The College Experience Was Never About College (Degree Free #202)

Want to guide your 16-20 year old to careers that help them reach their goals? Check out our workbook set: ➡️ https://degreefree.com/book Want a custom career plan for your 16-20 year old? Apply for the Degree Free Launch Program: ➡️ https://degreefree.com/launch Young adults are moving to college towns without enrolling. They are living near people their age, working strategic entry-level jobs, earning credentials, and building professional networks. They still get the social parts parents want from college, but they avoid tuition and loans. Some can even rent off-campus student housing without being students, which may give them independence with some staff nearby. We think this can be a smart way to launch a young adult, but only when it serves a bigger plan. Start with the Degree Free Four: income, schedule, work environment, and location. Then choose the work, skills, certifications, sports, events, and volunteer commitments that move your child toward their goals. If parents are helping with rent, they can set clear goals and make another year of support depend on keeping those commitments. College towns make it easier to meet people, play sports, and find things to do because many residents are the same age. Yet falling enrollment may change those towns over time. We do not know whether young people will keep moving there if a college shrinks or closes. The larger point still stands. The college experience is really the experience of being young, and families can build that experience without buying a degree.