The Problem With College

I grew up in an interesting generation. When college was discussed in my family it wasn’t discussed as an option. You just went to college. That is what people did. This was how college was discussed in most homes of my generation. Here lies the problem:

My father never attended college. My mother did not graduate from college until I was seventeen years old. So, here we have two parents who had never attended college encouraging their child to attend with no true notion of what college was like. (note: I am not criticizing the lack of education here)

There are certain assumptions that many parents have made about their children attending college. I heard my classmates discuss them in highschool and I have witnessed them in college. The assumption being, if you attend college you will graduate and then you will begin your career.

Bing. Bang. Boom.

Right?

The economy is hard. Many college graduates never find their dream job. Many college graduates fail to find a job. Why does noone discuss this? Because it is scary.

When colleges were first founded the idea was not to attend in hopes of a grand career. Ok, maybe there was that idea in mind. Mainly, the idea was to get an education. Soak up the intelligence from the minds of great philosophers. Study the past experiments that great chemists had conducted. Learn as much about the world as you can find and experience it. After leaving college you did not search for that corporate job that would complete you life. You took your knowledge and applied it to the world. You found a way to combine your passion and knowledge together. You looked for completion.

Many college students enter universities looking for nothing more than a job. For money. They skate through classes barely making grades. They go out and have a good time. They read texts when forced and cringe at the idea of test taking. For they know they will leave college and begin a career.

Bing. Bang. Boom.

Right?