My family did not support my going to college. Hell, they didn’t even support my going to a 2 year school. They really truly believe that it’s just like the 50s and 60s when you could get by with a High School Diploma. Only the RICH went to college. Heh, kinda like now, only more so. (Jab at the severely reduced Pell Grant program that no longer pays for much of anything)
My brother has the money to buy a frelling $880 gas tank for his $13k Harley but he wouldn’t dream of starting his daughter a college fund. When I ask my mother about starting a fund so that I can contribute to it, she tells me that it’s not necessary because college is a waste of money. My dad says, “Well, I didn’t go to college and I did just fine. Why would you want to waste all that money on something that you don’t need? YOU never use YOUR college degree!” My mother also strongly believes that my college education means nothing because I don’t “use” my Spanish/French degree to do my work.
Pointing out that there was no WWW as we know it today in 1992 means nothing to them. They don’t even have an answering machine. Pointing out that just because I don’t use Spanish or French in my daily life doesn’t negate all the other stuff I learned means nothing to them. They don’t know who Munch is. They can’t tell the difference between Bach and Mozart. They have no use for knowledge about other cultures – they’ve never lived anywhere but Knoxville, TN. They’ve travelled a little, but bitched and moaned about the food, the lodging, the lack of TV, the water, the different languages spoken. They are the tourists who scream English at everyone and expect to be understood. Nothing I can say about the value of a four year degree means a shit to them. They build starter houses in Knoxville TN and that’s all they need to know. Everything else is just STUPID USELESS INFORMATION.
Well, to dispel the notion that a four year degree is useless, here is a list of 30 things I learned (directly or indirectly) from my 2 year and 4 year degrees:
1. The music industry is CRAP.
2. I know how to do basic audio engineering.
3. I know how to do basic concert rigging.
4. I know about theatre lighting and how to run a lighting board.
5. I know what ‘outboard gear’ is and can use some of it.
6. I know the difference between a Sennheiser and a Neumann.
7. I know the difference between attenuate and boost.
8. I know what an audio buss is.
9. I know how the radio/music industry works.
10. I know more about staging for theatre and music than most people.
11. I know what biased reporting is.
12. I can tell the difference between all Western languages and quite a few Eastern ones. I can usually tell Mandarin from Cantonese when spoken, for instance.
13. I know quite a bit about Spanish and French history/literature.
14. I know a lot about English lit.
15. I understand basic economics.
16. I know about learning disabilities.
17. I know a bit about anthropology.
18. I know a bit about geology.
19. I know a bit about astronomy.
20. I can tell a Manet from a Monet.
21. I know who Homer was and what he wrote.
22. I know about Leonardo da Vinci and the things he accomplished.
23. I can diagram a sentence.
24. I know the difference between a participle and a gerund.
25. I know what subjunctive tense is and which languages use it.
26. I know about Environmental Conservation and how to do it.
27. I know what Gothic spires and flying buttresses are.
28. I know how to write a coherent essay.
29. I know a bit about psychology, such as the difference between neurosis and psychosis.
30. I know how to think critically.
Of course there are myriad other things I learned and I could go on with this list for hours if I had the time. The point of this exercise is to illustrate that college is not about WHAT you take, but about opening your eyes to NEW ideas. It doesn’t matter what degree you get in college, IMO, it’s the act of LEARNING that makes it worthwhile. Getting a liberal arts degree opens your eyes to so many things you’d never otherwise see unless you are an exceptionally inquisitive person who reads a LOT.
I’m not saying that you must have a degree to know any of the things on my list, I’m saying that for a girl brought up by rednecks in Tennessee, it changed my life path. For many people it changes their life path. The commitment of attending classes and learning a broad array of facts changes your views in ways I can’t even enumerate.
A 4 year degree is expected for any job other than the low level ones these days. My neighbor’s wife just lost her teaching job because she didn’t have a college degree. It’s important! I wish my family would see that and prepare for my niece’s future, but they won’t. In the environment she’s in, she’ll either be pregnant at 14, a builder, a leech with no job or simply get married and be a breeder. [She chose the get pregnant at 17 option with a side of leech, btw. -A 2015]
My family thinks I’m a horrible selfish daughter because I “ran off” and got my education. They think I’m selfish for not staying in Knoxville and working in the family business. I think I defied them in order to SAVE myself from those things. I am happy with my life as a geeky web designer and p/t job holder. I’m GLAD to pay for that college degree that I fought so hard to get. It’s enriched my life and I wouldn’t change a thing. I don’t think that my leaving to pursue my own path is a horrible thing to do.
My advice to everyone is: DO WHAT YOU WANT. BE HAPPY. And to parents: Don’t expect your children to sacrifice their aspirations for you. It’s not fair.
Because life is short and you should enjoy it. Now, go have a drink to that!