Over the weekend I noticed that a few of my friends were all abuzz about graduating from college and to the next stage of their lives. (To the class of twentyleven: this ain't a hate piece, congrats y'all!) While I felt happiness for them, it reminded me of my own aborted college career, ended by my choice. You see, this would have likely been my graduation year had I stayed in school (well, technically, I was out of high school in '05, but everybody knows nobody finishes college in 4 years) and the event forced me to take a little stock of my life since the graduation that apparently doesn't count. In other words, just what the fuck have I been doing with my time the past few years besides ingesting mind-altering substances, watching TV, and writing this bullshit?
Looking at it from the outside, I could see how it looks like I'm headed for about 40 more years at this soul-crushing place followed by a small retirement party with a supermarket sheet cake and a surprise unveiling of a gold plaque over a urinal memorializing my contributions to the company, followed by a long slow death unfunded by either Social Security (yeah, I'm 23, I know that's fucked by the time I need it) or any kind of retirement savings, since I make about what a Chuck E. Cheese mascot makes with a couple hours of overtime.
Meanwhile, my friends had clearly been hard at work studying, improving, striving towards their degree...making visible and outwardly trackable improvement to their lives and walking the clear and marked path to the life they want...and here I was spending the better part of the last 5 years either stuck looking busy at my dead-end job or on my couch watching cartoons and "Cheaters" (and other adult live-action cartoons). I'll be honest (and you won't see me type this much) but for half a second I felt jealousy.
There they were, all full of book-learnin' and off to go challenge life armed with a bachelor's degree, training in their field, and the largest average debt in US history. I can't lie, I wanted a piece of that (not the last piece though). The people who recently graduated invested the last few years in their own lives and gotten some return...what did the past 5 or 6 years get me besides my own corporate email address on Microsoft Outlook that I never check? Had I really just wasted the last half a decade while people I know were off to bigger and better things?
I really had to think about it. I ran the above paragraphs over and over in my head...eventually they ran into and over each other, and out of the whole confusion came enlightenment. Life has a funny way of giving you an education whether you pay for it or not if you're willing to take notes...I realized I'd been doing just that for at least the past year and a half. Just what the fuck have I been doing with my time the past few years besides ingesting mind-altering substances, watching TV, and writing this bullshit? Not too much of anything...but I have fun doing it and apparently y'all have fun reading about it. What did the past 5 or 6 years get me besides my own corporate email address on Microsoft Outlook that I never check? 5 or 6 years of very interesting and relevant life experience. Had I really just wasted the last half a decade while people I know were off on a marked path to bigger and better things? Maybe not...I might have used it to find a direction myself, and that's something not included with tuition at any institution in the world.
It didn't take me long after that to realize I'm a different person than the one that collected a high school diploma coming up on 6 years ago...and ain't that what growing up is all about? 6 years ago, I believed that college was the only way to a decent life...now, I've grown enough to know better. 6 years ago, I thought the only indication that you were learning something was high grades and the approval of those with "credentials"...now, I know the fact that I know that's bullshit is plenty of indication that I've learned a lot. 6 years ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life...now, after majoring in living with a minor in writing, I'm reasonably sure I want to go into my field. Somewhere between June of '05 and now, I graduated. (and since it was a class of one, guess who's first in the class?) Anybody who disputes that can...heh...suck a valedictorian.
6 reasons this post doesnt suck:
I'm glad to hear you're not the same guy you were when you were eighteen. Though you know how I feel about college, I also know there is more than one way to lead a successful life. You're a talented guy who I'm sure will do well. Happy graduation! ;)
It seems to me you've already achieved you doctorate in down-to-earth good sense and self-awareness. Plus, you have one of the quickest and sharpest wits I've ever encountered. I can easily imagine you doing stand-up or writing for film or TV. Not that you have to do any of that. You're a success just as you are.
You have your own corporate e-mail address? Nice.
It sounds to me like deep down you may want to go, and if you can afford to do it, I would say go for it. Your only 22 anyhow, I ended up going back to college at 29.
At the end of the day it will only make you a specialist in a field, and not necessarily any smarter. It will open a lot of doors for you, but I found all the entry positions in my field did not pay enough for me to live on, so I actualy went back to my old work.
Thanks y'all...glad you decided to attend my graduation post/party!
@ PBScott- every once in a while I get a quick urge to go back, but mostly I think I'm on a good path...you're definitely right about the entry-level jobs though, this sucks and doesn't pay well enough to suck as bad as it does!
All graduation count. Everyone can appreciate/understand the work it takes to graduate on any level.
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