What Comes After Homeschooling: A Graduate's Perspective

Written by Abbey Lovett

I never once sat in a classroom, I never once studied for midterms, I never rode on a school bus, there was no headmaster, no school nurse, and no bell that rang to let me know I was done learning.

I was homeschooled. For 12 years of my life my mom was my teacher, my dad was my principal. My idea of a class was getting together with some friends and a teacher to study a topic. 

It was a blast. I loved every bit of it. There’s no doubt here that homeschooling is a great opportunity for grade school… but what comes after? That’s what I want to discuss.

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My homeschooling experience 

There are a lot of ways to homeschool. On one side of the spectrum, you have the people who homeschool with no structure whatsoever. They let their kids learn whatever they want, whenever they want. On the other side of the spectrum, you have the families who have a strict curriculum that must be completed. These are the homeschoolers that wake up at 7:00AM to do chores and start school by 8:00AM. 

My experience was somewhere in the middle. My family had structured lesson plans and curriculum that we were expected to complete. However, whenever valuable opportunities came up in the real world, my mom would put school on hold and let us participate. For example, I learned about profit/loss, customer service, and work ethic by running lemonade stands. I learned how to write reports and presentations by hosting large events and writing a professional business report. I learned history, economics, and writing by competing in forensics (which was, and still is, my passion). 

As a homeschooler, I was brought up doing things differently. I learned more through experiences than a classroom. My family encouraged those experiences. 

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve enjoyed planning my career more than planning my wedding. I started touring colleges as a freshman in high school, applied to scholarships, talked with admissions counselors at top schools. 

Homeschooling was the perfect preparation for a college experience. 

It wasn’t until my Junior year that I realized this thought process was completely flawed. After 12 years of doing school differently, I was way too willing to jump on the bandwagon I had been avoiding my entire life. 

This is where the story gets interesting. 

What comes after homeschooling 

The more I thought about it, the less sense it made to go from experiential learning to sitting in classrooms for 4 years; forcing myself to put aside the projects I was already working on. Instead, I decided to stick with the path I had been on for the past 12 years. I joined an apprenticeship program called Praxis, which has provided me with real­ life opportunities to learn and grow as an adult and a business professional. 

Since being accepted to the program in February, I’ve been stretched and encouraged by an incredible group of entrepreneurs and professionals. The Praxis network has challenged me to expand my blog, create a personal brand, and create real value in my company. Since beginning the program back in September, I've been coached in personal development, entrepreneurship, and time/project management to help me launch my own business. 

College is an incredible experience for a lot of people. However, countless numbers of homeschoolers and public schoolers alike truly miss out on better opportunities just because they’re told college is the best option for them. 

So let me ask you this, should you always participate in a college education after homeschooling? I don’t think so. 

Evaluating your options 

Before jumping on the bandwagon of post­ high school graduates headed to college, try evaluating all the options available. 

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to find out if college really is the right choice for you!

What is my motive for going to college? ­ 

• Is it just to get a degree that says I’m qualified? ­ 
• Does my field require this qualification? (A majority of fields require experience, but not a degree.)
• Am I going to college only because “I’m supposed to?" ­ 

Is it worth the investment? ­ 

• How much debt am I willing to go into? (Check out the student debt clock.) ­ 
• Am I guaranteed a job that will be worth my investment?  ­
• What else could I do with all this money and time? (Check out this post.) ­ 

Is College the best fit for my personality? ­ 

• Do I work better in a classroom environment or an experienced based environment? ­ 
• Am I okay with taking classes that don’t apply to my degree/passion/vision for life? 

As I was deciding which direction to go after high school, I asked myself every single one of these questions. Deciding to jump off the conveyor belt was not an easy decision. Going through and answering these questions took me months of thought and discussion.

Take the time to think about this decision. It’s worth it. Once you understand yourself and your motives going into the next stage of your life, start researching. See what classes, groups, workshops, or even colleges line up with the vision/goals for your own life. 

The takeaways 

Stick with homeschooling, it's the best thing you’ll ever do. 

I think I’m the best version of myself today because of homeschooling. I’ve learned time management, discipline, work ethic, scheduling and so much more. These skills will stick with me for the rest of my life. Homeschooling also gave me the courage to challenge the status quo. Homeschooling gave me the courage to pursue the life that philosopher Plato talks about in The Allegory of the Cave. Homeschooling is not easy… at all. Stick with it. You’ll be happy you did. Trust me.

Don’t jump on the conveyer belt just because “you’re supposed to.” 

College may be the best option for you, but don’t assume that it is. Evaluate your options BEFORE making your decision. If college isn’t your best choice, have the courage to pursue something different, risky, and even scary to get where you want to go in life. 

Homeschoolers have an awesome opportunity. We are blessed with the ability to do things differently. Take advantage of that opportunity and share your story.

Homeschool High School Resources

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Abbey is the COO of Ethos Debate. Ethos is dedicated to making people exceptional communicators through debate camps and private coaching. She leads day-to-day operations and is developing a new product line to train business professionals how to be better communicators. She is based in Austin, Texas.

Following her passion for entrepreneurship, Abbey is participating in Praxis, an intensive apprenticeship program, where she’ll be focusing on gaining real-world experience and developing new business ventures. 

In her free time, Abbey blogs about entrepreneurship and living life on your own terms. Her #1 passion is to build relationships with aspiring entrepreneurs like herself who are looking for insight and direction on how awesome life can be after high school.