OFF THE WALL: Musings on things I find on my Facebook Wall.

Sun, Mar 8th, 2009 at 10:58 pmgetsome

picture-1

This is interesting because on one hand, I think a lot of people ask themselves “could I have done all that I’ve done without a degree?”

Most definitely you can succeed without a degree (without a high school diploma for that matter). For me, I think the “System” of College is in need a 21st Century overhaul in that (at many schools),you are not being taught real time career  information in the classrooms. The people teaching you haven’t been in the field in years, the books are obsolete by the time they are printed, and most times you are not being taught that  success is more than the “good job.” You’ll have to find that out on your your own. In some respects, people who skip college have a 4-year jump in this department.

On the other hand I think college was a good thing. I take that back..I know college was a great thing [for me]. Yeah, it slowed me up from pursuing certain entrepreneurial ventures, but it opened up new ones for me. I started my first businesses in college, I met my wife at college and a lot of people that I ended up making money with, I met on that campus.

Its all about time and space. During those college years you are basically buying time to explore options. This is the only time you have to focus on who you are and what you believe without interference.  Its something about being able to capture those  experiences, that you would not have time to experience otherwise, bottling them up and utilizing them throughout your life that makes it worthwhile.   These are the times you experience your first taste of “contained” adulthood . These are the times where I woke up learning and went to sleep learning. Even if the lesson for today was that people from different places did different things (ie: Black people from Chicago said their city like it was three separate words. *Chi-Caaa-Go*)

And over the course of my college career I met so many people from so many different places  that I learned to go into each situation like: “What can I learn from this person? What makes this person unique?” Its these little nuances that makes all the difference as I do business around the globe.

School is Cool-But learning continues through eternity!

Spread the hustle!
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • email
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Print

Related posts:

  1. OFF THE WALL: I HEART THE BOSS

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

5 Comments

shay_D_lady  on March 8th, 2009

I totally agree with you. I could definitely have succeeded w/o my degree however I think that the cultural growth and maturation I experienced in college was well worth the money and time spent. College opened my eyes to the world beyond my doorstep. I think that as long as we instill the value of education while at the same time not selling our children the college=great wealth/life dream and let them know that a college degree is only a tool that can help you along the way and not make your way then it is okay to continue making college a priority for our children.

Mr. Muhammad  on March 9th, 2009

Shay D lADY–You hit it on the head w/ “at the same time not selling our children the college=great wealth/life dream” because college doesn’t guarantee anything. Its all about actualizing your purpose for me. And it doesn’t just happen at high school graduation. I try to instill the tools daily.

daddy-paddy  on March 9th, 2009

I agree with both of these posts. College is no guarantee for future wealth. You are given some tools and it is up to you to create something solid using those tools. My original post about the pursuit of the American dream was probably misleading. I was referring to a sense of failure some parents feel if they cannot afford to send their children to college. Is it their responsibility? Personally, I have learned so much from my college experience through blood, sweat, tears, failed classes (did I just admit that), loneliness, bad relationships, travel, student loans and a very small pell grant. I have friends today who I met the first day of classes. They are my anchors today. It took over 20 years to pay the money back after a tussle with the collections agent. And another seven years to rebuild my credit. If my parents had paid for everything and mortgaged their home, thus dipping into their retirement savings, I would not appreciate this great journey of life. I would not know how to turn Top Ramen into a full gourmet meal, or learn how to make at least 8 different versions of a quesadilla. I think that the family conversation about college will have to include how the child will contribute to his or her education because mommy and daddy need to focus on retirement. I do not have any children so I do not know what the sense of obligation feel like. Enlighten me.

Mr. Muhammad  on March 9th, 2009

I think now more than ever Parents are going to have to communicate the expectation of a graduate. And it will probably fall in line with how the kid is already being raised. If a child was always given to and never had to work, they will probably expect that going into college. Its really going to boil down to how a parent manages the relationship.

I just think we as parents look at our kids graduation from high school as a loooong way off. When in reality its is not that far. My son is 8, by the time Obama does 2 terms its graduation time…I got get s#$t in order.

R. Carter  on July 4th, 2009

Thank you for posting this! I definitely think college is worth it for me, although I completely understand that it’s not for everybody.

I think we as a society should be honest and frank about the fact that there are no guarantees once you get your degree.

And in reference to the original intent of daddy-paddy’s message, I don’t think parents should feel some sense of failure if they can’t afford to send their child to college. Of course there are exceptions, but I do think that for the most part affording college is in reach for most people who qualify.

Even if you have to do it like my mom did-the community college, then transfer route. Another option is trade school.

The person should also not completely depend on his or her parent(s) to make this happen if they want it.

Leave a Comment