A closer look at the system in which we live.
Why am I in college? If you ask your parents that question, they will have a quick answer for you. You go to college so you can get a good job and make lots of money. This seems to be the popular answer. The word “successful” sneaks its way into the conversation more often than not.…
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Article comments
26 - Jennifer
Yep, I agree completely. My parents never told me to go to college but society did. Now I'm here and I also wish I was a writer but I haven't (and am arguably too far to) make the switch. Nice article!
27 - Max
I'm a business undergrad at an Ivy league school and everyday I learn something new about the world. I love it - and I'm paying for it. College is the best thing that ever happened in my life.
28 - Paul
I agree with Erik 100%.
Sorry, I don't have anything else to add!
29 - Kilroy
I would just like to say, I know exactly how you feel. I began my college career as a Biology major but soon found that that wasn't what I wanted. Sure my mom would have wanted me to continue on that path so I could be "successful" and "wealthy", but that wasn't what I wanted. I changed my major to English and haven't looked back since.
30 - Heather
...but what if those people carrying all their heavy biology textbooks ARE doing the thing that they love?
I know I certainly am.
31 - Jem
Wow-the commentary ranges from over-critical to simply people being defensive about pursuing what the author does not wish to pursue.
The author seemed to be making the point for him/herself-and I think looking through the glass of human interpretation to others' life situations. College is, for many totally pointless, and for others a wonderful enlightenment. Let us not forget that each person simply has personal references that cause for perspective 'truths' for the author going to college was a problem because, rather than becoming of an independent mindset vocationally he or she took a while to figure out how important intent and self direction truly is.
Telling someone to 'suck it up' and just go the four years is utterly ridiculous. Do you know how you can live in four years, rather than torturing yourself? Or maybe you belive torture is necessary for gain/happiness.
The point is that you can die tomorrow-so you better consider just how happy you are with each day and know where each proverbial step is leading you. If college is not making you happy-everyday-then leave and let no man decide your destiny based upon money or anything else for that matter.
The author makes a good point, for him or herself as well as for those in similar instances-and if you happen not to align then accept that and live your life.
32 - truth
you don't have to go to college.
the world needs ditch-diggers, too.
33 - Robin
I joined the USMC right after high school and got involuntarily separated when Clinton was downsizing the military in 1993. I have struggled ever since because I chose to defend this country rather than go to college. I have done many types of jobs, but found I enjoyed IT the most. However, it is hard to find a job without a degree. A simple piece of paper stating you know what you are doing. I am finally going to Univ. of Phoenix, at 42, working full time, school full time, and it is wearing me down. I know I know more about IT than kids who graduate fresh out of college, but the piece of paper normally gets them hired before the experience.
The Bachelor's Degree to this generation is like the High School Diploma in the 1980's. Our parents said that was probably all you would ever need. Too bad they couldn't see the future and see a high school diploma is no better than toilet paper in the job market today.
34 - Diego
I completely agree with comment 13. You sound like you're still in high school. You pretend like everyone is in the same situation you're in, and everyone needs to go through the same grand epiphany that you went through. Terrible all around, with an ending that made my stomach turn. The American dream? Really? And you want to write for a living?
35 - jj
As mentioned in the comments before, but it really is "too each their own". You went to college to try and please your parents instead of doing what you wanted. That was your choice, and I am glad that you finally got the courage to do what you want. I myself love Biology and Medicine. That is what I want to not because my parents wanted me to do so. I chose to go to university; I chose to enter into the sciences; I chose to apply to MedSchool.
I would hate being a writer or an artist... Now please don't take this as an attack on artists or journalists, but rather how I would feel in the situation. I would be bored, feeling like I was writing the same stuff over and over, painting pictures that few would see. I would prefer to find myself developing medicine that could save thousands, or working hard to improve patient's lives. Heck, I would rather be in a forest counting tree density for ecological research than being stuck writing newspaper articles.
Sure, you meant that people should follow their hearts, and not be focused on money. However, that is not what you said. You said that traditionally successful people never spend time with their kids. Kids are forced into college/university by their parents. That they are focused on money, and do what they hate. Working to death is the American dream, Ha!. The dream is possibility. The dream is the freedom to decide what YOU want to do, and, with dedication and hope, you have the opportunity to be anything.
36 - Jupiter
This is great. I agree 100% life is so special its not worth throwing away doing things that just consume you.
37 - 32bme
Love your words - I totally agree and its not just in the USA. (My age 50)
(you only really know when you are older)
Words my Father gave me .... do something you enjoy doing .....
(I worked for aerospace and designed in 3D)
I thoroughly enjoyed it and got a reasonable wage too.
Reason for getting a job you enjoy .......
Because you may be doing it for a lot of your life.
( To answer one of the comments above - digging ditches - if it is what makes you happy there is nothing wrong with doing that either - and some people that have good hard working jobs with good pay - they also do not have the same stress as people that ultimately can be sued by other individual for malpractice etc. )
38 - jordan
hello, i'm commenting on this article because i find myself in the same place. I grew up in Newcastle, Oklahoma, and I made my way into OCU on a full scholarship. I've been "successful" all my life because when your a student and your parents are teachers, success is good grades. now that i'm at ocu, i'm learning that it doesn't matter anymore. every day i consider throwing my books from my 4th floor balcony and getting rid of the problem once and for all. but i look around and see that everyone else keeps going to class.. and so i follow them. i'm miserable and i still have 2 years left. my only hope is that at the end of these 2 years, i will have met someone worthwhile and i am able to move on into the business world. i am happy with my major, info tech, and really want a job in that field. they say any thing worth having is never easy to obtain so i keep doing what i'm doing and hope that when it's over i still know who i am.
thank you for your article, i appreciate that someone feels the same way about the bs world they feed us at college. it's good because i often feel like i'm the only one who thinks this is a colossal waste of time. i want a job. i want money. somewhere i'm happy working. but more importantly i want to be happy with myself and my life outside of all that.
love,
jordan
39 - Alex Rohde
Hello, I don't know if you'll read this far into your comments, or how much attention you'll be paying if you do.
I think your piece brings up an interesting point and there is some truth to accusations you make. Many people seek material wealth out of a wish for parental approval and/or cultural acceptance through emotionally charged words like "successful." But I also think this piece brushes off the other side of the issue as quickly as the hypothetical biology student would.
Is happiness truly stemmed by a "job you love?" My experience derives more from not what what job you do but what kind of people you work with (an idea I've seen nobody address). Certainly you haven't worked enough jobs (has any one person?) to conclude with certainly that you'll hate all high-education jobs and like all creative-writing jobs.
Neither you, nor the doctor, is in a place to definitively conclude what career leads to happiness.
40 - Wizard
true! and you are a good writer.
41 - Roki
What about those who love biology? I started out as a biology major and loved it. I loved biology going in though. i didn't change my major until my second year in college because although I love bio, I don't like chemistry :/
but I totally agree that you should major in what you like, not what you think will earn you the most money.
42 - Aubrey
To those of you acting like not completing a money-making major equals no success, lousy jobs, lousy life: I laugh. And also groan. It is very sad that the majority of us seem to have no idea what life actually is, and yet THINK we have it all figured out and that therefore, differing opinions are wrong, wrong, wrong. As a result, there are people who never really live at all.
Good article for light reading. I would love to see a longer one with more depth.
43 - David
Please remember that some people are actually interested in biology and education for the sake of education....
44 - tom brokaw
so your saying the guy who didnt go to college who is now working at the gas station has more time to see his kids and do the things he wants in life?
45 - Silas Kain
Success is measured in dollars and cents in our society. Using this measurement, the businessman is rich, but doesn’t know his own son is successful.
My God, I LOVED this piece. Indeed, why bother with college? Well, unfortunately, college degrees do count for a little something in securing a job that will take you slightly above the poverty line.
As a student in search for truth, I have a few questions that I want to ask:Based upon your experience, do you feel you received a quality education at each level of school, i.e. primary, secondary and college?Do you feel that anything could have been done differently during your early years of education to prepare you for the reality that is today's society?Do you think that your parents realize now that things could have been done differently with your education?And last but not least, absentee parents. Do you think that the lack of parent involvement in most school systems has created a vacuum in the educational system?You see, contrary to conservative belief, it DOES take a village to raise a child in this society because we have caused it to be so. Families are forced into submission because they need the double income just to survive. It's no longer feasible in most households to allow mothers to be domestic engineers. They have to provide for the home and provide a paycheck. There's been a lot of talk about expense of child care. Perhaps that's an area where we should explore allowing schools to stay open to the supper hour. Perhaps we should have community-based, affordable after school care for working families. We need to provide fertile fields to our children rich in human interaction. Television, computers and yes, the Internet, are not alternatives to the human condition. They are enhancements.
46 - Ashley
I love this. I went through something similar. When I was accepted to my first college I immediately chose a major people would find "professional" : biology. My family told me that biology was good because I love science and there were many high-paying options. But by the time I entered my sophomore year, I left biology behind to begin studying abroad and getting my conservation degree. My family was confused and told me there were no high paying jobs in the field of wildlife unless I worked for the government.
I told them I didn't care. I want a job where I can travel, see the world, help animals and people alike, and I don't care about the pay, as long as I can eat, afford shelter, and clothes. I want to travel, not buy a fancy house and live a never-ending routine.
47 - TookieWill
it is hard to be successful in a field you are not passionate about. the thing about college is that you have more options when you earn a degree. people with no degree are forced into low paying jobs that they hate. you are fortunate enough to be able to search for a comfortable balance between a job u like and a job that makes good money.
48 - Jake
It's a shame you changed your major, you're a rather uninspired writer.
49 - Paul
Via Stumble Upon.
Great piece, but i don't entirely agree with you. My desire in life has always been to go into engineering, physics, or mathematics. NOT because either of my parents (nor anyone i know, for that matter) are in those fields, nor because i feel that is where i will make a lot of money. i genuinely love the subjects and the places they will take me.(it may be of note that i am only a high school student though, hardly concrete...) your point about monetary success being a "false allegory" for happiness is interesting, however. the point your trying to make, i think, is that people falsely pursue collage simply because that is what they think is expected of them, as in your case. this i agree with. well written , too.
also
50 - Aaron
You assume that the girl you're flagging down doesn't enjoy her Biology books. I'm studying to be an engineer. Why, because I love math, I love science, and I like the prospect of designing things to make the individual's life just a little bit simpler, and a little bit better. You can't condemn something because it pays well, just like you can't condemn it because it doesn't.
51 - Helen
I agree that people should not be piling on debt by pursuing educations they are not inspired to attain, but a lot of people want to be doctors and scientists, myself included. My parents are both artists who I never felt an ounce of pressure from to even attend college. I believed I was going to be an artist like them, but when I discovered neuroscience and zoology, I was hooked, for no reason outside of my own fascination. I won't mind being in debt, because I'll be studying what I love.
I found this piece to be poorly constructed, with very diluted arguments. It just seems like your mental model of the "typical" college student is way too one-dimensional. It didn't work for you, and college isn't for everyone, but science and medicine are extremely important fields. Not only that, but many people find science and technology-based careers interesting and fulfilling. I'm glad you made the right choice for you, but it's really not your place to go up to people with biology books and "flag them down and tell them to stop."
52 - Philip
It's a good article and message, but some people want to be biologists, chemists, and doctors.
53 - WRONG
yeah what a load of BS, when your kid wants to do some shit and you have no cash to do it. or your shit hole house needs fixed and youve no dough or you wanna go on a holiday and youve no dough, fuck that shit!
54 - cornonthecob
"Being a doctor is one of the few professions that actually can help people in a profound way."
Being a doctor is one of the few professions that actually can help WELL-OFF people in a profound way. You may not see most of the patients that need real help unless you are willing to work for free, or haggle with the insurance companies until they pay you a small portion of Medicare costs.
"With this in mind, your (apparent) take that no one really wants to become a doctor is pretty bizarre."
Actually, no. The Occupational Outlook Handbook lied when it said that doctors make $125,000 a year. That's Health Management Organization doctors, which make money on denying claims and having nurses do doctors' work. That means you generally won't pay back your loans unless you stick to the emergency room, or specialize.
"...doesn't force you to work 80 hour weeks unless you choose to do so."
Actually, no. When my dad did his residency, he worked 100 hours a week so he could keep up with expenses. Imagine being a doctor and working for minimum wage in order for them to graduate you from the program.
He saved for me to go to college, but didn't intend for me to go to medical school for how stressful it really is.
I have a degree in biology, but my parents wouldn't buy me a car in a very car-dependent region of the U.S., and the lot of jobs out there require two years experience or more, and relocation plus "reliable" transportation.
Without a car, I couldn't get a job to earn the degree I wanted. Without a job, I couldn't buy a car. Without a professional-level job,* I couldn't buy a DECENT car that passes inspection. So I am treating graduate school as if it's a five year military commitment(no offense to the military, which is pretty brutal), and using the first career to earn the means to the second.
For this day and age, I would still congratulate a Walmart employee for staying on for a few years. It's brutal, I admit, but it's also difficult to take classes at the same time.
And to other males out there, you can get a decent date without having a college job. To females and minorities majoring in biology and fields tougher, I salute you! And to everyone else, I hope you discover romanticism.
55 - alisha
ok i have started college and it's full of experience and i made lods of freinds and i feel confortable since i started and my teachers are funny cool.they always talkabout there personality and i love hearing much about them.we always laugh loud in the class coz people are soOO funny and they full of passion.they always nice to you that's why i felt comfotable since i started college.and believe me you feel responsable.i know that i feel stuped because im not ansering th answer but yeah...
your essay is marvelous lady.you should be glad of yourself.
thanks bye *alisha* :D
56 - Jack
Uh, it is quite possible to have money and a life. Hell, you can have money and still know how Junior is doing in school. Mayber before you paint everyone with your brush, you should learn more about people. Moron.
57 - Kyle
This is stupid. I'm a finance major and use a lot of books. I love my major. My dad's a partner in a law firm and works 60 hour weeks. Yet he still managed to make it to all my dporting events and spend time with me and my brothers when he got home and enjoy our time together on vacations (which we were able to go on because he worked so hard). This kid's father obviously didn't make time for them, and that's sad, but he doesn't need to equate being successful to being miserable. I'm in college to get a job and make money-- I WILL be happy with the time I spend working at the job I love(which I will be able to get only because I am going to college), and I WILL be happy with my fast car, huge house, and hot wife. You have fun... being independant
58 - shawn
People who think college is about success and a job have been misinformed. My peers from highschool that went into trades owned houses, got married and have babies long before I did. That is success for them and by most standards. Will the make more then me after 40+ years...most likely not but for the first 25 they have a jump on me by entering the workforce 6 years earlier with training in electrical, HVAC, plumbing or similar...
I sent my kid to college to get an education and to not expect a paycheck at the end...just be smarter then the average American who seldom values a well rounded and "liberal" education anymore.
The Get-R-Duns of the USA are dumbing down this wonderful country more then ever...