The university is a great place to learn neat things in the field(s) that you’re interested in and can be the medium through which you find kick ass parties and grow as an individual. These stories of college life are generally true, but there is one myth that is told over and over again and is the sole reason kids sign up, and that is the myth of an immediate job in your dream career and a massive salary increase.
If you’re anything like the common adult after college, you have a piece of paper you paid around $35,000 – 60,000 for and little to no experience for any job that is in your field. Now isn’t that funny? A person may argue that during your time at the university you should be volunteering at places to gain experience, which is what determined student should do, and not because she/he feels the need to, but because the person desires to chase their passion.
What’s wrong with this picture? Well unfortunately there is a thing called rent that must be paid, as well as food and other things. So if you’re like most students who join the herd to gain an “education”, you have to work a service or labor job in order to continue supporting yourself. Obviously this is a disadvantage to the person who wants to get ahead of the pack, thus a disadvantage to a large herd. This enables the privileged class more time and effort towards real skills outside of the university through volunteer work, internship, etc. and also the connections they inherit through their parents ‘legacy’. Looks like they got us (the proletariat) in quite the predicament.
This majority of students are saturated with “advice” telling them to ‘dig in’ or ‘just work this crummy job until you’re out of school’ from parents, peers, and themselves. This gives the student a drive and feeling of accomplishment when finally graduated, but the student soon finds that each and every job they are interested in or need to get their foot in the door requires 1-5 years previous work experience for that specific job. So what you are left with is little hope for the career you dreamed of (unless you go deeper in debt by getting a masters or phd) and the already privileged class continues enjoying a comfortable life. There is hope in getting your dream job, but it will take plenty of determination and time (mostly time) to acquire the real skills needed, such as learning another language, software program, permaculture, and other skills that often require even more money.
My situation isn’t even close to the more intense struggles of families around the world working long days just to put food on the table. Unfortunately, they never had a chance given to them to afford a loan.
I suggest supporting collective living in cities, forming worker unions (whatever the scale), and setting up student demonstrations to gain a free education and most importantly one that gives us real fucking skills. Let’s end this continuous cycle of debt and useless education!
Recommendation: Human Resources by Metanoia Films
