Some people think really stupid thoughts when it comes to a college education. Here's a list of all the accepted "Truths" about college that are really just inflated ideals or boldfaced lies.

College is heaven - This is a widely perpetuated belief thanks to tons of movies about high school kids heading off to college. College isn't heaven. The problems you have in high school will not go away the second you walk on campus. They will still be there and probably worse because you have no experience at dealing with them while living on your own.

2. Student loans are awesome - When you sign a student loan, do you really know what you're doing? Do you realize that you will have to pay that money back? Do you realize that most of those loans have adjustable rates that will continuously go up after you have left college? Heck no! You sign on the dotted line because otherwise you can't go to college, but unless that degree pays off, you're just driving yourself into deep debt.

3. All people with degrees use them - This is a perpetuated myth that I cannot prove because no one has ever bothered to poll college students and alumni in order to see if they ever use their degree. I'm sure they don't really want to know because the findings would put them out of a job. Out of everyone I knew in college, only one person has worked in the field he majored in. Everyone else is employed in jobs they could have gotten straight out of high school.

4. Degrees make you smart - If you're fostering a low self esteem and need a piece of paper to feel good about yourself, you have a serious problem. Degrees don't make you smart, or better, or faster at anything except cramming for tests and writing pointless essays. If you want to do something, you can teach yourself how much faster and with less BS than getting a degree in it.

5. You'll pay off that loan in no time! - I've met adults in their 50's still drowning in student loan debt. Just because you have a degree doesn't mean you'll get paid a 6 figure salary and be able to pay it off in any amount of time. Check back to #2 - if the rates are adjustable and you haven't been paying attention to how much you've been borrowing, will you ever know how much you owe until you get the bill 6 months after you graduate?

6. Everyone need more education - Education is a great thing, but you can teach yourself how to do something much faster and with more interest than having a teacher shove it down your throat. My case in point is Frankenstein. If I had read this book when I was in grade school on my own time I probably would have really enjoyed it. Instead I was force fed it in college and hated every page. Education is great, don't get me wrong, but unless it's something you're passionate about, it's all going to go in one ear and out the other.

7. People that go to community college are stupid - The median income for an electrician in the US is $50,000.* You can become an electrician in less than 2 years at a community college, go less in debt, and be more assured of a job than anyone with a Bachelor's in English could ever dream. Which person is smarter? Electricians, plumbers, and repair people are needed to keep things working for us no matter how good or bad the economy, and they all make pretty good money!

More and more kids are running straight from high school into the loving embrace of 4 year universities, blinded by these "truths" that convince them that they're stupid, lazy, and less than everyone else if they don't go straight to college.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Taking your time to grow up and become an adult BEFORE you step foot on campus is a much smarter, more practical decision. How else will you know what you really want and how to get it?

My name is Leah Day and these "truths" made me feel very bad about myself for a long time. I was in college, but hating every minute. I wanted desperately to quit and pursue my dreams of working from home on the Internet. Going to class, sitting through boring lectures, mindlessly chugging out assignments - I felt trapped by the idea that I would be just another stupid failure if I quit.

And then I realized that college is bullshit. The people I knew that had graduated didn't even use their degrees! They were still working a Best Buy and Lowes Hardware, grinding out at jobs they could have snagged straight out of high school. I could teach myself how to do things far faster and with more passion and motivation than any teacher ever could.

You can let what is expect of you define who you are
or you can define yourself and make your own path.

* Click here for link to Salary.com page on median Electrician income