There is nothing easy about college for most people. College puts you out of your comfort zone, keeps you up late at night studying or writing papers, and it takes away time that could be used to work on your passion. It’s this side of college that can turn even the most ambitious freshman to consider dropping out after the first year. Although college can be a pain at times, it’s worth it to stick it out.
Networking Opportunities
You may have friends or family that could help you get a job or point you in the direction of work, but that pales in comparison to the networking opportunities you will have at college. It may not seem like it for the first couple of years when you are sitting in a lecture hall of 200 strangers, but this will change over time.
After you finish your electives you will start to take a lot of classes in your field with a smaller group of students with similar passions. It’s this group of students who may be able to help you get a job someday since they are on the same career path as yourself. You will spend a lot of time working with these people in school, maybe you’ll even find a future business partner.
You’ll also have the opportunity to network with your professors. Once you start taking classes in your major you’re more likely to have the same professor for multiple classes. This can give you time to talk both in and outside of class with them about your passions. If the professor knows what you’re interested in, she may point you in the direction of a job or internship when upon hearing of an open position.
Hone Your Skills
You may think college is useless when you’re pursuing a career to be an artist, a writer, or musician, but school will help increase your abilities. Taking tests and watching half-hour long PowerPoint presentations won’t help you write the next great American novel, but despite popular belief, this isn’t the only part of college.
In class, you will have the opportunity to meet with a large group of people that can give you feedback on your work. Maybe you were the best guitar player in high school or you may have won a poetry contest when you were only 15 years old, but in college, you will meet people with equal or greater skill.
It’s these students and professors that can give you feedback and tips on your work to help make you even greater than before. Just remember, there’s always someone out there who’s better than you, and college allows you to learn and grow because of these people.
Eases You Into The Real World
After you graduate high school, you may think that you’re ready for the real world. You might even tell your peers that you’re mature for your age. Some people are able to make the transition easily, but you are likely not that person. The real world is tough and unforgiving at times, and college will help you prepare for it.
Most freshmen have little to no money and learn the importance of spending wisely and finding work. A lot of colleges even have programs and resources that students can use to get a job in or outside the school. They may not be high paying, but they will help out a broke student in a bind.
When you figure out what it is you want to do with your degree, the school will also have resources to help you get an internship in your field. It can be difficult or even impossible to get internships when you aren’t enrolled in or graduated from college.
Internships are the key to not only finding work, but also discovering your passions. A job may sound good on paper, but you’ll have to actually do the work in order to see if it’s everything you thought it would be.
College is important for many reasons, and these are just a few. It may not seem like something you want to be a part of when you’ve only spent a semester or two there; but that’s because it’s the second half of college that will be the most helpful to your future. Don’t let anyone convince you to drop out, the opportunities higher education presents is practically limitless.
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