Advice Dated as College Itself
Let’s retire the exhausted mantra, “You need to go to college to be successful.” For many incoming freshman, four years of meticulous studying in high school have fallen short in helping to pick a major. While the world opens its arms to hard working high school graduates, many students have given little thought to a career path, while some are simply burnt out by school. Liz Freedman is the author of “The Developmental Disconnect in Choosing a Major”, an online article published on Penn State’s academic advisory journal “The Mentor.” In her article, Freedman cites a number of statistics such as the 20%-50% of students entering college as “undecided”, and the 75% of students who change their major at least once. …show more content…
While many students feel prepared to make their mark on the world, an increasing group find themselves lacking direction or the motivation to continue their studies. In her essay, “The Body Piercing Project,” author Josie Appleton discuses the rising statistic in body modifications worldwide. She quotes sociologist Anthony Giddens when attempting to explain this rising trend, “The main ideological framework that provided a system to understand the world…such as class, religion, or work ethic, began to erode.” Many classic factors in personality development have dissipated or fallen short in the millennial generation, and it reflects in their various trends, including their education. The fact that many of these students are unable to choose an area of study and maintain it for four years is an indication of a lack of individualism and life experience. As such, young adults have for many years taken a year off of their studies to travel and gain a broader view of their world. Travelling in its classical sense can often mean a limited budget paired with a lack of amenities. Exploring foreign locations with a language barrier and new customs is an enriching experience, which allows for young adults to gain new traits, discover their limits and strengths, all while remaining resourceful and tolerant. To take the time to explore the world does …show more content…
Deciding a subject to commit a lifetime to is seemingly the most defining moment a person can have. While attending a university is a valid choice for gaining a fresh perspective on the world, students must realize the most important question of all, is college the best option? Today’s generation of millennials posses choices unavailable to those before them, all while facing a rapid shift in career trends for year to year. Whether students choose to devote a year to travel the world, attend a vocational school, or even acquire a degree’s worth of information for free online, the alternatives to a college degree as a next step after high school or ever increasing. While loved ones and friends may make dated claims of college being the wisest path towards a successful career, students must avoid such advice by remaining updated on current educational trends. For many, a university is the optimal environment to pursue their field of study, such as business majors or marketing majors. Yet for most majors, students are able to access much more information through local free resources both on and offline. Travelling allows students who are unsure about their direction to gain some real life experience through resourcefulness and tolerance. A skilled trade can be a more economical and guaranteed career path. Online educational sites such as Khan Academy are supported by
Let’s retire the exhausted mantra, “You need to go to college to be successful.” For many incoming freshman, four years of meticulous studying in high school have fallen short in helping to pick a major. While the world opens its arms to hard working high school graduates, many students have given little thought to a career path, while some are simply burnt out by school. Liz Freedman is the author of “The Developmental Disconnect in Choosing a Major”, an online article published on Penn State’s academic advisory journal “The Mentor.” In her article, Freedman cites a number of statistics such as the 20%-50% of students entering college as “undecided”, and the 75% of students who change their major at least once. …show more content…
While many students feel prepared to make their mark on the world, an increasing group find themselves lacking direction or the motivation to continue their studies. In her essay, “The Body Piercing Project,” author Josie Appleton discuses the rising statistic in body modifications worldwide. She quotes sociologist Anthony Giddens when attempting to explain this rising trend, “The main ideological framework that provided a system to understand the world…such as class, religion, or work ethic, began to erode.” Many classic factors in personality development have dissipated or fallen short in the millennial generation, and it reflects in their various trends, including their education. The fact that many of these students are unable to choose an area of study and maintain it for four years is an indication of a lack of individualism and life experience. As such, young adults have for many years taken a year off of their studies to travel and gain a broader view of their world. Travelling in its classical sense can often mean a limited budget paired with a lack of amenities. Exploring foreign locations with a language barrier and new customs is an enriching experience, which allows for young adults to gain new traits, discover their limits and strengths, all while remaining resourceful and tolerant. To take the time to explore the world does …show more content…
Deciding a subject to commit a lifetime to is seemingly the most defining moment a person can have. While attending a university is a valid choice for gaining a fresh perspective on the world, students must realize the most important question of all, is college the best option? Today’s generation of millennials posses choices unavailable to those before them, all while facing a rapid shift in career trends for year to year. Whether students choose to devote a year to travel the world, attend a vocational school, or even acquire a degree’s worth of information for free online, the alternatives to a college degree as a next step after high school or ever increasing. While loved ones and friends may make dated claims of college being the wisest path towards a successful career, students must avoid such advice by remaining updated on current educational trends. For many, a university is the optimal environment to pursue their field of study, such as business majors or marketing majors. Yet for most majors, students are able to access much more information through local free resources both on and offline. Travelling allows students who are unsure about their direction to gain some real life experience through resourcefulness and tolerance. A skilled trade can be a more economical and guaranteed career path. Online educational sites such as Khan Academy are supported by