For many of my fellow seniors, college seems to be a buzzing insect, always hovering around the mind. In these days, it seems like you have no choice but to seek out a collegiate path or spend the rest of your years shackled to a fry cook position. Is it possible that the way to a fulfilling and lucrative life can be found outside university textbooks?

If you do travel down the college path, you will no doubt deal with the ever growing bubble of debt that plagues post college graduates. Student loans have been reaching record highs since 2010. According to ProjectOnStudentDebt.org, “In 2012, 71% of all students graduating from four-year colleges had student loan debt. That represents 1.3 million students graduating with debt, up from 1.1 million in 2008 and 0.9 million in 2004” However, President Obama has recently implemented student loan forgiveness programs According to FinAid.org, can apply to loan forgiveness if:

• Perform volunteer work

• Perform military service

• Teach or practice medicine in certain types of communities

Other options that go on beyond college are trade schools or vocational schools. Trade schools offer a specific form of education related to a certain craft. One of the positive things about attending a vocational school is that the time spent in school is typically shorter than 4 years. This means that you could start making your way into the workforce earlier. However, of course, jobs are not always guaranteed for those who attend college and neither are they guaranteed for trade schools. Of course however, valuable connections can be made through these programs that could increase your chances of employment.

One more final option is E-universities. The digital age has opened up a bulging hot bed of information available at your finger tips. Many of the state’s top schools also offer online courses and correspondence courses in place of actually setting foot on the school campus. This is a viable way to learn a skill without being restricted by borders.

Students shouldn’t be steadfast to the notion that the only realistic option for them after high school is to attend a college for four years. Of course there’s nothing wrong with attending a four year school; however it should not be considered the be-all-end-all option. Which ever road you travel down, make sure you make the most of it.