Infinite Learning by Carly

Infinite Learning by Carly - April 2015 Scholarship Essay

Knowledge is power. This is a quote we have all heard and resonated with at some point in our lives. To many, knowledge is the purpose of gaining an education. Through our educational journey, we seek to attain a level of knowledge that allows us to feel superior to others in society. However, I think that is where the purpose of education becomes misconstrued. Education should mean more to students than simply a means to an end. Learning should be a self-serving act that one experiences for the betterment of themselves and not simply because society says we need a certain type of degree in order to be deemed successful.

Throughout my own journey from high school to a bachelor’s degree to now my aspirations to head into a master’s program, I have seen the evolution of my own educational goals and meaning. In high school, education simply seems like something that is required. You have to go to school every day and if you do not, you are reprimanded. There is little focus on long term goals because ensuring students receive the bare minimum of a high school degree takes priority. Moving forward, if students make it through high school and onto a higher education, they may spend years trying to find a career path that suits their liking. Even then, they may just settle for something they are good at or that is easier to attain because they feel pressed for time. I have seen this all too many times in what is now called the “super seniors” who end up staying in college for five to six years just in search of what to do next.

I, too, had a quarter-life crisis of sorts when I was approaching my graduation for my bachelor’s degree and still had no idea what I wanted to do. I could choose to endure the hunt to find work or figure out what to do to further my education. After much contemplation and trying to find reassurance in others, I realized what I should have realized all along; what’s the rush?

I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in criminology and then took a year off of school. In that time, I realized that the purpose of education is to learn about things that fuel a passion within and prepare you to do that skill in the real world. In my situation, that passion happens to be helping others, particularly victims of crime. I decided the best way to obtain the skills I will need to sufficiently do this job in the long term would be to gain a master’s degree in social work.

Fortunately, not everyone has to follow the same path with regards to education which I think is the most crucial thing to teach young adults. Whether you receive a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree does not matter. What you learn in the process of your education is what matters. Finding a subject or skill that you enjoy learning about is priority because education is never-ending. Education surpasses the learning we experience in a classroom. If you are truly in a career you feel passionately for, the education you will immerse yourself in will be infinite.