Book excerpt: Going to college used to be a passport to future success, but that's no longer the case. For some students, it's still a good choice that leads to a successful career after graduation, but for many their degrees are worthless pieces of paper. Choose the wrong program and graduation is more likely to lead to disillusionment and debt than a steady paycheque. Yet parents, guidance counselors, and politicians still push higher education as if it's the only option for building a secure future. In this book, Ken S. Coates and Bill Morrison set out to explore the many educational opportunities and career paths open to Canadian high-school students and those in their twenties. This book is designed to help young adults decide whether to pursue a degree, enrol for skills training, or investigate one of the many other options that are available. In this special excerpt, we consider the world outside academia and some real-world options, such as: 1. Volunteering as a Launch Pad, 2. Travel: Discover the World, 3. Entrepreneurship: Why Wait to Be Your Own Boss? 4. Give Work a Chance, and 5. Apprenticeship and the Skilled Trades. This book will help you consider all the options in a clear, rational way.