When did the generally accepted idea of college become:  ”I want to get a degree so I can get a good paying job.”  That sells the whole concept of education short for the majority of people.  If a person’s mind is focused on getting through college so he/she can get to the next step in the progression in life, then he/she is missing the ability of adding the tools needed to sufficiently survive and thrive in our modern world.  Unfortunately our generation for the most part has been raised by parents that try to take responsibility for our life and dictate our decisions for us.

While these parents may be caring, they are stripping their offspring of the instinctual human ability of directing his/her own life.  Responsibility for one’s actions are being removed which creates a culture of mediocrity and directionless living.  Many personal incidents have shown me how where the generations before us were shamed for not upholding certain values, we have turned the table and shamed people for not being valueless.  Being a drunk used to be a tragedy, now it’s the life of the party.  I don’t mean for people to be teetotaler’s either, just have more control of the substance instead of the substances control of people.

But back to what college COULD be.  It could be a place where human individuals learn how to get at the wheel of life and learn to drive at a pace they can handle.  Add more tools in each individual’s repertoire in areas such as 1) communication, 2) expression, 3) finances, 4) thought structuring and control of thoughts, 5) and self-actualization for starters.  Then you could add in some general health and hygiene for self-maintenance.  This would be a great starting point for an undergraduate degree.  Teaching personal responsibility first, then specializing in a certain trade or field of study.  What would a whole culture of people that were self-sufficient and self-directed be like?

Mark Twain once said, “Don’t let your schooling get in the way of your education.”  Well put sir, and I hope this inspires people to look at what they truly value and learn a lot about those things instead of letting outside influences tell us what is valuable.