College. Hmmm what do we think? “You have to go to college,” “going to college sets you up for life,” “if you don’t go to college what are you going to do,” and finally “go to college so that you can get a good job.” Ahhh that’s my favorite line. We’ve all heard these lines, and they may have been true for the older generation but do not necessarily apply now. The cost of a college education goes up while the prestige of having a degree goes down. It is now expected to have a degree rather than seen as a plus. I believe if everyone took the time to just pursue what they enjoyed it would actually increase their chances of finding their passion, and with that success. Now, I don’t actually have data to back this up, but I am speaking from experience. Instead, we go to college thinking we know what we want to do or are influenced by others. This leads us down a path trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives. Most likely being forced to take classes we aren’t interested in, oh and while getting in debt to receive this “ticket to riches” degree. Now I’m not saying college is terrible and people shouldn’t go. However, I am saying that a college degree is now over saturated and considered the base, therefore even for entry level jobs to stand out from the crowd one must actively pursue internships, externships, and networking events while in college. This also helps solve the problem of having too many options. How many of us know what we want to do for the rest of our lives at the ages of 18-21. Trade schools for example are extremely focused on one skill set, so even if you decide you do not wish to pursue that trade you still possess the skills to earn money in that field. A college degree is not specific enough to provide you with direct opportunities, therefore, it’s incredibly important to prioritize opportunities while in school to not only stand out from the crowd but also discover what you wish to or don’t wish to pursue. America has a real problem with college graduates being either underqualified or overqualified in that one is usually pushed to settle. However, just because the chips are stacked against you doesn’t give you an excuse to remain stagnant. Let’s review some of the negatives with regard to college: potential to go into debt, oversaturated market making college degrees less valuable and more of the standard, potential to get lost and struggle to find your path/career, and finally strain on mental health. Additionally, the demands of attending college itself. The stress builds up fast. There’s pressure to perform. The consequences could be losing your scholarship, failing out, legal troubles, or making poor decisions all of which society shames. So is it surprising mental health is finally becoming a real problem in this country considering the roller coaster of college makes no guarantees you’ll be in a better spot then before you started and then social media is the cherry on top. Social media makes it too easy to get sucked into the art of comparison, often called the thief of joy. I struggle with this as well but let’s really break it down. We live one life; do you really want to spend it sad that you’re not where others are or trying to emulate someone else. I’ll come back to this thought that in everyday life no one really cares about what you are doing, everyone is selfish in that they are concerned with their own life. So then why are we spending the time on social media to dwell on others’ lives rather than focus on our own. We all die one day, might as well spend it doing what your heart desires and not giving a shit about the thoughts of others. You are more likely to succeed if it’s what you truly want to do! So now that I’ve gone on this long without actually outright addressing the question let’s get into it. Is College “Worth It”? A common lawyer answer is “it depends.” If you are pursuing your passion or have an idea of the direction you want to go, then I’d say college is a great option. But the caveat with that is that I’d say before and during college you should be shadowing or working internships in your chosen field to know that you enjoy it enough to be able to persevere when struggles arise and can envision a path to success. Additionally, it’s not a bad idea to look at the job opportunities in the field to see what the monetary prospects are in terms of a future career. The other side of the coin is if you are not sure you want to attend college or don’t know what you want to do then I would advise against attending college. In today’s world there are endless opportunities, I mean consider that some influencers are making more than doctors. Why go into debt to pursue something you don’t want and may never use. Use that money to either go to a trade school where you receive an actual translatable skill or invest in yourself to gain knowledge in what you wish to pursue. College degrees have become oversaturated in today’s society and you need to provide additional value to stand out from the crowd. Therefore, a college degree alone is NOT a guaranteed path to success. On a positive note, with the internet and social media being able to reach people around the world you have limitless potential to pursue whatever you wish.
This is where I’ll bring you some value. News flash there’s going to be people more successful than you just like there’s going to be people that look up to you. Guess what who gives a shit?! Do you think the most successful people in the world spent time thinking about what other people are doing? Of course not, because you can only control what you do. Now it’s easy enough for me to say some cliché statement like make every second count but that’s not why I’m writing this. I’m writing this for anyone out there that is not where they want to be. What usually holds us back from reaching our goals? Take a second and answer that question. It’s us, it’s always been us. And let me be the first person to say that I understand whatever your answer is. Well, I have to take care of my kids, I have to work 18 hour days, I barely sleep, I’m stressed, I have to care for my parents, I’m dealing with a disability or disease. Listen I hear you! What you are going through is 100% valid and anyone who acts dismissive screw them!!! Life is tough, we all go through tough times, and each person deals with them in their own way. But, I can tell you the one trait that every successful person has in common is that they don’t make excuses. Some people are dealt worse hands than others, but won’t it make it that much sweeter when you break through and succeed! I mean we only live one life after all. No one cares about the excuses at the end of your life, simply what you did or did not do. I genuinely want each and every one of you reading this to get to a better place and believe in yourself, because you CAN do it! Go accomplish your goals! Here’s some tried and true tips that I’ve been compiling from the many hardships and failures I’ve endured…
- Admit your wrong. (Take responsibility for whatever you need to. Do you need to apologize? Do you need to do more? Do you need to stop making excuses?)
- Be positive. (Simple to say yet, extremely difficult to live! Are you going to have days where everything goes wrong and you’re losing your shit? Yes, that will happen. All I’m saying is instead of raging or complaining to someone forever try to be a little bit better and make the negative phase at least 1% shorter. Set a time limit for your complaining, force yourself to smile, play music you like, talk to someone who makes you happy, as a last resort sometimes an energy drink or something sugary can help but I’m not advocating binging something unhealthy either)
- Make a routine and focus on discipline. (If you don’t write in a planner then maybe try it. Whatever your goal is write it down and come up with a plan to get there, but that needs to be consistent. Discipline and routine are the keys to perfecting consistency. A routine is essentially your daily schedule (what do you do the same every day?). Discipline is having the ability to do the hard shit you don’t want to do (we’ve all made a list of things to do for the day and the worst one gets pushed to the next day because fuck that. Yes, I feel it because again I’ve done it and guess what that’s going to happen and that’s ok. We live in these extremes like you can’t make a mistake! You messed up, now look at number 1, admit your wrong take responsibility and do better tomorrow. Think about what you did get done! Now look at number 2, be positive, and be fucking proud of yourself.)
- Motivation in moderation. As an athlete some of the motivational videos I watch give me chills. I get pumped up!!! But that energy rush has to come down at some point and now I no longer have the will to keep up that production. Therefore, motivation can be a great tool but what it really comes down to is just having discipline to do the shit you don’t want to do. Fun fact: when you actually do finally accomplish the task that you’ve been putting off it feels amazing. So, for all of you college students procrastinating until the last minute because without the deadline how would shit get done? I’m telling you if you did it earlier, you’d feel so proud and happy. Now I don’t expect you to actually do that because screw that right. But there’s this weird addictive thing that happens when you start to do the things that are hardest, and you feel this sense of accomplishment so you keep going. That is when you turn a corner, and you level up into a better version of yourself. Why do you think all of these rich people say well I just become addicted to success/money and just wanted more and more of it because it became so fun. Routine and discipline will lead you to the success.
- Exercise and eat healthy. This actually influences how you feel and your energy levels a lot more than many people think. Ever gotten into a rut where you feel depressed and all you want to do is stay in bed for days? What do you eat? Usually one indulges in unhealthy choices (ice cream, chips, candy, etc.) because you want that rush of dopamine and to feel better. Surprisingly, it seems counter-intuitive but by eating healthy and getting up you are slowly getting yourself out of the rut and setting your body up to thrive. Now in no way is this easy but at least knowing that if it gets bad making yourself get up and move and maybe have a smoothie could make all the difference to getting back on track.
