Why Everyone Should Go To College (It's NOT To Earn A Piece Of Paper)

I am a college dropout. That is what society will undoubtedly label me if I continue to utilize oxygen without accomplishing anything of value, so I might as well get used to the box and baggage that I am awarded along with the title. From now on, people that I have never met face-to-face will know how unmotivated, below average and dull I am, before I ever have the opportunity to look them in the eyes and shake their hand. Thank you society. But, despite the initial disadvantage I may have given myself by withdrawing from an academic institution that no longer served me, I still believe that everyone should go to college. Despite the fact that many of these public institutions are tremendously overpriced in an effort to discourage specific demographics of people from pursuing a specialized education, I still believe everyone should go to college. I clearly cannot advocate that everyone completes their college education, or even values it while obtaining it (hypocrisy is one of my BIGGEST pet peeves), but you should go to college nonetheless.

Admittedly, this opinion assumes that everyone desires success and is willing to expand their worldview in order to obtain it. You see, opportunity, unsurprisingly, is the literal key to success. Any spiritually, emotionally, financially or any other (adjective)ly successful person obtained their success as a gift. Everyone has the potential to receive the gift, and some are lucky enough to have multiple shots at accepting this gift. Ultimately, those who accept it and take advantage of the gift are the “successful” few. The rest, become the “unmotivated” spectators. By the way, opportunity is the gift...just in case, you know, whooosh.

Regardless of your race, religion, sexual orientation, innate talent, work ethic, or favorite sports team, you are defined by the opportunities that you take advantage of in life. We are all given various opportunities to achieve more at different times in our lives. Many of us are satisfied with sitting back, sipping tea, and patiently waiting for these opportunities to arrive, neatly packaged and extravagantly labeled with our names on them. Totally viable. But, I discovered a different strategy. Assuming that the average person is woke enough to comprehend two out of every four opportunities that smacks them in the face, and motivated enough to take advantage of at least one of those two, the secret to success is clearly being placed in a hub of opportunities. Enter, college. Accredited academic institutions are experts in providing extraordinary opportunities to those lucky souls who are capable of paying their tuition. Where I grew up, people do not travel to foreign countries for several weeks, obtain experience organizing conferences for thousands of people, or get personally invited to speak publicly at community events. College did that for me. Any college alum knows that there is no place on a college campus where potential life altering opportunities are not being plastered onto walls or shoved down your throat. On a college campus, you can even find students encouraging other students to stop studying in favor of this opportunity or that opportunity. These golden eggs of fulfillment disguise themselves as adventurous study abroad trips or daunting career fairs, glorified leadership experience in a professional society or practical networking with influencers within social organizations, they all have the potential to open THE door for anyone willing to turn the knob.

History tells me that Mark Twain once stated “Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” If education is a life-long pursuit, college is the perfect place to live out this sentiment. As an aspiring polymath, I can honestly say that no other community has succeeded in expanding my worldview as much as the community at the Colorado School of Mines. In addition to the many keys sprinkled about a college campus, these communities tend to be centers of diverse thinking. Mines introduced me to bouldering as a means of exercise, network marketing as a tactic to obtain financial independence, Teach for America as an effort to give back to my community, League of Legends as a form of (frustrating) entertainment, the arts as a means to understand the sciences, and many other skills or ideas which continue to mold the way that I think to this day. Regardless of society’s outlook on college dropouts, I know that I am a successful individual, but I have certainly not peaked yet. I seized and utilized many keys while attending college, but the doors I opened have only led to more opportunities. My three years of higher education permanently expanded my worldview, and whether you decide to dropout as well, or follow through and obtain a degree, I suggest everyone attends a university at least once in order to fully immerse themselves in the diverse, forward-thinking, opportunistic culture that these spaces breed.

Now, I know what you are thinking, and of course you are right. College is not the only opportunity hub available in the 21st century. Academia is not for everyone, and I would never support a system which believes otherwise. I know successful people that never went to college, but are equally as fulfilled. Nowadays, the internet is overflowing with success stories from people who claim that college is a scam, and the true path to personal fulfillment lies in creating opportunities for yourself. I don’t entirely disagree with these people. However, similar to energy, opportunities can not really be created, they must be transferred or shared. In my experience, people who are dissatisfied with life spend too much time attempting to forge the keys to success for themselves. Ultimately, college has taught me that this is a monumental and futile task. Successful people do not create success, they receive it. They place themselves in positions of opportunity and actively turn the knob when given a key. Go to college, go to a trade school, go to a conference, actively participate in an online community; your hub of choice doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you surround yourself with others looking to expand their worldviews and definitely embrace the cringe worthy opportunities when they finally smack you in the face. Ultimately, that is what college is all about. Living life to the fullest in the midst of the chaos, loving every second of it, and learning that there is ALWAYS more to learn.