When we were talking about Elliot going back to college for his 2nd semester, Amy made a comment:
“Of course you have to go to college, so you can get a good job.”
Both Mike and I instantly interjected. No! The purpose of going to college is not to get a good job. That may be a benefit, yes, but it is not the sole purpose.
So why spend thousands of dollars and invest a chunk of time into studying something that you may or may not use directly in making you money in return? Not only that, I don’t even like the values being taught at most colleges.
School, starting with elementary through high school and into college, is to educate an individual.
The Dictionary.com definition of “educate” as “to develop the innate capacities of, to stimulate or develop the mental or moral growth of, to develop or refine (one’s taste or appreciation, for example)”.
Sure, you can develop and stimulate your mental and moral growth in many ways. Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, etc. etc. etc. never went to or finished college. And I am sure you can think of examples of people who went to college that you would not consider educated.
College, as with almost anything in life, is what you make it. If you go in thinking you will learn a trade, and get a job, that’s what you will get. If you go in thinking you will party, socialize and have fun, indeed you will find it there.
But if you go to college with the intention of developing your mind, college will certainly do that.
It is not a place where you find all the answers. Your professors do not know everything nor are they always right. (Side-bar comment here: especially “woman’s studies” or other such disciplines that seem to just advocate the feminist viewpoint with which I disagree.)
College is certainly not the only avenue to be educated. But where else can you get different areas of study conveniently congregated in one place? Where else can you most likely find like-minded people who share your interests? Where else can you be forced to discipline yourself to study a topic that you may not even know existed? Where else can you explore various areas of study and discover your passion?