Blog Post #4 - Is College (Good) Enough?

In today’s society, many people are not sure whether College is for them or not.  But there are more than just that question alone.  Many ask is college enough?  Can I pass by in life without it?  What will I need from college?  Are there skills I need to have acquired before going into the real world?  So many questions are taken into consideration when asking if College is enough or not these days, so why not research further into it?

"80% of 10^th graders plan to attend college" (College in America.)  This fact really caught my attention.  I know when I was in the 10^th grade, I wanted to go to college because I wanted to receive a degree in a specific major.  College helps us greatly in trying to achieve this goal.  By having a degree, we can then choose a career we want to have and create a life out of it.

Work ethic is another important aspect in life and I think College prepares us for this.  “For students who give some thought to a work ethic and to their college experiences, there are many lessons they can take away.  As a college parent, you may be able to help your student equate some of his college experiences to his future work life.  Students who recognize these college experiences as preparation and practice for later work expectations will not only experience more success in college, but will be better prepared later" (Is Your College Sudent Preparing for the World of Work?) I fully believe this because after watching my sister, Liz, attend College, I knew that I needed to put a lot of time and effort into my work if I wanted to be successful.  She started off young working hard.  When she was in high school, she volunteered coaching a grade school girl’s volleyball team.  She knew she wanted to have a job that was involved with children so this was the perfect start.  After that, Liz became a Summer-Camp Counselor.  She began this job when she was a freshman in College and finished once she graduated, 4 years later.  While attending College, she wanted more experience with children so she got a job as a supervisor for the before and after school program.  Just these jobs alone shows how much hard work she puts in.  Liz wants to succeed in life, so she got jobs that would go with her major.  After graduating Illinois State University in four years, she earned a job as a Second Grade Teacher at Nale Hale Elementary School, in Schaumburg, Illinois.  My parents still tell her, "hard work does pay off."

Over the years of attending College, we acquire certain skills.  We may not know it at first, but we do.  Skills can vary from repairing something, defending yourself, improve your sense of style, cook like a pro, or create a website (Top 10 Highly-Desired Skills You Can Teach Yourself.)  We pick a major at the beginning of our college career because we want to make a life out of it.  While in the process of trying to earn this degree, we learn so many things that help us in life.  Not many people may notice, but College is the reason we learn so many small things in life.

Bad habits

On the flip side of attending College, things can turn out differently than expected.  “College students work so hard after school that they feel that they need to get a definite answer and not be wrong.  They overwork things and tend to stress themselves out.  The only value their boss’s opinion and no one else’s" (The Bad Habits You Learn In School.)  Becoming like this after College could be a huge negative.  People at your work won't want to work with you, may see you as "selfish", and you could potentially be fired.

Receiving an education may seem like the most important thing in the world, but what about other qualities too that you may need after school?  Schools today are doing their job by passing students onto the next grade, but are lacking to teach students what it takes to be a leader.  All teachers want students to excel in their class, but they rarely focus on other aspects other than school.  I personally feel after leaving high school I had some sense of leadership, but not much.  I would sit back in class and let the “outgoing” kids talk and be the leaders.  Voicing my own opinion made me nervous.  I was afraid my peers would judge me, I would be wrong, or I would just sound stupid.  My teachers never really gave me that extra boost that I needed.  Although, I do have to say that I had a sense of leadership in classes where I was close with my teachers.  People may find this a bit out of the ordinary, but I would develop a great relationship with some of my teachers.  I would become so close to them that I would actually spend extra time with them in their office, stay after school, or eat lunch with them.  After being with them so much, I would be able to speak out in their class if we were discussing something that not necessarily everyone agreed on.  I wasn’t afraid because they made me feel comfortable with who I was as I person. 

Most people think that going to school is the only way you are going to be successful in life, but I beg to differ.  Nicholas Perez stated he felt, “confident and comfortable outside of the school environment, and skipping school gave me a significant amount of extra time to focus on positive things that were important to me” (Dropping Out Was a Good Idea.)  School may not be for everyone and people have to realize that.  If someone loves something, but may not want to go to school for it, then don’t.  Create your own path.

College may or may not be enough for some people.  If you find something that you love to do, pursue it and don't do anything you don't want to.  If you feel that College may help you more in the long run, take that path.  Your career depends on what you think would be the most efficient way of achieving it.  So don't be a follower, lead yourself in the direction of your dreams.