While reading the book Share or Die
by Cory Doctorow, one of the essays that jumped out to me was called “Unprepared:
from Elite College to the Job Market”, written by Sarah Idzik. The title would
probably be the main reason that I picked this essay, because I feel that it
speaks to many people. Whether they know it or not, the majority of people going
into college are unprepared.
I knew that I was going to be
coming into college unprepared, but by being in this class, and reading the
articles that we have, I never realized just how unprepared a person can be. In
high school your teachers and counselors would tell you to work hard though
school, because it was getting you ready to go to college. For the most part,
this is true, but in my eyes, high school did not prepare me for the college
environment.
I can relate to Idzik, because I was
considered a good student in high school, and grades were never really an issue
with me. The one thing that differs between us is the fact that she chose to venture
off to school, while I chose to play it safe, and stay close to home. The main
reason for this was because of the fact that I knew I was going to be unprepared
for what I was getting in to, and if I stayed close to home I could rely on my
family to help me out.
Idzik points out that even though
you are studying a certain major, that major would not help you land exactly the
jobs that you are looking for. Before you know it, you are in your final year
of college, and it’s time to go find that job you are looking for. Even though
you may have a great major, when you apply for certain jobs, the employer does
not always care about your major. The majority of people nowadays have to
settle for a low-paying, not so great job, because even with their degree the
job industry is so tight. In some ways, I can see why Sarah was so miserable
about her job, but I also believe that she should be thankful to even have a
job. She may not have gotten the exact job that she was going for, but I think
she could have tried to be a little more positive about the whole situation.
That would have made it a lot easier on her part. I do like the fact that in
the end, she didn’t just give up, but she is trying to start over.
I can relate to this story also. Its crazy to think that so many high schools don't prepare us for college. You really done a great job on this post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I was always good at school, and it's totally different here. I like the flow of your post, and everything you had to say.
ReplyDeleteI guess I've never though about it that way but I stayed close to home also because of the environment. My high school did nothing to help me get ready for college so I'm learning everything on my own. We used the same article so I really like it! Nicely written.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to this as well because my high school did not prepare me for college and, like you, I chose to attend a college that was close to home so that I would have my family for support. Despite being unprepared and almost flunking out my first year, college ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me. It's where I discovered my passion for writing and for the whole college environment. If I could have, I would have been a college student forever. But since that wasn't financially feasible, I did the next best thing, decided to teach it. However, I did not go straight from college to teaching college. It took me 8 years to get here and I had to start over several times on my journey. So, I think that no matter how many detours you take and how many times you have to start over, if you really are passionate about something, you'll find a way.
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