Applying to University was probably the most exciting time of my young life. I knew for sure that I wanted to get a higher education and it seemed like an opportunity to finally prove myself by going from some high school to an institution that people recognize and will forever judge you for (you meet someone new and they tell you they go to MIT, what is your first thought?). I know some people toyed with where they wanted to go and made lists of their dream schools, their realistic schools, and their safety school all ranked in terms of who they would accept if they got in to them all. The big question around the hallway was “where did you get in?” and "whats your first choice?".
For me I never really got into that whole circus. I was reserved as a kid, but knew I was better at math and science than english and history and the University of Waterloo was focused on those areas, a great school and the perfect distance away from home. UW is most famous for their engineering program so it seemed like the right thing to do as it was a combination of those. They also had this internship program that seemed alright but I didn't really think much of it. There wasn’t an ah-ha moment, or one conversation that I could point to that changed my perspective in a big way. I never did extensive research or make even one college trips (some people made a career out of it and went to 10 schools taking weeks off of class). It was completely undramatic. At the time I did not have the foresight that we would be heading into one of the greatest economic recessions of history, and that I would probably graduating at the worst possible time to be job hunting, or that there were a lot of benefits to having a professional degree at a school with an internship program that is geared towards getting you to graduate with a job and no student debt. I got to that place completely by accident. Now that I am here I want to make sure that if you are reading this you can get to this place by being smart and not lucky.
The very first question that you should ask yourself is "what do I want to do for the rest of my life?" and then "how can this decision set me up to get there?". For most high school seniors that question hasn't crossed their mind and that is a big problem. Every time you make a decision about your education you should have those two question plastered on the front of your brain. Whether its picking a class, joining a club, accepting a university offer, or choosing a major at the end you be able to explain how this is going to help you get where you want to go. University is a time to build the resumé that you will present to the job market at the end of four years. Things like the social situation will sort themselves out and whether you like it or not you will have to do some adjustments to your lifestyle after you go from the high school down the street to the big university, thats just part of life.
Asking what you want to do with your life is not by any means an easy question. Not many of us grow up knowing what they want to be, most of us have some interests but its not easy to translate those interests into a specific job (If I like being outdoors does that mean I should be a forest ranger?). If that is your case realize that majoring in medieval history may be a blast but it is not worth the paper value of your diploma in the job market, especially if you have no job experience (maybe working at Medieval Times would be a good internship if thats what you are really interested in?). People tend to get interested in the things that they get good at so follow something that you think you might be able to get good at and can get you the most best graduation present you could ever ask for: a JOB IN YOUR FIELD.
Great post there Adam!
ReplyDeleteI would also have to agree with your you. In order to enjoy your job, you must be working in an area, in which you are good at.
Growing up as a kid, I always had a passion to become a veterinarian because I liked animals. However, going through high school, and taking courses like biology, helped me realize that these subjects don't suit my fancy. I realized at the end, that I was good at math, physics and chemistry, and therefore would enjoy going to university for a program involving those subjects (engineering).
For all the readers out there, I have to say is what's your why? Why do you want to have a certain job? Remember, If you wanna be great on that field, you gotta have why. You gotta have a reason for why you do what you do.
I look forward for your future posts Adam
Some timely advice. I heard about this blog through the grapevine. I will be watching what comes next. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteAdam, good post buddy.
ReplyDeleteAs your friend, a fellow follower of the shtu, and provider of honest feedback, i'm going to comment on a couple of these things.
First off- without the part where you actually mention it, it is painfully apparent your post is written by an engineer. NOT that that is a bad thing, however, you grant agency to those who think along the mindset of an engineer. Your approach, or criteria for readers is this:
The very first question that you should ask yourself is "what do I want to do for the rest of my life?" and then "how can this decision set me up to get there?".
Important questions, yes- but from here you construct an almost problem-solving "model" for high school seniors to follow... that will ultimately end up in a "solution," your "resumé that you will present to the job market at the end of four years."
While I do not disagree with this thought process, and I certainly do agree with your points about questions needing to be asked, but I do think that your argument follows a far too limited chain. The decision of which university, and what program, to pursue at the post-secondary level (college or university alike) is an incredibly complex web of decisions on factors that are both emotional and information based. While important questions surrounding the job market and 'what will I do with this' can and should be asked frequently...let me ask YOU a few questions to explode your decision making model into a web:
- What if uWaterloo was not 'the perfect distance from home' but 6 hours (min.) away?
- What if you could not possibly afford to attend uWaterloo's program, and the local community college was the only option?
- What would have happened if you were not "good" at engineering, as you are, and could only make it through one semester.
These are largely rhetorical, but if you think critically about it, we can explore PSE decisions as a web, rather than a chain.
Secondly (and just quickly), "fit" in my opinion, is so much more than what just sounds 'fun.' University is an experiential process. WITHOUT the concept of fit, students who solely lean on academics, and do not embrace; culture, support systems (both institutional and social), extra curriculars, etc; CAN and WILL fail. All stats, figures, studies, and publications support that exact notion. This is why ALL PSE institutions in North America and around the world spend millions of dollars annually on developing their model for "fit." "Fit" I would argue, is equally as important as academics and programs.
We are really lucky in Canada to have the options that we do, but PSE is not always the most accessible and equitable system to enter into. Perhaps, within a perfect system that was both accessible and equitable, the 'only' questions to ask may be yours that you present. Being "smart" and being "lucky" are not mutually exclusive concepts when it comes to making PSE decisions and having them work out.
Anyways, just some Monday morning thoughts.