An education is no quick fix, which trade schools can imply, though it becomes a balance between highly expensive and quick, or the cheaper route taking a very long time to achieve. It’s easy to get lost in a field of frustration and to lose interest in goals if it seems like they’re taking forever to achieve. Work schedules, family needs, changes in schedules and frustration just makes it that much easier for a student to drop out of school.
Reaching the point where graduation is in sight can feel a lot like Frodo’s exhausting quest. Last semester felt a lot like I was dragging myself through the Dead Marshes, being led through bogs filled with eerie sparkles of light. This semester I’ve started working in my professional feild, and the lights which have grown dim from years of sitting in classes, questioning if I’m even going in the right direction, finally turned on. All it took, for me at least, was a taste of where I want to work someday. Finally, the clouds lifted and I feel like I’m back on track.
Finding a way to spark that energy back into my education wasn’t easy. It took lot of exhausting nights, jam-packed to-do lists and chaotic scheduling before I really looked at what I was doing to myself. Last semester I made the mistake of picking my classes after a stressful, angry day – which inevitably led to a stressful, angry semester. As a result, I was disorganized and pushed myself harder than I should have, and it showed in my grades and the bags under my eyes.
Getting through school can be a long and arduous trek, and keeping that momentum going can sometimes be harder than any test. Too many things along our path, from friends, relationships, kids, employment and family responsibilities, can lead us astray from even a well-planned path.
Having friends with the same goals, with the same challenges, can often lighten the load. The goal to graduate and become a better person, to have a job and live a good life is a lifeline between friends that can easily make or break a college education. Friends who have unhealthy study habits and life choices make it easier to walk away from responsibilities and harder to focus on work and turn in assignments on time. Teachers have little tolerance for excuses, especially those who push to prepare their students for a four-year university.
Once that momentum is found keeping it going is the hardest part. Keeping the end goal in mind can offer a realistic picture of where the path will lead. Those who volunteer or intern can literally get their foot in the door to their future profession. Students who put themselves out there and volunteer or intern have a better idea what to expect and what they’ll need to know once they get there.
As I step into my internship I feel like all this schooling has finally come together. Taking a test with the latest memorized terminologies is a far cry from sitting directly in front of someone and applying that hard-earned knowledge in person. Volunteering and interning has turned the question “Why do I need to know this stuff?” into “How will I use this someday?” … Which is a very different question than the one I asked myself before.
Getting that momentum going, finding it, keeping it, making it and breaking it all depends on the point of view of the student. Sometimes the strongest encouragement isn’t based on grades, but attitude and perspective. Keeping the goal in sight is what matters and only you can make sure you get there. Find something that draws you closer to graduation and keeps you going, whether it’s dollar bills, raising a child, having a nice house or just having a nice life. Your friends and family may encourage you, but that cap and gown only fits one, and this path is all your own. Make it count.
