You Never Know What's Waiting Around The Corner That Could Change Your Entire Life by Dennis

You Never Know What's Waiting Around The Corner That Could Change Your Entire Life by Dennis - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

After already having earned two degrees (A.A.S & B.S.) and currently pursuing my third (J.D.), there is much advice that I wish to provide younger students with. I know from experience how important and consequential the final years of high school and the initial years of college are, and I can only wish that I had received more credible guidance at those points in my own life. This composition, then, is directed at those students in particular, with the hope that the advice contained herein will help someone in the way it could have helped me.

One piece of advice I wish to share is with regard to the process of deciding whether or not to attend college, and if so, which college or university will help you achieve your goals. Nowadays, many students feel obligated to attend college. It is true that college degrees are becoming more relevant in today’s society, but they are by no means a necessity. There are still many honorable jobs that don’t require a college degree, where vocational education programs are sufficient to provide the necessary knowledge and experience to perform those duties.

In the event that someone is to decide that they want to attend college, they need to perform a careful analysis of all of their options before making their final decision. As you probably already know, the current political atmosphere has spurred many conversations about the rising prices of a college education and the insurmountable amount of debt that many students are incurring throughout their education. One consideration I urge students to make is that of attending a community college to start their education.

In many cases, high school students haven’t the slightest idea what they’re passionate about or what profession they wish to pursue. And for those students that believe they have it all figured out, many of them will end up altering their paths, sometimes even within the first few months after high school graduation. Having this experience isn’t completely negative, as it helps students to narrow down what they’re interested in, and in many cases, sometimes more importantly, what they’re not interested in. Beginning your college education at a community college, even if it's just for a semester or two, can help students to transition into college more seamlessly, allow them to take a range of courses that will hopefully help them to understand more about themselves and about their interests, and save a fairly significant amount of money.

Too often people fail to completely realize the exact financial position they are putting themselves in by going to college. Students need to start making smarter economic decisions as to how much debt they are incurring throughout their education, relative to the job prospects of their particular degree. For example, if you know you want to be an engineer and the job environment for engineers is relatively welcoming, incurring a fair amount of student debt may still be economically advisable. If you happen to find yourself in the exceedingly common position of not having the slightest indication of what you want to do—don’t worry! But, be wise with how you spend your time and your money in the interim of discovering what you’re passionate about. If you do find yourself in this aforementioned position, it isn’t economically wise to invest in an expensive (sometimes $30,000 - $40,000+/year) education when you don’t know what you’re passionate about and therefore can’t research what the employment market will be calling for.

Attending a community college will give you the ability to enroll in a wide scope of different classes that sound interesting while simultaneously saving you money. I, initially begrudgingly, did exactly this. My parents were persuading me to do so because I couldn’t afford to attend a typical four-year college. It was in the fall semester of my second year of community college, however, that I enrolled in a random introductory law course and uncovered my life’s ambition. It was my unforgettable experience in that course that has shaped my entire life since and is the reason I am starting law school this fall. My point is, try new things, things you may not even necessarily be interested in at first because you never know what the outcome will be. I didn’t want to be a lawyer when I graduated high school, but because of a random class I took when I was 20 years old, in a few months I will begin my legal education and after three short years, I will be a lawyer.

I was apprehensive to start my education at a community college, mostly because of the stigma that accompanied doing so. In hindsight, however, I can confidently say that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. With the vast amount loans that students are currently accumulating, a community college is an unquestionably smart, responsible, and well-advised decision. So, I hope you consider what I have said in this short composition, after all, this is your future we’re talking about. And, if you do enroll in a community college program, even if you think you have your life figured out, take a wide range of different elective courses; you never know what’s waiting around the corner that could change your entire life.