What to do when that new car smell wears off

The Softer Side of Wes Tibbs

Well, here we are in the sixth week of school. By now, we've all had at least one exam, and ‘round about in two weeks, we'll be faced with the bane of happy-go-lucky college students—midterms.

Roughly, we're a third of the way through the semester, our shiny new notebooks have become a bit tattered, our pencils are a little shorter and the romantic notion of collegiate education has lost it's sheen in the face of realism

So far this semester, we have endured fee increases, payment deadlines, bad parking, hoops at the financial aid office, road construction, the Save Mart Center and Arianna Huffington.

The presence of these alone are a nuisance comparable to your roommate's obnoxious music, but add to them the rigmarole of papers, exams, reading assignments and day after day lectures we find ourselves mired in, and one has to evaluate the real reasons they’re here.

It can be well said that not everyone is suited for higher education because their life-goals can be accomplished through means other than a bachelors or masters degree, but is learned through practical experience or vocational school.

A good example of this would be the difference between an auto mechanic and a mechanical engineer. Both have similar mechanical aptitudes, but one has a more hands-on ability, while the latter’s is theoretical. It is good to keep in mind, though, that both had to engage in some sort of educational pursuit to gain their skills and knowledge—the mechanic’s education being more applied, and the engineer’s focusing on more intangible concepts.

On a side note, why either of these students should find the required art history general education requirement of any benefit is inconceivable. This is, perhaps, material for another column.

The point of it all is that there are many fields of work and personal growth that in no way require one endure four years of classes, tedium, hard work, pressure, hassles, worry and the expense of college. Although there is little work available for anyone who has not desired growth in their knowledge or practical ability, there is far too much emphasis on the value of a college education in today’s society and workplace.

So considering all of this, why are you here? Why are you in college? On a campus of more than 20,000 students, there are a thousand reasons, but every person has their own specific to them, and each person should ask themselves “Why am I here.”

Are you here for the social aspect of college? Are you here to learn on a philosophical level, finding value in the breadth of knowledge you hope to acquire? Did you come to learn a particular skill to make it big in business?

If you’re here because your parents sent you and are paying for it, have you really evaluated just for whom are you living? Are you here for your own benefit, or to pass the time on someone else’s buck? Is college something you take seriously? Should it be? Can you live without it?

For those on student loan paying their own way, are you getting as much out of your education as to makeyour amassed debt worth the load? Is your major practical enough to warrant going into debt over? Are you preparing for and keeping your eyes open for that job you hope to get to pay off the debt?

As students whose fees and state taxes pay for college, are the classes we are made to take worthwhile to us? Referring back to the example of the art history class, why should someone outside an art major be made to take this class when it has no application to their major? And why doesn’t an art major have to take an engineering class. Doesn’t sound fair.

For those who have only started, and are undeclared, take heart in that one of the purposes of your GE classes is to give you an idea of what you want to do for a living, however, these classes can be taken at a community college for far less expense.

The challenge for all is to ask yourself, in light of the hassle college can be, why you are here, especially when a job can be fulfilling even if you’re digging a ditch. If you have a reason, more power to you, but if you don’t, you are the only one who can decide how much a college education is worth to you, and if it is truly worth the labor.

— This columnist can be reached at collegian@csufresno.com