I’ve always assumed that I’ll go to a four year college after graduation. It’s not a hard decision––in fact, it’s barely a decision at all. For years I’ve only heard about top colleges––Harvard, Cal, Stanford. I’ve owned college gear since I was 8 years old, and it never occurred to me that there was any alternative.

It seems like it hasn’t occurred to Redwood either. During Spirit Week, one of the days was “undergraduate” themed. Students wore all their college gear––all their four year college gear.

But college isn’t about where you go, it’s about what you do, as we are so often told. Seeing as community college costs $3347 on average, according to a Washington Post article, it is a very economical option.

Even with community college, your resume will say you graduated from the school to which you transfer. Going to a community college won’t have any effect on your future job. In the end, the only change will be in your bank account.

But Redwood also seems to ignore another option—no college at all. Where there’s pressure to go to a four year institution, there’s an assumption you’ll at least go to a two year college.

It’s not a bad thing that our school wants us to move on to higher education. There are great advantages and experiences to be had at college. But at the same time, students who want to pursue a career that doesn’t need a degree shouldn’t be blatantly ignored.

“Undergraduate” day wasn’t fair to those who do not plan to attend college. It encapsulates a majority of the school’s outlook on college–that you should go to a four-year and that you should want to go. Many students have a condescending tone when talking about community college, but that should not be case.

I hear people talking about college every day. “Where are you applying?” and “What’s your top choice?” seem to be common conversation starters among seniors because we assume that everybody is going to college and we forget about other options.

But that isn’t the case. Some of us aren’t ready for college. Some of us don’t have the money to go to college. Some of us don’t think college is worth it. And that’s okay.

According to a 2013 New York Times article, though 70 percent of Americans went to a four-year college, only 53 percent ended up graduating. College is not an end-all to success and shouldn’t be viewed as such.

We’ve lost sight of the purpose of education. School is no longer about curiosity and expanding our intellect, but about getting into college; to many of us, school is important not because we’re learning useful information, but because we are prepping for the next stage. It’s a stressful trudge to get to the next level, college, which will get us to our dream job.

In our current system, it’s hard to imagine that high school could be anything other than college prep. That shouldn’t be the case. This isn’t college prep–this is education. We shouldn’t be told to get good grades to get into a good college when we could be told to work hard to get ready for the workforce or to learn important life skills.

Four-year colleges can offer fabulous social experiences and a wonderful education. But these are experiences that you can get at a community college if you so desire, especially if you live in a dorm or take advantage of opportunities on campus.

Besides the social aspect, community college also provides education. You will learn no matter where you go. Ultimately, the teachers or professors are going to be able to teach you something, whether you go to Harvard or College of Marin.

We are living in a constantly evolving world where some of the highest paying jobs can be learned online without ever setting foot on a college campus.

The time for four-year assumptions has to come to an end. According to a 2013 American Association of Community Colleges analysis, 7.4 million US undergraduates were enrolled in community colleges. It’s okay to not go to a four-year. Many students opt for this choice, and it shouldn’t be taboo.

That can be hard, especially when the only thing most of us hear about when it comes to post-high school options are four-year colleges. But this is our life and we ought to be able to live it as we want.

If you want to go to a four-year, then that’s great. If you want to go to a two-year, then go right ahead. If you want to wait, or if you don’t want to go to college at all, then good for you. We should all follow our hearts’ desire, not what other people tell us to do.