Ok, this is just an insight post. Being a college senior and involved in various organizations, stress gets a bit high for me at times. I know that there are a lot of people like me who feel the pinch of the "real world" or suffer from severe cases of senioritus, so really I'm talking to you.
Recently I bombed, and I mean BOMBED a history exam. Why am I putting this information on the web? Because I'm real. I feel like I represent the everyday student, ok, maybe not the everyday student, but the 'dreamer' students. I'm a musician, I eat, drink, and breathe melodies and rhymes, so for me to make it this far in school is a big deal. It's not that I don't value learning, it's just that I've lost my faith in the education system.
A lot of professors will tell you that they don't care about a letter grade; that what matters most to them is that their students learn...damn that sounds like a beautiful theory, too bad it only ends there. I can count on one hand how many professors actually spoke to me as a person who wanted to pass along their knowledge rather than throwing facts at me and leading me to water to see what I've learned, "Hope you know how'da swim b*tch!!" *KICK*
I love learning, I don't do it very often, but picking up a book to learn about something is cool to me. This is only when I have free time, and I'm not worried about what concept my teacher feels is most important. Half of the classes I'm taking will prepare me to be involved in some sort of media outlet, yes, but what stresses me the most is the fact that the best paying jobs are nowhere near my field. These days it's all about engineering...I'm a journalism major, you do the math. I'm not nosey enough to be a journalist. I don't want to ask a whole bunch of random people questions on something I don't care about, I'd rather be behind a microphone slaying a track about why I can't stand a girl, how we as a human race need to get it together, or just how nice I am at rhyming, period. We as a society have strayed from what it means to be happy. I'm tired of people lying to these kids about following their dreams, only to tell them 12 years later that their dreams are stupid/flawed/or unrealistic. I'm only here for a piece of paper that deems me qualified in a field I have little interest for. A columnist, maybe. It's more up my alley, but reporting...not so much. Unless it dealt with music (lol).
So in all kids, follow yourself. If you want to be a comic book writer, cool. If you want to be a dancer, cool. A rapper, well you're going to have to see me, but still, cool (lol). Learn along the way though. it's ok to pick up a book and see how things work or where we come from. Everything you need to be educated is in a library, don't let these nubs tell you anything different. It's a trap. Do better than I have. I'm going to make it, but I'd rather be honing my skills elsewhere. Happiness first people, and I'm out.
I don't hold much stock in the "facts." I guess that's why most of my upper level courses don't have tests. You sink or swim with your writing. You're a strong writer with room for improvement. But you'll notice I make the same comment over and over, which in a way is a good thing because they're easy "mistakes" to correct.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a professor who may not have a job next year, I feel your frustration with the field. If you can blend the personal style you introduced in this post with your passion for music, you could be a capable music critic (just don't forget the hyperlinks and embedded video).