Wednesday, January 2, 2008
New year, what now?
I guess the new year is supposed to bring up mostly positive feelings, ideas, emotions, and possibilities, but there are always "leftovers" from the year before that have to be taken care of first. How about college? I've never been a good student; I despised high school, and tried to like college, but after trying to get good grades, graduate, etc., for so long, I'm throwing in the book. I'm taking a break from school...It might not come as a surprise to most, but it does to me. I really thought I'd have graduated by now! It's been yeeeaarrsss! But this isn't all bad, cause guess what? I feel so much relief by making this decision! I didn't feel like I had any part of my soul left. Kudos to all of those who have ever made it through college! You have my sympathy and congrats!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Since you can learn anything taught in college outside of college by getting a book and reading it, and by doing practical application, what is college for?
Colleges are verification entities. They exist so you can point to a piece of paper and say "See, I did too read all those books and do that work!"
It's only important if you need someone's approval to do what you want to do.
If you are going to follow your own path, read the books and skip the paper.
As Brian Tracy said, to become an expert in you field read one hundred books in your field.
Just another thought.
your, Duh!
You CAN learn many things outside of college by reading about it and by doing practical application.
That being said...I wouldn't want a person operating on me without having gone to med school. I wouldn't want to fly in a commercial airliner that was designed by someone without a degree in aeronautical engineering. There are many cases where NOT going to school to learn your trade can be dangerous, deadly or just plain stupid.
Having said THAT...you don't need a degree in child care to be a good mother or father...you don't need a degree in English to write a truly good book...you don't need a degree in art to be an absolutely amazing artist (Hellooooo aka brady!) And you don't need a degree in theology to reach the level of enlightenment that the current Dalai Lama has reached.
"Follow your own path" is good advice, but many times that path may lead you to receiving that one piece of paper that shows academic achievements. One should also keep in mind that just because someone has that piece of paper doesn't mean they are more intelligent than someone without one. Nor should you automatically believe that they are gifted in their field of study.
Going to college can be very beneficial...but it in no way guarantees success in life. One can be successful WITHOUT a degree. One can be unsuccessful WITH a degree.
There is one truth in all of this. Keep learning...whether in an academic setting or not.
College is more than a verification entity.
While it is true you can purchase and read the same books and gain knowledge the real value of the college education does not come from the learning.
The great value in college education is the ability to draw on your peers and professors for knowledge and to do so in an environment that allows you to pursue dreams without worrying about budgets etc.
An electrical engineer student from Harvard has been working the past 10 years on creating an artificial fly, all of which was funded by the school. Sure he could have read some books and possibly achieved this but at college he was able to draw on the knowledge of countless others, form teams, utilize libraries unavailable to the public, utilize school facilities and much more all for the price of tuition.
Lastly the bonds you form with fellow students become invaluable later in life as you pursue your own path. My friends and I consult with each other regarding problems we each encounter, we draw from each others unique knowledge and experience so that we can pursue what makes us happy.
We also are able to keep each other employed. When a fellow student is without a job he send out an email to everyone and we all go to work trying to find him employment. Beats the paper and job service any day of the week.
If a person sits in their home and reads they may gain all of the knowledge of the word but without the resources and the people to do anything with that knowledge, all that knowledge is as useful as a turd in a box of hair.
Post a Comment