Photo Courtesy of UCS Credit Union.
San Luis Obispo High School students have several paths they can take post graduation: Cuesta or another community college, continuation of higher education in universities or graduate school, serving for the country, a gap year, or going straight into the workforce.
When entering higher education, some students realize that continuing schooling just isn’t for them, and they ultimately drop out.
John Reyonlds, who went to SLOHS for three years and graduated early at Pacific Beach in 2019, aimed to continue his education while working part time. Reynolds’ plans changed as COVID-19 hit.
“I went to Cuesta College, There are a couple factors for dropping out. First was COVID-19 and when all classes went online, I didn’t feel it would be worth staying from past online school experience. Second was work. I wanted to make sure I would have enough funds to pay bills and help my family. I intended to further my education and study culinary arts, since I have found a passion with the food industry,” said Reynolds.
Reynolds currently is a manager at Old San Luis BBQ, and is in charge of the team producing food for SLO’s Blues Baseball games over the summer.
SLOHS counselors understand that school isn’t always the answer to post high school success.
“I think [students who decide to not go to college] is okay as long as they have a plan. If their plan eventually includes college, they should go right away. I dropped out of college to get married and have kids. I went back when I was about 45. I had to retake ninth grade algebra. If I had gone straight to college I wouldn’t have had to do that. One of the things employers often look for are college degrees. Sometimes it’s not what the college degree is, its more so that you are willing to keep going and do what is needing to be done to finish. I think students who go to a trade school is good. I think that’s fine because you are working toward your goal. If college isn’t for you, go find a job that you care about more than just a surface job. Learn on your job so you can grow into something,” said SLOHS College and Career Specialist Colleen Martin.
With pressure from parents and educators, the stress of higher education is a massive weight for many students to carry. Attending highly accredited universities usually creates lifelong student debt for the students. Locally, California Polytechnic State University has a yearly in state tuition of around 11 thousand dollars a year and out of state 26 thousand. Student housing for first year students is around 11 thousand a year as well. The california minimum wage is 15 dollars an hour, and a college student typically works 30 to 35 hours a week.
Assuming the student does not have to pay for other expenses, like a phone bill or doctors insurance, an instate student will have about 3,000 dollars. A student would either buy their own food or purchase the meal plan. The meal plan is seven thousand dollars a year. A student buying their own food will typically spend 250 to 300 dollars a month. Factoring in other expenses like gas, buying textbooks, on campus activities, and even just gifts for friends and family, a college student will not have enough money to do anything. This makes college an unreachable goal for students whose families are in poverty.
Cuesta Community College in SLO is a great option for many students. With the Cuesta Promise, students who graduate from high schools in SLO county are given two free years of education. But even without the money problem, other factors continue to fall into place. Students who can not drive or have easy transportation, parents who cannot leave their children long enough to take a class, or a former student who is already working full time.
Some high school graduates decide school isn’t for them, some deal with crushing debt from student loans, and some just don’t have the time to further their education. College is not necessarily the next step in students lives, and some have found a path that works even better for them.
