Viewpoint: Just Warming Up: Don’t waste the chance for an education
By
Brad Jennings
September 26, 2006
Printed courtesy of Imperial Valley Press, El Centro, CA
I was a terrible student in high school. Awful, really. It drove my parents crazy — at one point I was grounded for an entire semester because my grades were so bad. It’s not that I was dumb. I just had that typical teenage laziness that infects so many people in this country between the ages of, oh, 14 and 19. I did enough to get by, and that was about it. I focused my time at Yuma High School (that’s right, I’m a proud Criminal) on friends and fun, with a little work delivering pizzas and some school mixed in. I thought that was a fine plan, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. After four years in the military and nearly two after that fruitlessly chasing a musical dream, I started college. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, but I knew it wasn’t drifting from one job to another. I wanted a career. The big difference for me in college was I tried. I listened, I engaged in discussions, I did the reading and studied. And the bottom line was wonderful: I learned. I realized my parents were right all along when they talked to me about the importance of education. They were both educators themselves, so they knew first hand its importance. I have thought many times in the ensuing years about how much more I would have gotten out of high school if I had given more myself.
Education has given me that career I wanted. Because of this career, I have been able to travel to and live in different parts of the country, get to know interesting people, have a positive effect on communities and continue to add to my education. I shudder to think what would have become of my life if I had not stepped foot in a college class. This is Higher Education Week in the Valley, and students and parents are getting a look at what colleges have to offer. There will be plenty of talk about programs and campuses and financial aid. I hope all students in the Valley are not only participating in the events, but are serious about college. This is not the 1950s when kids finished high school and went to work at the shoe store owned by their father. You can’t count on getting a good union job and be set for life. There are plenty of opportunities, yes, but you need an education to take advantage of the best ones. And the Valley needs its young people to go to college. We need our best and brightest to come back home after school and invest in the community. Our future is in the hands of these kids, and if we can’t impress upon them how important an education is, our future will look bleak indeed. If your eyes are starting roll back in your head as you read this, let me tell you a little secret: College is fun. Not “gee, this learning stuff is neato!” fun, but actual fun. You will learn to think for yourself, form your own opinions and express yourself as an individual. Teachers will engage you directly, and you will get a chance to openly discuss everything from literature to religion and philosophy. Your confidence will soar with your intellect. And guys, the girls will find you much more attractive. It’s true. If I had to point to one thing I took from college that has served me well in my career and in life, it is critical thinking. In college you are challenged daily to support your ideas. That makes you look at your thoughts and beliefs from every angle. You learn to express yourself in a thoughtful, concise manner. For those who are not ready to jump to a four-year university right away, check out Imperial Valley College. It is a great school with excellent programs that will prepare you for a university. It’s close to home and the cost is incredibly affordable. I went to a junior college first and it prepared me well for the university.
Remember that your education is in your hands, not in the hands of the college. Wherever you decide to go, you will only get out of it what you put into it. That is true in life and especially true in college. If you don’t show up for class you won’t get a detention. You’re paying for it, so you can do what you want. Miss enough class time and you will just be dropped. Pay very little attention in class and you will be wasting not only your time, but also your money. The biggest waste of all, of course, is to not choose education. I nearly made that mistake. Don’t you make it.