Was College Really Worth It?
The imagination can serve as both a gift and a curse. On one hand, just about everything that exists in our world can be attributed to some thought or idea that initially materialized in someone's mind. I would go as far as to say that the imagination is the predecessor of reality. It fuels creativity, can be used to visualize preferred outcomes, and simply put, it's fun. Just observe any child as they play. There's much enjoyment in being able to take the "what is" and manipulate it in our minds into the "what could be." However, this is where the imagination can become a double-edged sword. With the ability to look back at events in our lives and think of how things could have potentially gone differently, you can find yourself trapped in this perpetual state of regret and instead of moving forward from where you currently stand, stay locked into thoughts wishing for an alternative present moment.
Being the thinker that I am, I like to play devil's advocate with myself. I support the notion that it's fundamental to constantly challenge your belief system in order to continue to keep an open mind and progressively grow as a human being. I don't live with any regrets and I accept that there is no changing the past. But one of the questions I always juggle in my mind, especially around graduation season, is if I could do it all over again, if I was granted the opportunity to hop in some time machine and go back to 2008, would I have made the same decision and enrolled in a university.
This is such a loaded question because there are too many factors that have to be accounted for prior to answering this. It's difficult to walk in the shoes of your former self when they no longer fit you today. As an 18 year old spreading his wings for the first time, leaving the nest and finally tasting independence, there was nothing more exciting than moving to a new city, meeting new people and finally becoming this "adult" who makes his own decisions for once. All the years of hard work and dedication finally amounted to something by being admitted into a university. My entire life, the importance of getting an education had been ingrained into my head. It would be the first step towards getting that career, starting my own family, owning a home, and so on. This was what life was about. To my understanding, in order to be this successful adult, you had to go to college and get that degree. In my mind as a teenager filling out college applications, there were no other options. Going to college straight out of high school was what you were supposed to do. And besides, everyone else was doing it so it only made sense.
What does a high school senior really know about the world?
The most important things to me at that time were sports, Myspace, the latest Jordan releases and trying to impress girls. Those were my priorities outside of completing my homework and studying for tests. I wasn't really thinking about all the possibilities that life had to offer. I hadn't really considered my future and what I wanted to do with my life. The thought of traveling and seeing the rest of the world hadn't even crossed my mind yet. It just wasn't within my limited awareness at that point. The magnitude of the decision to go to college wasn't thoroughly understood.
Initially, I thought I would major in business because it sounded like that's where the money was and I was under the impression that money equaled success, but during the second semester of my sophomore year, I realized that business wasn't really for me. I decided to major in psychology instead, after taking a couple psychology courses that I enjoyed. Learning about behavior and people interested me. It wasn't necessarily a field that I wanted a career in. My dilemma was that I never really figured out what it was that I wanted to do, but with the pressure of student loans piling up, I knew I couldn't afford to spend extra years trying to decide so I stuck with psychology. It kept me focused on my goal of graduating and getting this education that everyone said was so vital for the world today.
What does it mean to get an education? What is the value of an education?
I always felt like an education was about intellectual development, learning and gaining knowledge so that you can contribute and improve society. But looking back at my undergraduate experience, I've come to realize that my definition and school's definition don't match.
In order to stay on track to graduate in four year, I almost always took 16 units per semester, which is about five classes. The structure for the vast majority of these courses consisted of a professor who lectured for an hour while you sat and took notes. Now multiply that by five and you have five classes of lecture/ note taking routines. Since all classes are on similar schedules, you can guarantee that your midterms and finals will occur around the same time. When you have five midterms all happening during the same week, on top of working a job or two, it's no longer about learning the information. It's about holding onto that information in your memory the best you can so that you can regurgitate it on the exam. Once the exam passes, that information is no longer of any value to you.
This is where my problem with our education system resides, not just at universities, but at all levels of school. We're lead to believe that school is about learning, but how many parents look at their children's homework like it's written in a foreign language? It's clearly something that they were taught but they don't remember how to do it. The reason that they don't remember is because it holds no real value. Course work doesn't correlate to job tasks or the real world. I would argue that the primary focus of school is to train people to become employees. It's not about becoming smarter. The fundamental objective is to learn how to go and work for someone else. College is about proving that you can independently prioritize, multitask, organize and persevere no matter how stressed or overwhelmed you may be. That is ultimately what that degree represents. Think about what school consists of. You are given directions, you follow procedures, you complete tasks, you meet deadlines. That's the foundation of any job. However, jobs aren't hiring based on the courses you've completed. They want real world experience.
Now there is nothing wrong with working for someone else. My issue is that with a school system geared this way, a lot of creativity and the ability to think freely is lost in the shuffle. Instead of thinking outside the box, the primary goal becomes following protocol in order to pass your classes.
Why are art programs usually the first to be cut when changes have to be made to the budget? Society needs creative minds thinking differently in order to make improvements. If everyone has this direction following mentality, we're all going to be sitting around waiting for someone else to take the initiative, which is kind of where we are today. We need a push in free thought.
I've come to realize how important freedom is. It's the purpose for my existence. I live to be free, to think for myself and to make my own decisions. That's one of the reasons why I run off and travel. Traveling is an expression of my freedom. It allows me to move where I want, be who I am, and most importantly, take my time, which is so inextricably valuable, and do what I want with it. The truth is, I'm going to die one day. I don't want to spend my precious time feeling trapped, or following orders and trying to fit into some confines.
This idea that getting an education is the only way to succeed or else you'll work at McDonald's for the rest of your life is a false premise. When I look at the world today, I see a place where people are becoming increasingly more independent. You don't necessarily have to go and get hired by some company. People are taking their ideas, skills and expertise and providing services independently, whether that be through creating a business or freelancing.
Today, if you want to truly educate yourself, there are multiple ways of going about that that don't require a minimum or four years of your life and on average $100,000. The internet is such a valuable resource. Many prestigious universities offer their courses online for free, not to mention numerable other sites that provide high quality skill training courses. You won't get an official degree, but you can walk away with knowledge and the skills. You can also read books and expand you knowledge on your own.
Universities should be looked at as potential investments, not as the only route. In order to maximize that investment, I think it's necessary to have a plan. The problem is we're all different and don't all fit into the same model. Going to college right after high school may work for some people, but maybe others need a little time before enrolling in order to figure that plan out. Or maybe some people may realize a completely different plan that doesn't involve college. In Europe, it's not uncommon for students to take a gap year after high school. It gives you some time to step away, mature and gain new insight.
The biggest flaw when it comes to looking back on the past is that it's so easy to overlook how the course of events lead you to where you are today. My time in college was invaluable. I learned so much outside of the classroom. I was exposed to different ideas, met amazing people, and ultimately, I'd say the experience was an intricate factor that contributed to shaping me into who I am today. While I do think that I put exploring my own interests on hold for four years by going to college, I can also argue that it took me going to college to realize what my interests and most important values were. Overall, I can say that college was more than just a stepping stone into the workforce. It was a stage in my life. Who's to say that if I would have made the opposite decision and skipped college that I wouldn't be here today wondering if I should have went? I do think the notion holds true that the longer you are out of school, the harder it is to return. So I'm glad it's over with. I was also fortunate enough to not incur a substantial amount of loan debt, which would have put this investment into further question. Not everyone is that lucky, though. Upon reflecting, I guess I've answered my own question. I wouldn't change a thing.