Is taking a break from college worth it?

I’ve been thinking about taking a break from college to find work. I’m 19 almost 20 so I’m still young, but is taking a break from school to find work really worth it?

Why are you wishing to take a break? Are you burnt out? Financial reasons?

my brother and uncle are always pressuring me to find a job, but its hard to find one in my area.

Stay in school and finish your degree. It’ll help you get a high paying job when you are done. If you need some cash, look into a part-time job on campus or nearby.

^^agree.

Another thing I wanted to ask is if I graduate college a semester or year later will that affect me alot in getting into grad school, or a job?

^ No.

It won’t affect you at all graduating a semester or two or even a couple years later. Don’t take a break unless YOU need or want a break.

It won’t, but stay in school unless you run out of $. It’s hard for people to go back. There just always seems a reason toput it off.

Worth it for what? If you feel you need a break, by all means do it. If a terrific internship opportunity comes up, great. A job that will give you skills for a future resume? Nice. It won’t hurt you in any event and it might be a small plus.

Don’t leave school. Finish it within 4 years (or otherwise as soon as you can). Jobs will be more plentiful when you’re done with it hopefully-and particularly because you’ll have a degree then.

It’s harder to get back once you earn some money.

Or it’s easier once you see how little you can earn without a degree…

I don’t buy the ‘if you leave you won’t want to go back’ argument. For students who come from challenging social environments this may be true - it you are one of the only people from your community attending college, it’s easier to leave than to stay, and easy to envision not returning. But if you are a typical middle class kid surrounded by people who all finished college, it’s highly unlikely that you won’t return. We’ve seen lots of kids in our affluent area stop out after a one or two years when they realized that they didn’t know what they wanted to study, what they were working towards, and were afraid that they were going to ‘settle’ for some random major just to be able to say ‘I finished.’ That’s a waste of an education. All but one returned - with renewed motivation and a sense of purpose - and the one who didn’t has some personal challenges that he needs to overcome before he can be a student again and perhaps shouldn’t have gone in the first place.

As for you, OP, it doesn’t sound like you are in the ‘not sure what to do with my education’ category. If you are clear about why you are in school and what the goal is, then get it done. If you think working will clarify things for you, and you’ll get more out of your education after taking time off, then do that. And no, it won’t impact your chances of admission to grad school. Some grad schools (like business schools) will even encourage you to work before applying.

I think you should finish your degree. doschicos mentioned getting a part-time job if you need cash - I think that is a good idea. Especially if you can get a job that is related to your area of study, that way you get an entry on your resume (work history), practical experience, and cash. If your summers are available then maybe you can try for a full-time degree-related job or internship.

I took a semester off and returned to college with the “renewed motivation” N’s Mom mentions. But why are you being pressured to find a job? If they value the education but you need more money to pay for it, that’s one thing. But if they just think school is a waste of time, you have to make your own best decision. Or do they feel you’re not taking college seriously enough? We’d need to know a little more.

People finish college in all kinds of ways on all kinds of timetables. We don’t know if you are at a 4 year residential college or commuting to community college. We don’t know what your major is or your career goals. Some can make more with a two year degree or training in a trade than with a BA. We simply don’t know much about you, so it is hard to advise.

But no matter what, if you are committed to college right now, in whatever form, I hope you can continue!

If you do have to stop because someone isn’t paying, you an always do online classes or register with an adult learner/continuing education program, or community college. But I hope you get support for whatever educational path you are on :slight_smile:

Note that the tuition is likely to increase continually. Taking a break during college may increase the cost.