The Logical Next Step

Every time I meet with a student veteran for the first time I always make it a point to ask them why they chose to pursue higher education. In general, their answers are as diverse as they are. But there is one answer in particular that tends to surface a little bit more often than most others. Why did I come to college, they say? I came because I really wasn't sure what else to do and because I knew the funding was there to do it.

I call it the I'm unsure, but look, money, rationale. Now let me be clear, I totally get it. College is widely understood as a gateway to opportunity, as a way to spend a few years learning, having a good time, and figuring out what you want to do next. And for the most part, that's all pretty much true.

College is an awesome opportunity to learn. It is a great place to meet people, make friends, and build connections, and it does buy you some time before you have to figure out your next move. And if you can get paid to do all of those things? Honestly, it's no wonder that so many veterans view going to college after their military service as a kind El Dorado.

But here's the fundamental problem with this I'm unsure, but look, money, rationale. It fails to address a few key aspects of higher education that I think are crucial to think about before deciding to pursue college.

The first, is that even if you have full funding, going to college is a serious investment of your time and your effort, several years worth in most cases. And the time you spend going to school is inevitably time that you are not spending in the professional world building valuable experience and connections. It's often a time of financial scarcity, despite your funding.

And it's a time when your ability to devote yourself to other pursuits is very limited. School is a tremendous opportunity, but it's also a very real constraint. And so before making such a substantial investment of time and effort, it's a good idea to make sure you have some sense of how, specifically, you're hoping that investment will pay off.

Second, I think the notion that college is always the logical next step downplays some of the less attractive, but no less real aspects of higher education. Going to college can be grueling. It's a ton of work. It's a lot of late, sleepless nights. And it's a lot of hours studying, reading, and writing about things that you may not necessarily care a whole lot about. That's just the nature of the beast.

And so before you decide to go to college, rather than, for example, attend technical school, or get a job, or learn a valuable trade, it's important to think seriously about why you're going to college as opposed to doing something else, and what you're hoping to achieve. What are your goals, specifically? And is college really the best way to help you achieve them?

Third, and perhaps most importantly, the idea that college is always the obvious choice for transitioning service members because benefits can make it affordable fails to take into account, I think, the larger holistic view of your life. When a person goes to college their entire family goes to college with them. Becoming a student has serious implications for your relationship, your marriage, your children if you have them, and your family.

It may involve geographic relocation, long-term financial planning, certain kinds of wellness considerations, and professional implications. And it may also involve a conversation about whether or not you are prepared, academically, to make the most of a college education, and what steps you may need to take to get prepared if you're not.

Now none of these things are necessarily negative on their face, but they are things you should definitely consider before you make the choice to pursue higher education. Just because you can, doesn't necessarily mean you should. Or, doesn't necessarily mean you should right now.

Again, pursuing higher education after military service can be a truly transformational experience, affording student veterans incredible opportunities to learn, grow, connect, and determine what they want next.

But in my experience, the students who get the most out of college aren't those who show up because they don't know what else to do or because they need a paycheck. But rather, those who know why they're there, who have concrete goals that they want to achieve, and who have a clear sense of how a college education will help them achieve those goals. They may not have all of the answers yet, but at least they're asking the right questions.