When one attends a college without any intention of furthering their academic pursuits, they are doing a disservice not only to themselves but to the college community as a whole. The opportunity to learn from people who have dedicated their lives to studying their fields should be viewed as an honor, not a right.

College was never intended to be a trade school. It appears, however, that colleges are being treated as such at an increasing rate. Certainly some jobs require specialized training before it is possible to enter into the work force (engineers, teachers, lawyers, etc.), but the list is limited; not every job requires specialized training. Nobody should find themselves in school because they are attempting to make themselves more marketable, or because they were “supposed to go.”

Unfortunately, many people put themselves in situations where they feel they have to attend college. We live in a nation where an undergraduate education has become the new standard, and many, including myself, never even thought of not going to college as a viable option. Despite this reality, training occurs on the job for many, if not most, careers.

Real-world experience is the best teacher. For many individuals, it does not make sense to attend college. College is expensive, time-consuming and stressful. The time spent at the University could be better spent gaining experience and making connections instead of having to deal with the extra stress of the college life.

The view of college that many people hold is that it is for some reason mandatory in order to be a successful and productive member of society, but this is simply not the case. In fact, many people receive degrees that are in no way related to their career. A large number of the degrees people receive will be nothing more than decorations for a house in future years, while the knowledge and experience gained from getting the degree are never put to any practical use.

We need to honestly assess the real reasons we are decided to attend school. It is impossible that every student at the University intends to pursue a career that requires exhaustive training in a specific field. Are we really here to learn and expand our minds? Or are we here for some other reason?

In several of my classes, when asked by professors what students want to do, they have little or no clue of their plans after school. In my first two years here at the University, that seemed like an acceptable response. Now I am starting to take senior-level classes, and still, students seem to have no idea what direction in which they want to take their lives.

It seems to me that these people did not attend The University of Alabama with the intention of broadening their minds or increasing their capacity for thought; they are here merely because they thought it would give them an extra couple of years to delay the inevitable decision of choosing a path for their lives.

Not having a college education should not be shameful. In many instances, degrees are frivolous, and in some cases completely impractical. Getting a degree should be a choice to expand your mind and broaden your horizons, not something you do just because you are able to do so.