To Succeed or Not Succeed by Deja

To Succeed or Not Succeed by Deja - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

What is success? Success is one of those words that has a different meaning to everyone. You may consider yourself successful if you’re financially stable, happy, and/or have a family. College is something that is closely associated with the mainstream idea of “success”. You go to school, get a degree, get a good job, and make a lot of money. But, with the emergence of so many new jobs that don’t require a degree, is college necessary to be successful?
Some of my favorite hobbies are cleaning, cooking, and organizing. If I wasn’t passionate about my future career, I would be happy to do a million other jobs that utilizes those skills, and I would still consider myself successful. But, because of my desired job, I do have to go to college in order to fulfill my current idea of success. And, college would be an ideal situation for me to build a network, portfolio, and resume in my desired field. So, personally, I would consider college necessary.
During a pandemic, society is starting to change their idea of success. Food workers, sanitation workers, bus drivers, etc. are risking their lives everyday to keep even some semblance of society running, and none of them needed a college degree. I would consider these heroes to be successful. They are the only ones stopping us from collapsing into a dystopian society. They are some of the biggest success stories to come out of this pandemic.
Not to discredit people who have gone to college. During a time like this, doctors are putting themselves in the front line everyday. Though they save lives every time of the year, especially during a time like this, they are the true successes. A time where teachers have to unexpectedly readjust and still give us an education, they are the true successes. A time where journalists are seeking the truth to keep us informed during these uncertain times, they are the true successes.
To settle this long held debate, college is not necessary for everyone. While we’ll always need doctors and lawyers,and we’ll always need our sanitation workers and store clerks. Everyone doesn’t need college for their success story. Having a degree shouldn’t define someone as a success or not. Everyone should be allowed to follow their personal definition of success, wherever that may lead them.