When I first enrolled here at State University, I never thought I would ever be in the position to graduate. Finishing college was a huge goal growing up but it was also my biggest fear. But after three and a half years of dedication I plan to get my degree in the fall. Getting this far in college was not easy, it took encouragement from family, dedication, and assistance from others to reach this position. Many years ago I remember my parents telling me that in order for me to become successful a college education was a must. They always told me that if I wasn’t in school I could no longer live at home. Both of my parents attended college but neither of them finished. They did not want me to go down that same road because they really regret not getting their degrees. My grades in elementary school were poor because I had trouble paying attention to things that were not challenging. I tried to play sick just about every day but my parent were not falling for it. My favorite classes were gym, music, and art. Competing in sports is where I spent most of my time. The words of my parents and teachers went in one ear and out the other. “School just wasn’t interesting to me” My senior year of high school I decided to dedicate my self to school work. All I did was take school a little more seriously and pay attention. Before you know it I had made the honor roll for the first time and continue to make it the rest of the year. Finally the extra work was reflecting in my grades. My parents were glad to see that my education had some meaning. That summer after school I just wanted to find a job and start making some money. Going to college for anther four year was something I thought I could not handle. I final got a job at UPS unloading trucks. At first I thought how hard could it be? But every day I would come home exhausted from working in the heat. And then when I got tiny pay check, it hit me. From then on I decided that manual labor was something that I could not do the rest of my life and I could definitely not support a family on that income. A job behind a desk in the air conditioning was what I wanted.
I also agree with my Mom that everyone has their own definition of success and that the media creates the ideal version of it. I decided that college was the best option for me because I couldn't see myself working a blue-collar job for the rest of my life and being able to say I felt successful and/or happy. College isn't for everyone but if you can’t see yourself working a blue-collar job and be able to say you're happy and successful then college might be your best option, no matter how
...someone will be successful as an adult, college degree or not. Not to mention the obstacles that may get in our way through the course of years in us getting to the point of adulthood or the balls that on must juggle in their adult life. The teaching and learning that helps individuals to succeed, perhaps needs to come from parents and role models, as we are learning values, which begins to happen before we ever enter our years of formal education.
I was raised in an encouraging household where both of my parents greatly valued education. Although they were high school graduates, neither could afford to attend college; a combination of family and financial woes ultimately halted their path. As a result, my parents frequently reminded me that getting a good education meant better opportunities for my future. To my parents, that seemed to be the overarching goal: a better life for me than the one they had. My parents wanted me to excel and supported me financially and emotionally of which the former was something their parents were not able to provide. Their desire to facilitate a change in my destiny is one of many essential events that contributed to my world view.
Picture this. You are heading off to college to begin the next chapter of your life. It is a moment you have always been waiting for. You are past the high school drama, and are ready to start taking classes that will allow you to obtain a degree in something you have always been passionate about. It’s your first week on campus and you are invited to a party being hosted by a group of upper classman. You show up to the party and immediately are handed a red cup with what you know is something you shouldn’t be drinking. You take a sip anyway and soon start talking to that guy in the corner who at first seems friendly, but soon begins to take advantage of you. Just like that everything changes. This is a situation millions of people face every
It has taken me a long time to come to this point but I am now sure of what I want to do, and what I need to do to achieve my goals. Had I not gone through the countless jobs and educational paths, I would have never come to the one that I finally know I will love and it will benefit me as a person, and benefit my family financially.
... a lot of pressure on high school graduates by parents and employers to get a degree if they want to make something of themselves. After being in the workforce over twenty-five years, I have experience well as qualifications that should make me more desirable than the twenty-two year old with little work experience. If he has a diploma, he will get the job before me almost every single time. That is why I am back in college after all these years. Attending college is a choice that anyone can make with their loved ones advice. Sit down with someone who knows you and write down your dreams and desires. Figure out what you would like to accomplish in life and investigate if you have a case for or against college.
My parents have always pushed me to be better than they were. They knew that if I wanted to be successful I needed to go to college. In highschool, they always made me put my education before anything else. My parents didn’t go to college so they would always tell me to not make that mistake because their lives could have been easier if they would of just invested a few more years into their education. They would also tell me about all the opportunities that missed out on because they decided not to further their education.
The first reason that a college education is necessary is because it can help people to get a better quality of life in the future, especially for people who were raised from poor families. Ever since I was a little kid, I was always being told by many people that “knowledge can change your destiny. It makes you not only rich in life, but also enrich you as a productive person.” In my understanding, college education opens a door that can eventually change people’s future as long as they will willing to work hard. Hence, I always had the dream about being like a grown-up to go to college and ge...
I grew up constantly seeing my parents suffer from choices they made when they were freshly graduated from high school. They always told me to go to college so I wouldn’t have to suffer from the same mistakes they made and I was going to do just that. I decided to take on the student loan debt and continue my education because I refused to settle immediately in life.
This is my first semester in college and it its completely different than high school in many ways in my opinion. I think that college is going to be a challenge, so I hope i 'm prepared for what 's about to come. The difference between highschool and college is vast. The main ones I have experienced are greater expenses, independence, and overall seriousness of the education.
"Tomorrow is the first day of what I will become." I wrote this in my diary the night before my first day of college. I was anxious as I imagined the stereotypical college room: intellectual students, in-depth discussions about neat stuff, and of course, a casual professor sporting the tweed jacket with leather elbows. I was also ill as I foresaw myself drowning in a murky pool of reading assignments and finals, hearing a deep, depressing voice ask "What can you do with your life?" Since then, I've settled comfortably into the college "scene" and have treated myself to the myth that I'll hear my calling someday, and that my future will introduce itself to me with a hardy handshake. I can't completely rid my conscience from reality, however. My university education and college experience has become a sort of fitful, and sleepless night, in which I have wonderful dreams and ideas, but when I awaken to apply these aspirations, reality sounds as a six thirty alarm and my dreams are forgotten.
My parents have this perfect life for me pictured in their heads, and the first thing they see me doing is going to college. They expect the best of me, and so by going to college, I will not only have fulfilled their goals for me, but I will have accomplished one of the goals I have set for myself. In our culture, when parents come to the age where they can’t support themselves, it is the duty of the children to look after them.
My parents were partially right, hard work and experience paid off; I spent 13 of my 15 years in the grocery business in management and was paid well; however, the lack of further education due to the financial, informational and encouragement barriers, resulted in some missed opportunities along the way. Nonetheless, almost thirty years later I have overcome those barriers and my dream of going to college has been revived. I will graduate…. just in time to send our firstborn off to college with all the information and support she will need.
must stick with it. A cabinet could be opened at home and a variety of tasty
A recent failure that has changed how I go about my daily life is one that many college freshman experience in their first year. In high school I was a very good student, but I did not have to put in a lot of effort to get the grades that I wanted. I would joke with my friends and say that high school taught me how to put in the least amount of effort, and still get the maximum result. All of my teachers told me, as they did every student, that college was going to be different and if you do not put in more effort it would be very difficult. I knew this coming into school, but I am not sure if part of me wanted to prove people wrong, or if I actually was just adjusting to college life. I did not study as much as I should of, and as a result my grades suffered. Luckily I did not completely ruin my grade point average, but since first semester I have completely changed my study habits. This has taught a much needed lesson about hard work, and I am determined to never again fail at my studies. I am the kind of person that learns a lot from failures. My dad has always told me it is ok to make a mistake, but never make the same mistake twice. This I a motto that I live by.