There is Another Way

Argument Paper Blog

Our entire lives we have been told that college is the only path to take. We have been taught to work hard in school, get good grades, and get the education so that we can reach the goal of getting the job we have always wanted. For most teenagers, thats being a doctor, a lawyer, a business man, and so on. But what about those people who don't want a professional degree? What about those people who want to work in the car manufacturing business or run a restuarant of their own? Why do people feel that they deserve less respect than those who have the title of professional jobs? I feel that high schools should not push students so hard onto the college path for many reasons.

First of all, schools are setting too high of expectations. They tell students that they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up. But what they don't tell the students is that most of them will everestimate their chances by a great deal. The actual proportion of doctors and lawyers in the labor force is a lot smaller than all the students that wish to become one. And what about the minority children from the inner city who look forward to professional careers at the same rate as affluent suburban children? Is it fair to tell all of them that they have an equal chance when maybe they can't even afford to pay their way through college? (Finding Flow)

In addition, many students have no desire to have an education further than college. And yet high schools look down upon those students that don't want to pursue their education further. They are disrespected when it comes to terms of deciding between a professional versus a blue-collar job. But can't someone be perfectly content just having a blue-collar job? I'm pretty sure that they can. For example, my best friend's brother is one of the most intelligent people that I have ever met. He can whip math problems out of his head in a split second and knows every thing there is to know about cars. He runs his own car repair shop and couldn't be more happy. When I asked him why he didn't go to college, he told me it was because he knew every single thing that there was to know about cars. And he told me that fixing cars would be the only job that would make him happy in life so there was no need to go to school to try and change that. Putting on a suit and tie and going to work would mean nothing to him, even if it means a position of respect to many people in our society today.

Finally, many students have plenty of intelligence without a professional degree. I don't understand why it is neccesary for ACT tests and IQ tests to tell us what we should know about our intelligence. In Mike Rose's Book, A Mind at Work, he discusses many different concepts on how all these workers that are in jobs that we would consider blue-collar jobs have intelligence in ways that none of us would have thought possible. He said just watching a waiter move with agility and grace is its own kind of intelligence. Some people's mind aren't made to operate to professional standards. Not everyone can be a CEO of a business or perform an open heart surgery on a terminally ill patient. But not everyone can fix cars or serve hungry patrons food. Intelligence can be fooling. It comes in many different ways.

So just because our schools are telling us that the only path is college, it doesn't mean that intelligence is going to be found there. Just take a look around you and look at all the people you know. Everyone is smart in their own ways. And many people know that without having a college degree to prove it.

Stupid Boys?

Recently I heard about an accident that occurred in the town of Dripping Springs Texas. These three boys had been fooling around. They were surfing on the top of the cars and driving down the hills. Two of the boys who had been "surfing" had fallen off the car and one had hit his head and died.

The boy driving the car was charged with manslaughter.

I seem to think that this is fair punishment for the boy driving but others whom I have talked to about this issue think that it is unfair that he has been charged with this. They say that he is the one who climbed up on the car so his consequence for that is unfortunately his death.

But couldn't that have been prevented? I sure think it could have. I think the boy driving the car had all the power in his hands. He was the one who went along with the act. He was the one who put the car into drive and drove 35 mph down a rocky road, knowing that there were two boys standing on top of his car that could at any moment fall off.

So I think, by all means, that it is completely fair to charge this boy with manslaughter. Manslaughter is defined as "recklessly causing the death of another." And I think that is exactly what he did.

To me it's bizarre to think that this "car surfing" is somewhat of a new rage among teens today. There have been other reported cases of deaths due to this new trend in Arizona and Kentucky. Don't people realize the danger involved in this?

And am I wrong to think that this boy should be charged with manslaughter? Am I wrong to think that he is responsible for causing the death of another?

The Parentals

All throughout high school, I was always pretty close with my mom. We never really got into any arguments and we were always pretty chill with each other. Everyone always told me how much they envied my relationship with my mom and asked how I did it. I just usually shrugged and couldn't think of a response to that question.

Every day after school me and my mom would talk and I would tell her as much as I wanted her to know about my life, always leaving out just a couple details and then she would tell me about her day. So I guess, yeah, it was a pretty good relationship.

But now that I've gone away to college, I'm lucky if I talk to my mom once a week. And I haven't exactly figured out how I feel about that. I mean, she's not making the initiative to call me more often, but then again I don't see myself picking up the phone to call her more often either.

And as I've been here at schools I have seen people way above and below me on the phone-calling spectrum. I have friends who talk to their parents at least twice a day on the phone, and then friends who have called home once or twice in the past couple of months.

For example, one of my friends who talks to her mom on a daily basis comes into my room every day to complain how much her parents are trying to control her life. And everyday I tell her the same thing. "You're in college now and you need to start thinking and making decisions on your own." Shes tells me how her parents will only support her if she does what they want her to do in life. And day after day, she picks up the phone and calls to asks for their advice. I just feel like all her conversations ever bring are arguments and frustration.

And I see stuff like that and it makes me glad to know that I still have a good strong realtionship with my parents, even if that means I'm talking to them as often as I used to.

So are my parents trying to make me more independent by not calling me often? Are they slowly preparing me for the real world when I will no longer recieve any financial help from them and live on my own? Or are we both just to busy to talk on the phone anymore? I really don't know.

A Depersonalized Generation

Recently in one of my classes we started to talk about the negative aspects that the technology has created for our generation. And of the biggest disadvantages, I think that the most interesting one would be how "depersonalized" our generation has become. There are less and less face to face conversations and coffee dates and random get togethers. People don't even call each other on the phone as much to talk anymore as they used to.

Why? Because we have email. We have AOL Instant Messenger. We have texting. None of which require people to actually communicate with each other on a deeper level. Conversations that would usually constitute for at least a phone call have now been reduced to a text.

For example, recently a friend of mine was having trouble with her best friend. They were having difficulty talking about their issues with each other. And instead of sitting down and talking about it together, they addressed the problems through a texting conversation. I didn't exactly think it was the best of ideas, but apparently they thought it was. But it just goes to show that if something as serious as that can be talked about through texting, then what can't?

Sure, it's "easier." You don't have to deal with awkwardness. But when you recieve a text or an email, its hard to interpret how exactly a person is relying the words to you. Are they being sarcastic? Are they trying to funny? Or are they serious? You can never really tell. So one message can be interpreted many different ways because you don't know the tone of voice a person is using. But I've seen plenty of texts gone wrong and more chaos happen because someone couldn't pick up the phone to call someone to say something.

I think it is sad to say that our generation has come to this certain point. But I am definitely guilty of contributing to it. I talk more through texting than on the phone. I'm not a phone person so it is definitely easier and more convenient to send people texts about questions I have. And since I'm surrounded by technology every day, why not just send out a quick email to say something to someone instead of having to arrange a time to meet them and talk about it in person?

Is this something that is going to continue in the generations to come? Is it a problem that is going to get worse? Are coffee dates and get-togethers going to become completely obsolete because we have technology to communicate everything?

What I've Learned From College...(so far)

As I sit here staring at my calendar, I can't believe that it is already March and that I have merely two months left of my freshman year of college. It feels like just yesterday I was eagerly anticipating the end of senior year but now I'm already beginning to pick my classes for sophmore year of college. Where time goes, I do not know. But throughout this year I have learned many valuable lessons, some you may say are a little more significant than others.

#1. Do not put reds in with whites. It WILL turn all your white clothes red and you will be walking around with a red shirt the rest of the year.

#2. Appreciate every dinner your mom cooks for you at home or when she takes you out. You can only eat so many sandwiches from Umph before you feel like you might die.

#3. It really is ok to sit alone at lunch. One of my biggest fears coming in to college was that I was going to look like a loser sitting by myself at a table. But sometimes, for last minute crams, I appreciate my own time to eat and study.

#4. Sleep! There's always going to be something going on. It's college. And there's always going to be homework to do and tests to study for. But none of that stuff can be done if you don't sleep. Power naps are my best friend :)

#5. Don't get the squeaky chair in class. It just makes everyone awkwardly stare at you throughout class or you get to the point where you are too scared to move.

#6. Take time to unwind. College is stressful. And if I didn't have my movie nights where my friends and I just sat and ate ice cream while watching The Notebook, I don't think I would be functionable.

#7. Be yourself. The easiest way to make friends is to be yourself. Don't be scared to show them your true colors.

#8. Call your mom. It's always better to listen to your mom ramble on about how your dog is acting crazy or your dad is trying to fix the broken tv than to study for that chem test. And moms can always seem to make things better, no matter how bad the situation gets.

#9. Have fun. It's college. Enough said. Enjoy your freedom while you can before the reality of the real world hits you in three years.

#10. Take advantage of what you've been given. We have the opportunity to receive an amazing education. And to not take an advantage of that would be foolish. And there are sooo many other activities to do on campus and off campus too.