What is College?
11 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
in Political
Congratulations on your accession into adult society! That is basically what they are telling you once they hand you that wonderful diploma that you have paid so much for. But, what is college?
Once I graduated college in 2008 with a B.A. in Social Science/History, I felt so exalted and smart, but then reality actually hit me. The normal post-college thoughts started to flood my mind; Will I have a job soon? Am I going to be making a six-figure salary within two years? How will I ever pay back $150,000? But, there is something deeper than all of those questions, why did I go to college? Aside from the fact that most parents/relatives shove the thought of post-secondary school down your throat from the time of infancy, there is this compelling idea that you will make more money and become smarter instantly after you graduate. This, in fact, is not the truth. Yes, of course you learn different things while you are studying but, couldn’t I have learned the same things from reading a book (which would cost me about 149,080 less)?
So, this is what they do not teach you in college( or you don’t realize until you are about halfway through your senior year), college, in today’s standards is a BIG money making scheme that draws millions of Americans in each year. They take your money and sell you this false idea that you will become richer and happier if you attend college. The results:
A. I graduated in 2008 and got a job teaching in September of that year
B. I got ‘let go’ after being there for one year because of budget cuts
C. I am pretty much poor at this point in my life
D. Thanks to college and their false testimonies of wealth, I collect food stamps in order to feed my family
E. My fiancee, that didn’t go to college, makes about 20,000 more than I would if I was working
Now other thoughts slowly creep into my mind as I stand on the welfare line every six months, did I choose the wrong profession? The answer is no, many people go into a profession that they do not particularly care for just because the money is ‘good’ or the job is ‘safe’. The main problem is (on Long Island anyways) is that the job market is pretty stagnant. Lets face it, New York State has been the purveyor of capitalist society since the 1620′s, I understand it is time to pass the torch to other areas such as Austin, Texas. But, what I do not understand is why our education(which we have a right to) costs so much! Though, we may not ever figure out the former, we can always say a few great things will come out of one’s college experience.
College is a great tool if used correctly. There are many programs/institutions that can change a persons life forever. Many colleges (such as St. John’s University) give you the freedom to travel while learning, which is a great added bonus. So am I saying do not attend post- secondary school? No, what I am saying is take a step back and think about the causes and effects of obtaining higher learning.
