When deciding to go to college, one does not go based on the expectation of simply learning more.
Students go to college in order to graduate with a degree in a field of their interest, so that they can obtain a financially stable job.
Many students come to Mason to take advantage of its location and so that after they graduate they can find a job in the metro area.
Of course students will learn more despite their intentions.
However, the attitude toward many classes shows that students don’t really want to be there, but instead that they are only there in order to fill that requirement for their degree so that they can graduate.
Even during the first week of each semester, when everyone gets to play those oh-so-fun ice breakers about themselves, teachers will ask about their goals.
They will ask you to say your name, major, an interesting fact about yourself and what you want to do with your major.
I know when I am asked these questions I always say I’m not sure what I want to do when I receive my Communications degree and that I just want to find a job.
I think that many students feel this way. In today’s society it makes sense to want to get a job right away because people feel like it is what they are supposed to do. Whether the media influences you or you were raised that way, getting a job is usually a necessity. It is unfortunate that people aren’t as excited to learn.
Don’t get me wrong—I know there are certain majors that people choose for the purpose of purely learning more.
For example, maybe a biology major’s focus is not centered on obtaining a job right away, maybe their goal is all about research.
Majors that possess a lot of research that can be constantly updated offer the option to continuously expand their knowledge.
It definitely depends on each student, but I feel that the overall goal of coming to college is to graduate and get a job.
Then there is the aspect of whether or not to enroll in graduate school to get your master’s degree or just stick with your bachelor’s.
Again, it is case sensitive for everyone, but if your goal is to get a job, getting your master’s is just one more way to stand out to future employers. You hear ‘future employers’ a lot in your classes too.
Everything about your college career is geared to what will look good on your resume in the future.
If you are in an organization and you volunteer multiple times, they encourage you to keep track of what you did to get an internship, so in the end you have a job.
Wanting to go to college to get a job is not necessarily a wrong or bad goal, it just seems stiff. Instead of wanting to further our knowledge about something we love or being able to enjoy our classes, we get stuck with a mindset of hurry up and graduate.
Many students are on the fast track to fulfill their credits, get that degree and enter the job-hunting world and not truly better their understanding of their major.
The four years we spend in college are supposed to be some of the best years of our lives.
Maybe if we keep that in mind from time to time, being on that fast track to the real world won’t be as stressful.
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