classes while I am enlisted.
When I get out, if I still want to take college classes I will get money every month from the Montgomery GI bill. With the job I chose, I received $33,000 for college, so, every month I will get a set amount of money until that money runs out.
I am very excited about joining the military. Like the students that are going to college right after high school, I will be gaining many great new life experiences. I will be stationed in Europe and will have many responsibilities. I will be working a full-time job and taking college courses in my free time.
College is very important to me. Getting a college degree will help me out with getting a better job and making more money in anything I do later in life. I am not against going to college right out of high school, I just don’t think that it is for everyone. I think the school should inform the students about the military or any other option, like trade schools, or working your way up in the job market.
The military is not a last resort for all the stupid kids who wouldn’t make it in college. Surprisingly almost 70 percent of seniors at Gilroy High are not even eligible to join the Army because of either physical limitations or certain law violations. More than 25 percent of people in the Army have college degrees. I think that most people have preconceived notions on what the military is like so they don’t look into it and get more information. I think that the staff at the high school does not know enough about the military or any of the other options after high school to inform students about them. There are many options for life after high school and I think, to make a good decision about what students are going to do, they need to know all the options and be informed about them.
Sgt. Chock at the Army recruiting office, who is in charge of recruiting at Gilroy High, said, “I would say it is far better this school year, than the two previous years I have been recruiting. My personal experiences with Gilroy High School have been very positive and I have found that with talking to the staff at GHS I have been able to inform them better on what the U. S. Army has to offer.”
I think it’s great that the school has the military come to the career nights so that if the student chooses, they can get some information on the different military branches. But, I think that as teachers, most are not very good at informing students of other things besides college right after high school.
In my English class, for example, for an assignment, we have been asked to write a college application essay. Also, our school counselors say to us that you will need to take certain classes so you can get into college. It seems like everyone at the school is so narrow minded when it comes to options after high school.
Some people might argue that the teachers are educators so that is why they push college for our futures. While there is some truth to that, I think as educators they should not only be looking out for us academically, they should also be looking out for us in a more general way that relates to the different paths we each decide to take.
