Training Wheels of Adult Life by Alyssa

Training Wheels of Adult Life by Alyssa - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

In the twenty-first century, attending college is a vital endeavor for nearly all young adults. Pursuing higher education is definitely important now, as most job markets require college degrees to prove that a potential employee’s skill set is up to par. While some jobs may not demand a college degree, having one could still increase a candidate’s chances of being hired. Additionally, college can provide a trial of independent living for young adults just moving out of their parents’ homes. Most college students either live in dorms or rent apartments with roommates, but they no longer have their parents watching out for their every move. This limbo between the two lifestyles allows for mistakes to be made, such as dramatically catching an oven mitt on fire, without having the potentially fatal consequences if they were to happen alone. College can take an eighteen-year-old who thinks he’s invincible, knock him down a few pegs, teach him some lessons for both work and personal life, and then send him on his way into the workforce. Putting it simply, kids are dumb. They don’t know how to survive on their own or work a job just because of a number. It takes some actual experience, and college does its duty as the training wheels of life. Most jobs won’t hire a kid right out of high school because they just aren’t cut out for the job yet. A few years of life experience can make a huge difference in a person, taking in a party-loving teen and churning out a responsible young adult. College can’t teach everything necessary in life nor completely change the personality of a person, but nothing truly can. College is just a necessary stepping stone in the path of life, which, while it can be skipped, certainly smooths out the trail.