Sarah Idzik’s article “Unprepared” in Share or Die is
pretty interesting. It basically talks about how transitioning from high school
to college isn’t easy, and that being the best in high school doesn’t mean that
you are actually prepared for college, or ready to handle the responsibilities
that come along with it.
In her article she also talked about her fellow
graduates. She pretty much said, “No one was doing anything that had anything
to do with their degree.” That relates back to one of my prior blog posts “Is College Good Enough.” Where I talked about college being worth the financial toll and mental and
physical stress that you take on as a student.
I felt like I really connected to this article in the
fact that high school was a breeze. I wasn’t an A student by any means but I
always ended up in a risky situation where I was in danger of failing but I
always pulled my grades up somehow and succeeded seamlessly with little or no
effort. When college becomes part of someone’s everyday life a new leaf is
turned and a new chapter is started.
Once in college we are no longer children and we have to
take care of ourselves, and take responsibility for our own actions and the
actions of people around us. We actually have to work for what we want and it’s
not just handed to us anymore.
Another of my previous blog posts “What is College Good For,” relates as well
in my eyes. If people aren’t able to get a good job and they can make a living
off of with a college degree than what is college good for? Just about nothing.
You can avoid all the financial debt of student loans by not going to college
and working fulltime and starting your career or moving toward your career
sooner in life. Some people even see college as a setback, and something that
holds you back from your future endeavors.
Sarah Never quit her job. She didn’t do exactly what she
wanted to with her career but she knew better than to quit with the economy
being the way it is. She saw all of her friends not doing anything, working a
part time job at starbucks. She did what she had to do in order to keep herself
going and to make sure that she was going to stay on track.
I like the fact that you brought up that even though you think high school is a breeze, college is nowhere close. Also the fact that even though you may not like the job you have, to stick with it because it is so difficult to get jobs now.
ReplyDeleteI agree too that high school was a breeze. It did not prepare me for college what so ever. I like your ideas in your post. I also agree with the statement about not quitting your job in hopes of getting another one considering the way the economy is. Sometimes we may not be completely satisfied with our job, but it could be a lot better than others.
ReplyDeleteI agree that college is sometimes difficult, but I feel that my high school definitely prepared me for JSU.
ReplyDeleteNathan, You did a really nice job of responding to the essay and relating it back to some of your previous posts. I especially like how you made connections between the issues addressed in those posts and the struggles that Sarah faced. You also provide some food for thought--maybe, for some people, they would be happier and better off financially if they didn't go to college or if they learned a trade or craft or even explored all of their career options before making the leap to college. If high schools are doing such a poor job of preparing students for college, maybe having to work and make a living would help them to prepare better. I know that, in general, my returning adult students are much better prepared for college and are better able to appreciate the benefits, responsibilities, and privilege of a college education.
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