Why It’s Perfectly Okay To Not Be The Typical College Girl

Shit is about to get real. I’m going to try to keep the sappy bullshit to a minimum for a sec.

In case you haven’t noticed. I didn’t choose the normal twentysomething route. Aka the college football tailgates, late night pizza trips, or beer bonging as soon as class is over. It just wasn’t for me.

Not that there is anything wrong with that route, I just new I wanted to spend my time doing something different and more.

To be completely honest, I was not a fan of elementary, middle or high school. I graduated high school an entire year early and literally ran out of the door with zero plans of stepping foot in that hell hole again.

My personality has been the same my entire life. I remember being 5 years old and selling pictures I drew to family members. When I got into middle school, I started selling handmade greeting cards and then in high school I made my money selling clothes that sat in my closet to fashion hungry teenagers. I’ve always been a go-getter with a business mind set. I mean, I literally would draw a flower on a piece of printer paper and somehow convince someone that it was a rare piece of art and pocket $20. My middle name has always been Boss Lady. Lol, I’m taking this too far but you get the point.

Basically, college was never a priority for me. NOT because I didn’t want to learn or anything like that but simply because I already knew exactly what I wanted in life. I didn’t need to stay in a dorm room with a bunch of beer thirsty girls, talking about late night hookups while chowing down on fries to figure out who I was or wanted to be.

I’ve done the community college route which was not my thing. I gave the University a shot and that definitely wasn’t my thing and now I’m finally content with finishing my degree online.

Despite knowing what I want out of my twenties and having a grasp on my career goals- the only thing that would potentially stop my ambitious self right in my tracks would be not having that goddamn piece of white paper. I pictured me lined up right at SAKS for an interview for my dream position and the only thing that set me apart from Sally the sorority chick was her finishing school and me dropping out. Not worth the chance. So, I enrolled in an online school and here we are.

Anyways, enough with the ranting. Lets get real on why its perfectly okay to not follow the traditional college route.

Failure helped me figure out what I wanted

AMEN. Failure is honestly a great thing. Throughout my life, especially as I’ve gotten older, I’ve struggled with friend groups. Because of the late night tears, I realized that I am not meant to run around with a group of girls. I’m not cliquey. My personality is extremely dominant and it usually doesn’t work well in a group of girls. Just being honest here. That said, going to a big college to find my friends or long lost sisters, would never work for me.

I also knew that I cannot sit in class all day. My mind is always in a million different directions. I knew that school online would be best for me because I can still work, blog and travel while in school.

Another thing is majors. People (including myself) get very frustrated about their major and picking the right one. Try different things and rule out what you don’t like! You’ll never know until you try!
I researched what else I could do

College shouldn’t be the only thing you are doing with with your life. I believe everyone in college should be working consistently and weighing out their options for after college. Try working different jobs in different fields that may interest you.

I know that I plan on working in the fashion industry. That said, I’m constantly looking at different options. The fashion industry is huge. Why wait until you have your degree to decide what you like and don’t like?

Also- many people think that as soon as they graduate, they will have a job. These days thats extremely rare and if you do land a job you will most likely want more- not to mention you will start from the very very bottom. If you started establishing yourself in that industry and building your way up, you will have a much better chance landing a better job while doing something you like.

Lastly, getting experience is key because CONTACTS. Almost everything these days requires you to know someone. Build up your contacts and keep the valuable ones close- they could be the reason your bills are getting paid!

You need to think carefully about your future
I just think some people need to do more research before jumping on the bandwagon and quickly setting of to college. It is very expensive and who knows you might not even need to go.  I know tons and tons of people who are still in college because they didn’t know what they wanted to do. They are just taking classes to take them and then they will graduate with tons of debt!

Optimistic about the future
Be open and positive about what the future holds. Who knows, you could take a class or start a side job that completely changes your thoughts on your future. Don’t shoot every opportunity down, even if you think it will not benefit you.

Only you know what is best for you. I just know the feeling of being stuck and it sucks. Try new things and start making your dreams come true NOW. Why, wait?! And remember, its perfectly okay to not do what everyone else is doing, besides, thats what makes it fun, right?

xx