“College is Required…”
Shared by Kristina Smedley
“College is Required…”
To be successful in life, I must go to college.
That has always been my belief.
I don’t remember my parents ever telling me that.
But I do remember fun family trips to WSU to watch football games with my cousins.
Of asking where my parents lived in college.
How they met each other.
If they got good grades.
I knew from a young age that I would go to college.
I knew I had to get good grades to get in. So, I did.
I knew it would be expensive.
So, I worked and saved.
I took college classes in high school to get a jump start on the credits.
I applied for scholarships.
And thankfully my parents were able to help me along the way.
Then, I got to college and realized I didn’t really know what I wanted to be when I grew up.
How could I possibly choose a major?
How would I leave, ready for success, if I didn’t know what success I was shooting for?
So, I played it safe. I chose Business.
And a minor in math.
Because I liked math, I really liked the professors, and my best friends were doing it.
Maybe one of the few college things to do because ‘all of your friends are doing it’… Math. LOL
3.5 years later, as a responsible college student with college debt, I graduated and joined corporate America.
Degree in hand and bills to pay. I needed that paycheck.
Cost Accounting… here I come.
I would look at people without their degree and feel bad for them.
Hoping that they could get their degree one day.
Because college degrees are the key to success.
That has always been my belief. That is, up until recently.
My eyes have really been opened to what many college experiences have prepared us for.
And I say many, because I know there are some colleges doing things differently.
But, from I can see, the typical college experience prepares us to fit the mold and expectations of our society.
To join Corporate America.
As a worker bee.
9-5 with weekends off.
It doesn’t prepare us by knowing ourselves deeply.
Or understanding the tangible value of relationships and connections.
It doesn’t prepare us to lead.
To inspire.
To create change.
And maybe that ok.
Maybe this is what our society needs and college helps meet those needs.
What would I or could I have done differently?
I know for certain that I would never take back my college experience.
It’s where I learned independence.
Where I met many of my best friends.
Where I better learned to navigate social expectations, develop my own opinions, and stand up for myself.
I would have spent more time in the arts. Developing that piece of myself.
I would have dove into creativity and intuition, knowing that logic and judgment already came naturally.
I could have explored my passions, traveled, and better stretched my understanding of the world.
Rather than study areas I was comfortable with, work a lot, and try to get done as fast as possible to save money and join the rat race.
The world is changing.
And this all fits under “hindsight is 20-20.”
The necessity of college is, just like all of our held truths, something worth contemplating.
Worth looking at from the other angle.
Seeing from a different perspective.
Through this growth and awareness, we are able to become better friends, parents, and leaders.
#storyathlete #mindfluentleader #mindfullyevolving
(Pic is of my dad and his brothers at a recent WSU football game, still going after all these years)
#MindfullyEvolving
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