Random Prompt | #1
What Advise Would You Give a Person attending a university now that you've Completed your Education?
Don’t buy a single book until you Google the PDF version of it. It doesn’t matter what version you find. You’ll save 100s of dollars, you’ll need.
Don't go unless you've got the money to waste.
If you are not going for medical, law school, engineering, teaching, or anything else that involves a certification or proof of education, don't go.
If you don't know what job title, field, or major, don't go until you figure something out. “You’ll have 2 years to figure it out.” Why do they say this? Those 2 years will not put you in courses that will help with building interest in any of the degrees a college offers. Take time to figure this out.
Financial Aid ain’t shit, if you are attending an expensive college or a less expensive one. Pell Grant will probably pay 10% to 40% of each semester. Think about where that other 90% to 60% is coming from.
Working while in college is a thing.
Pay off those loans NOW and pay the max amount you can.
Taking a semester or a year off is a thing. There is no such thing as graduating on time. I mean, there is, but you’re an adult. If life happens, take that time off. You can always come back.
College is not a requirement for a lot of jobs today, but it may still be an old way of thinking for some people. A lot of experience can take the place of education.
Find internships, co-ops, and research opportunities related to your field. Those will help when looking for work after graduation and even lead to a full time offer after graduation.
If you can afford to live by yourself, go for it.
The Fun
Moving out of your parents’ house. They won’t be there 24/7. It’s all on you. To get up on time. To go to bed on time. To study. The adult things that you don’t think about because your parents were there to do it for you. Adulting.
Figuring out your life routine outside of your parents’ house is the fun part. On your own. Find a routine or system that makes you a functioning adult. Set this up first, and you will be good.
I basically just went with the flow. I didn’t realize that I had a system until I realize that I was up early every morning. I would shower (after the custodians clean the bathroom for the morning). Get dressed. Head for breakfast. Go to class. Skip lunch. Study. Class. Dinner. Study. Chill. Bed. Repeat.
This was my routine for the first 2 years. Then I made friends. So then I would go to lunch with them. Studying became study sessions with friends. Group naps in the lobby or classrooms. This system has been solid for years now. I still do this years after graduating. Minus breakfast. At some point, I skipped that meal altogether and would just have a late breakfast/early lunch.
There is no one to tell you, you can’t do that or this. It’s up to you to decide.
Don’t Go At All
Start now. Whatever it is. Start now. There is so much information out there. YouTube, MIT, and Coursera have so many courses available for free. Want to be a writer, start writing, start putting you work on the internet, and take writing classes. You could skip college. Want to be a developer. Get a computer and get to work. This topic along has so many free content, YouTube, MIT, Freecodecamp. Want to be an editor, get to editing. YouTube, Tiktok, Twitch, all have a need for editors. Video or photo editing is in demand. Just take content you already watch or topics that interest you and create something more from the original video or photo.
A lot of the things you want to do can start online. Google it. Find some books, websites, blogs, and YouTube channels and take in the information.
And if you can’t get through the free information, how will you do in a college environment or even a work place? Go for something that piques your interest or pays enough money for you to be miserable at work and happy once you clock out.