Stop pushing kids that don't want to go to college - to college.

OP,

she can take a gap year
she can do an internship overseas
She can work and go to school part time at home
She can go to IT school locally

Most people in DC are insane with the push at college. It is not the end all that be all and certainly does not need to be a 4 year college, right after high school. More families waste time and money doing this, compared to families that wait

My Mom said no school get out. I would pack her bags and toss them to curb first day of college if not enrolled. And do it Amish style, no coming back.

Anonymous wrote:I hire regularly for a local software company. I no longer hire anyone without a CS or CE degree. You need the formal training in data structures, algorithms, and computer hardware to do the level of work I require.

That said, there are plenty of other software jobs out there that you could conceivably get without a degree. They just pay a lot less and are much more boring.

Please send your daughter to college, she’ll learn a ton of useful information. It’s also the perfect time to build a company during her free time.

Similar profile, and PP is 100% right here.

Get the degree.

I hire regularly for a local software company. I no longer hire anyone without a CS or CE degree. You need the formal training in data structures, algorithms, and computer hardware to do the level of work I require.

That said, there are plenty of other software jobs out there that you could conceivably get without a degree. They just pay a lot less and are much more boring.

Please send your daughter to college, she’ll learn a ton of useful information. It’s also the perfect time to build a company during her free time.

I think we all know that getting a college degree is the preferred path.

But, I think some of the PP are mistaken in assuming that it must be done immediately after high school.

OP's child is smart. If she does something she wants to do or works at X entry level job, or tries her hand at her own job for a year or two or three, she will eventually figure out that people with college degrees get ahead. She will get that degree and do a much better job of it b/c SHE is ready for it and knows WHY she wants it (not just doing what mom says to do).

I know someone who was not very interested in high school, but liked to draw -- and had a talent for it. He went to community college to get an associates degree in drafting. He worked for 5 yrs and enjoyed his jeep, his girlfriend (got married), probably was smokin' pot, and just generally thinking he had arrived. But, as he worked in drafting, he saw that the people moving ahead were the ones who had engineering degrees. He did as much work as they did... but they had the degree and got the raises. So, in his later 20's he went back to school for mechanical engineering. He was motivated and did well -- which he never would have done if he had tried it right out of high school.

He is now very successful as a software engineer.

Kids who have ownership over their path are going to do a lot better. Yes, college is important. But there is no rule that says "college is only important if you go to a 4 yr college right after high school." There are other ways to find your success -- and the timing is different for each person.

Let her decide. My mother let me decide, and I have truly loved my life. I am 47. 30yr reunion next year. I did not choose college, and I have never regretted my choice. I let my kids decide what they want to do. Three are adults now, and I am quite proud of their accomplishments. Dangerous work that they do, but they weren't raised to fear anything. I want them to live life their way, just as I did. I have always appreciated my mother for understanding that I could only be happy if I made my own road. It has been a great adventure, and it isn't over yet. Good luck to your daughter, OP.