After high school, teens have to make the decision to either go on to college or step foot into the "real world". The question is, do they really know what being in the real world means?
Most teens that are just getting out of high school are still living at home with their parents. Their parents are usually still paying all of their living expenses and maybe even paying for their car/insurance. For someone right out of high school to think that because they have a full time job, that they are "on their own" is a little bit crazy. How can someone say that they are on their own when they have their parents/guardians paying all of their bills for them?
If one had to describe what being in the real world meant, the list would probably consist of things along the lines of...
*A decent paying full time job
*Rent or Mortgage payment
*Car payment
*Insurance
*Gas
*Utilities
For someone that does not pay for these things, it is difficult to agree that they are living in the real world. A teens perception of what the real world is and what the real world actually is are in most cases MUCH different. Being out in the real world may not be as fun as it seems. It can actually be very stressful. For someone working full time, trying to make ends meet, it can be a very difficult thing. I believe that until someone has the responsibility of supporting themselves in every aspect, they have not yet experienced the "real world".
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Older and Wiser.
When someone is a teenager and only going to college because they think that is the right thing to do, it is much different than someone who has been out of high school for a few years and decides to go back to school.
Speaking from experience, going back to school when you have been out of high school for a few years makes you appreciate the college experience much more. I had been out of school for five years when I decided to go back to college. It may seem strange to some, but I actually enjoy going to school now. School doesn't seem like a chore anymore. I am 22 now and I feel like going to school has made me have more confidence in myself. I actually believe that anyone can do anything as long as they put their heart and mind to it.
I believe that when most high school students graduate and move on to college, it is all about the partying and socializing experience. When you are older and in college, there is a much different view. People do not go back to school to pursue parties and friendships, they go back to focus on getting their degree and that is it. Overall, being older and going back to college makes you appreciate it so much more. Going back to school at age 22 does not only make me appreciate school as a whole, but I realized that my parents did a lot for me when I graduated high school. I realize how much of their money I wasted and how much of the teachers time I wasted. Now it is up to me to figure out tuition payment, cost of books and my normal bills all at the same time. It is not an easy thing but I believe that it will be worth every penny and every second when I have a degree and a career that I enjoy and I know I worked hard for.
Speaking from experience, going back to school when you have been out of high school for a few years makes you appreciate the college experience much more. I had been out of school for five years when I decided to go back to college. It may seem strange to some, but I actually enjoy going to school now. School doesn't seem like a chore anymore. I am 22 now and I feel like going to school has made me have more confidence in myself. I actually believe that anyone can do anything as long as they put their heart and mind to it.
I believe that when most high school students graduate and move on to college, it is all about the partying and socializing experience. When you are older and in college, there is a much different view. People do not go back to school to pursue parties and friendships, they go back to focus on getting their degree and that is it. Overall, being older and going back to college makes you appreciate it so much more. Going back to school at age 22 does not only make me appreciate school as a whole, but I realized that my parents did a lot for me when I graduated high school. I realize how much of their money I wasted and how much of the teachers time I wasted. Now it is up to me to figure out tuition payment, cost of books and my normal bills all at the same time. It is not an easy thing but I believe that it will be worth every penny and every second when I have a degree and a career that I enjoy and I know I worked hard for.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
My "inbetween time".
Working at the New York State Tax Department made things much easier for me. My relationship with my family was getting better, I was able to pay all of my bills on time with no problems at all, I even had some extra spending money sometimes. I was an eighteen year old, on my own, paying my own bills and taking care of myself. All of my friends were still going to school and they had part time jobs. I thought I was above all of them because I was so young making so much more money than them. As the year went by, my relationship with the guy I was living with started it's steady downhill slope. Eventually we broke up and I decided to move back to my parents house.
As many of my friends continued pursuing their degrees, I continued working full time. Without even realizing it, time flew by. My friends that went to college were graduating and starting their careers with their college degrees. Now my position did not seem as grand as it had before. I started thinking that maybe I should look into going back to school and getting a degree. Although it was always in the back of my head, I kept working and never went back to school.
In 2008, I started talking to my friend's brother. He is an engineer working for Toyota. His family was from the same area of upstate New York that I was from. He and I hit it off, but the only issue was he was living in California working for a Toyota plant out there. This was only a temporary thing. In July of 2009 he was permanently placed at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY. At this point he and I were item and I was faced with a choice, I could either stay in New York and continue our long distance relationship or I could move to Kentucky with him. I had never lived outside of New York, or more than ten minutes away from my mother's house. I decided that this guy was pretty amazing and I though that there was huge potential for a future between us so, I went for it! On 4th of July weekend 2009, He and I packed my things and moved to Lexington, KY. Kentucky was a complete culture shock for me, being that I was from upstate New York. It was at that time that I knew a new chapter in my life was about to begin.
It was the move to Kentucky that made me start thinking about my future and what I wanted with my life. I decided that it was the perfect opportunity for me to go back to school and pursue a career that I was really interested in. I started getting all of my ducks in a row and I enrolled in Bluegrass Community and Technical College for the spring 2010 semester. I am now pursuing a career in dental hygiene.
As many of my friends continued pursuing their degrees, I continued working full time. Without even realizing it, time flew by. My friends that went to college were graduating and starting their careers with their college degrees. Now my position did not seem as grand as it had before. I started thinking that maybe I should look into going back to school and getting a degree. Although it was always in the back of my head, I kept working and never went back to school.
In 2008, I started talking to my friend's brother. He is an engineer working for Toyota. His family was from the same area of upstate New York that I was from. He and I hit it off, but the only issue was he was living in California working for a Toyota plant out there. This was only a temporary thing. In July of 2009 he was permanently placed at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY. At this point he and I were item and I was faced with a choice, I could either stay in New York and continue our long distance relationship or I could move to Kentucky with him. I had never lived outside of New York, or more than ten minutes away from my mother's house. I decided that this guy was pretty amazing and I though that there was huge potential for a future between us so, I went for it! On 4th of July weekend 2009, He and I packed my things and moved to Lexington, KY. Kentucky was a complete culture shock for me, being that I was from upstate New York. It was at that time that I knew a new chapter in my life was about to begin.
It was the move to Kentucky that made me start thinking about my future and what I wanted with my life. I decided that it was the perfect opportunity for me to go back to school and pursue a career that I was really interested in. I started getting all of my ducks in a row and I enrolled in Bluegrass Community and Technical College for the spring 2010 semester. I am now pursuing a career in dental hygiene.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
My first college experience
As a seventeen year old, I thought going to college was the coolest thing in the world. I decided to go to a two year community college. Most of my friends and my boyfriend at the time were all going to the same community college as me, so everything should be amazing right? WRONG!! I started college in August of 2005. I was going to all of my classes and doing all of my homework. I thought everything was going well, but things at home kept getting harder and harder. My mother and I disagreed on everything, we argued almost everyday. I always wanted to be out with my boyfriend and friends, but my mom wanted me to spend more time at home. She started putting more rules in place. I was not allowed to be out after 10pm on any given day, I was not able to ride in cars with my friends and I was not able to drive past 9pm. I thought it was the end of the world when all of this took place. I became very angry and I rebelled more than ever. My boyfriend at the time was looking into getting his own apartment and I thought "what a great idea, I will move out!". So needless to say, this guy and I moved in together in mid- October, a week after my 18th birthday.
A couple of months after moving into an apartment, I found myself struggling to make my half of the bills. After all, I was going to school full time and now I had to work full time to make sure the bills got paid. I was working at the Target near my apartment, and they did not pay very well. Before I knew it I was having a harder and harder time making the bills. I had a choice to make, keep going to school full time and move back home, or pick up more hours at work and still go to school full time. I did not choose either. I knew that I had to pay the bills or else I would have to move back to my mom's house (which was NOT an option in my mind). I soon found myself skipping classes, not doing homework and pretty much disregarding school all together. I withdrew from all of my classes and ended up having an overall incomplete for my first semester at college.
It was almost time for me to start my second semester, but this time my mom said she was not going to pay for it if I was not going to be 100% dedicated. I really wanted to go back to school so I promised I would put all of my effort into school. I tried really hard and did well in most of my classes, but those darn bills kept piling up. After I finished my second semester, my mom told me that I could get a job where she worked so I could make ends meet with my bills. I decided not to go back to school and I took a full time 9-5 job for the New York State Tax Department where my parents worked. Things were going really well for me, I had a much better time with getting the bills paid and I loved that I did not have the stress of school on my shoulders. My mom always said "some people choose to learn things the hard way", little did I know that was exactly what I had done.
A couple of months after moving into an apartment, I found myself struggling to make my half of the bills. After all, I was going to school full time and now I had to work full time to make sure the bills got paid. I was working at the Target near my apartment, and they did not pay very well. Before I knew it I was having a harder and harder time making the bills. I had a choice to make, keep going to school full time and move back home, or pick up more hours at work and still go to school full time. I did not choose either. I knew that I had to pay the bills or else I would have to move back to my mom's house (which was NOT an option in my mind). I soon found myself skipping classes, not doing homework and pretty much disregarding school all together. I withdrew from all of my classes and ended up having an overall incomplete for my first semester at college.
It was almost time for me to start my second semester, but this time my mom said she was not going to pay for it if I was not going to be 100% dedicated. I really wanted to go back to school so I promised I would put all of my effort into school. I tried really hard and did well in most of my classes, but those darn bills kept piling up. After I finished my second semester, my mom told me that I could get a job where she worked so I could make ends meet with my bills. I decided not to go back to school and I took a full time 9-5 job for the New York State Tax Department where my parents worked. Things were going really well for me, I had a much better time with getting the bills paid and I loved that I did not have the stress of school on my shoulders. My mom always said "some people choose to learn things the hard way", little did I know that was exactly what I had done.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
The Transition...
When you are a student in their sophomore to junior year in high school, you start looking at possible options for college. You begin to think about things like "does this school offer the program I want to study?", "Does the school have good sports programs I can get into?", "Will the work be easier at a community college v.s a four year school?" ect. As a junior in high school it was all about "will there be cute boys to look at?". When you get to the end of your junior year, you start hearing most of your student peers talking about what colleges they were or were not accepted. You start to wonder if the school you chose is the right match for you. When your senior year rolls around, many students (including myself), start to come down with a bad case of "senioritis" and before you know it you are cutting class to go have lunch with a friend. In what seems to be a blink of an eye, the end of your senior year in high school is nearing its end. Some start to panic and scrambling to make sure they have all of the credits they need to graduate and continue to college, while others know for sure that they are graduating and each day seems easier than the one before it. You start reminiscing about all of the fun times you had while you were in high school and all of the friends as well as enemies you have made over the last four years of your life. Once graduation hits, so does all of the different emotions, fear, sadness, excitement, joy and of course pride.
As a teenager, sometimes we don't realize how off our priorities are. After summer passes and it is time to go to college, some students take advantage of the freedom that comes along with college. No more teachers calling home if you miss classes or homework assignments, no more getting in trouble for chewing gum in class and finally, for all those high school love birds, no one to tell you "no kissing in the hallways". It all seems wonderful, until you get your first semester grades. That is when reality hits for the students that took college freedom for granted. Some students give up and drop out completely, while others continue to spend their parents/government money to slack off for another semester.
As a teenager, sometimes we don't realize how off our priorities are. After summer passes and it is time to go to college, some students take advantage of the freedom that comes along with college. No more teachers calling home if you miss classes or homework assignments, no more getting in trouble for chewing gum in class and finally, for all those high school love birds, no one to tell you "no kissing in the hallways". It all seems wonderful, until you get your first semester grades. That is when reality hits for the students that took college freedom for granted. Some students give up and drop out completely, while others continue to spend their parents/government money to slack off for another semester.
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