Freedom to Fail by Jailyn

Freedom to Fail by Jailyn - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

I believe that attending college is important. College provides a range of opportunities and experiences for various age groups, opportunities that are likely to progress their life to some degree. My mother was the first person in her family to go to college. With her education, she left the Airforce and pursued a career in teaching while raising my oldest sister. While the military does provide a secure pathway for many, earning a college degree allows for more flexibility. Moreover, her experiences combined produced the grit required to follow your passion and achieve financial stability.
Having first earned my associate degree from a local community college, my perspective on college has become more holistic. Community colleges provide many with the opportunity to earn advanced degrees, change their career path, or return to school to finish their education; all to gain more financial freedom. Largely, acting as an inspiration to the people around them, graduates are 16% more likely to get hired than someone with only a high school degree according to the National Center of Statistics. Attending community college was used as a tool to motivate the households of adult students and acted as a primary source for essential job markets such as healthcare and IT.
Attending college is important because it provides most young students with an introduction to adulthood. Figuring out how to pay for college, room and board, and food can lead students to take out loans, work a job, or apply for scholarships. Not only will navigating college finances provide the potential to build financial literacy but it also builds networking skills. Learning how to communicate with people of diverse experiences is essential to successfully navigate the contemporary workplace. The essential lessons of college are all circumstances applied to adulthood, factors that college students can take baby steps in understanding. Overall, the importance of college is multifaceted; providing a safety net of support, freedom to fail, progress their occupation title, change their career direction, or start a new profession altogether.