High schools in the United States have been going about education the wrong way for too long. Education is designed to help you progress to the next part of life, whether it's work, school or simply your desires. Elementary school prepares you for middle school, then middle school prepares you for high school, which is the last compulsory school you must attend until the age of eighteen. This means that students should be working towards a career field, not just another general study. As recently as the last two decades, it has become unacceptable in wealthier school districts not to go to college. This is caused by excessive pressure from parents and schools acting as a team, convincing students that a college degree is necessary to get a suitable job. Some kids are simply not cut out for college nor do they want four more years of school. Parents may have a hard time realizing this, but it's the truth. The military has long paid the salaries of United States citizens to protect our country. From the training you receive in the military, the careers are endless. You can apply to any protective service, training facility, or simply stay in the military until you have served your time and can retire. Being in active military service gives you the ability to retire in twenty years. The Army currently has over 2.4 million soldiers and of those 1.4 million are on active duty earning money while having a career ("Employment Outlook Handbook 2010-2011"). The military certainly isn't suited to most of America, but what the military does get right is teaching skills that you will use, not just to get you somewhere. This is why, once students get to high school, they should start in December… halfway there… plenty of room for improvement and change. We need to make small changes and take notes so we can change accordingly. If schools received budget money based on their students' performance seven years after graduation, then they might not try to push so many students into debt that they will never be able to pay. Works Cited" General Fund Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2011-12." . Np, nd Web. 17 Dec 2011. “Career Opportunities in the Armed Forces.” Manual on employment prospects 2010-2011. Bureau of Employment Statistics and Employment P, 2009. Web. .Smith, Aaron. Vocational schools fail the key test: helping students. Np, 2010. Web. .