Coming back from winter break, we had a “Naviance day,” where instead of working on classwork or getting teacher assistance from other classes, we were required to work on the “college and career readiness” website, Naviance.

Juniors in particular received a “Complete Naviance Curriculum-Financing Your Education” assignment. This assignment required students to complete three Naviance Curriculum lessons about financing their personal college education. The lessons cover paying for college, financial aid options and “getting ready for the FAFSA.”

With these assignments, and students in all grades constantly being required to update their college searches, going on to pursue a college education feels heavily pushed, if not forced. While students should be supported in their pursuit of college education and be informed on how to do so, it doesn’t apply to every student.

According to HuffPost, on average, 12 percent of high school graduates in the U.S. don’t apply to college by the age of 26. When it comes to Washington state, that number is higher. Looking at 2014 statistics, the Kids Count Data Center showed only 61 percent of high school graduates enrolled in college, leaving 39 percent of students who didn’t.

If that 39 percent average is anything close to MTHS statistics of 1300 students, that is nearly 507 students who, at some point in their high school career, will be required to research unnecessary information, instead of getting needed support or working on their current education and preparing for their future career.

Many students are being left in the dust to fend for themselves when it comes to post-high school planning. Instead, the school should be providing more resources on career planning, rather than college planning.