It is difficult to say, without question, that there is any one way in life. Your decisions are often great, frequently blind, and must be made unwaveringly. One of the most difficult decisions is this: Is it better to go straight to college after high school, or perhaps to delay college for a year? The decision is often a hard one, but I believe it is better to work full-time for a year before endeavoring to enter college. After twelve years of schooling, I think it is important and beneficial to take a year before beginning another four to eight years.
One of the most important skills that working full time can imbue is the value of money. This generation has had more opportunity than any before it. The baby boomers have effectively given their children a life of ease. Few of today’s high schoolers have held a job, and even fewer have worked more than part-time. It is often hard to transition to an environment of plenty to one in which every dollar must be earned. With so many college students falling into large amounts of debt, it is an important skill that would be better learned before endeavoring to finish school. Holding a full-time job will firmly ground the idea that money is earned, not given. I also believe that it is important to require the young adult to contribute to all bills, utilities, and rent. This will further teach them that the money received from working is not just for “fun”. It teaches budgeting skills and responsible spending.
Working full-time also better enables the young adult to handle the pressures of the real world. They must learn that they are no longer going to be coddled. The world can be hard, and it is vital that they grasp this concept. Throughout school, these youngsters were taught that they are “special” and that even the smallest amount of effort was rewarded. Work will discharge this “good enough” mentality, teaching adolescents that they have to be driven, work hard, and go the extra...