Imagine the anticipation as a student in cap and gown slowly makes his or her way down the aisle at graduation. The student’s family is are sitting in the stands, proudly cheering him or her on as the student lines up with fellow graduates.
Although this seems like the classic graduation experience, many students choose not to feel such graduation bliss.
Many students find themselves struggling with paying bills, making time for school and work, and having to make the choice of whether or not staying in school is reasonable, according to an article by The Chronicle for Higher Education.
According to a national survey, many students over the past years have found that dropping out of school leads them to many job opportunities that involve immediate cash flow.
“I found that for my profession, it would be easier to get certifications rather than schooling and degrees,” Justin Medina, 21, said.
As an information technology consultant, Medina has found success since dropping out of college and believes he has a greater opportunity of being successful now than he did spending his time in school.
“For my field of work, having a degree would only allow me to be certified for work for three to four years before I would have to be re-certified,” Medina said.
Some students feel as though staying in school is not necessary.
“I did not find it feasible or worth the time or money to pay thousands of dollars for a piece of paper,” Medina said.
Statistics show that of the 56.7 percent of students enrolled in community colleges, only 22.3 percent are actually graduating, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site.
“I don’t like school. Why would I need to continue going to school when I want to be a police officer?” Courtney Wilson, 21, asked.
As a former EC student, Wilson took many classes in law enforcement that she believed will give her the upper hand in the police academy. However, Wilson does not feel the need to gain a degree that she will not be using in the immediate future.
“It just seems like a waste of my time and money to go to school when I could be at the police academy getting one step closer to my career,” Wilson said.
EC is found to have fewer dropout rates than some other community colleges nearby.
Although it would seem that the number of students dropping out is on the rise, workers in the Admissions Office have no definite number of students dropping out each semester or the reasons why so many are choosing careers over degrees.
“Students can drop out online and we don’t ask them why they drop out, so it’s difficult for us to know why they are dropping out,” Francisco Arce, vice president of academic affairs, said.
Although many students drop out for different reasons, the number one reason is anyone’s guess and could range from work to financial obligations to family, Arce said.