Many students are asking themselves if College or University is really worth it, considering the amount of student loans they're graduating with and the fact that some can't find jobs. I do believe that your odds of being successful in life are greater if you have an education. I know we've all heard of Bill Gates and Mark Zukerberg, and time and time again I hear teenagers talk about how successful these two are and they didn't finish University. But let's not forget they both got accepted to Harvard before dropping out to pursue their own businesses. Most people are not going to create the next Microsoft or Facebook. These two individuals are exceptions to the rule. I don't say this to discourage anyone trying to start their own business or pursue their dreams, I just want to point out that they were both pursuing their education prior to the launch of their businesses.
Education sets the foundation for any business and also provides networking opportunities for you to meet other students that could be on the same path as you.
Unfortunately many students have found themselves in more debt than they can handle after they've completed their studies. I took a different approach with my education than the average person and in the long run it worked out better for me. I am not a big fan of debt as I am sure you are aware of if you've read previous posts. I was constantly looking for ways to pay for school without having to go into a lot of debt. I wrote about how I paid for my education in
this post.
There are many ways students can pay for their education without racking up thousands of dollars in debt. There are scholarships, grants, tuition reimbursements through companies, and there's the old fashion way of paying for it by working. This really isn't a bad idea! If you are not in a rush to finish, consider taking your degree on a part-time basis. Some Colleges and Universities offer online and evening courses to make it more convenient. You could work full time and pay for the courses you could afford until you're finished. If you take this route, try finding a job in your field of study while you're pursuing your education. Companies love employees who take continuing education courses, it means you are taking the time to remain current in your field. When you graduate who do think will most likely want to promote you. You will also have more experience than the student who graduated with only an education and no experience. Besides think about how many people are applying for the exact same jobs at graduation. Your odds are much smaller when you're competing with thousands of other applicants at the same time. This is what I did and it worked. It took me longer to finish, but I was working alongside people who had a degree when I was still obtaining my degree.
Although I have absolutely no regrets with both College and University, there are some things that I didn't learn in school that are extremely important for success.
Ambition, this is something that I learned growing up, watching my mother hustle to take care of two kids on her own. I don't remember seeing my mother sleep a lot when I was young. She was always on the go and always looking for work.
Passion, this is something that has to come from within. A strong desire that you have to complete something or do something in this world to make your mark.
Persistence, being able to maintain an action regardless of what obstacles come your way is extremely difficult. But to accomplish big things, persistence is needed. I also learned this from my mother and not in school. She always taught me to never give up and to never allow my vision to be clouded by what's in front of me.
Lifelong learning is something I didn't realize I would have to do until I finished University. How naive was I! It wasn't until I finished, did I realize that if I plan to be all God wants me to be in this world, I have to continue to educate myself and be open to learning new things.
Education never really stops, unless you stop it!
