Day 20

HOW IMPORTANT YOU THINK EDUCATION IS

I think education is very important. As someone who absolutely loves learning and growing and is historically pretty good at school, it would make sense for me to say this. I know some people are just not good at school, but for these people, finishing school is even that much more of an accomplishment and shows a great deal about their character. I know college is not for everyone and that it is possible to be successful in life without a college degree. However, I think additional education (and even continuing education) can be invaluable help in preparing for (and maintaining) one's career. I think that to reject the idea that one can benefit from education is very prideful and naiive.

I also think education is crazy expensive, and sometimes a more expensive school is not really worth more than a less expensive school, especially if the more expensive school is more expensive because they need to fund their athletic program...I think that value of the the education is what you make of it - whether it be from a community college or an ivy league university.

I also do not think education (or anything for that matter) is so important that it should be handed out to people who don't earn it. If one can't afford college, one should work hard and earn a scholarship instead of asking (expecting) the government to pay for their education simply based on their income bracket. This would be a little less harsh of a statement if college weren't so SO expensive. I was blessed enough to have parents who funded most of my education. However I know several people who do/did not have that luxury. I know that it stinks to be stuck with loads of debt after graduation. However, government handouts make me sick to my stomach. Working hard for those scholarships and self-funding your education makes you own it! It's not something that's being handed to you - it's come at a price and that makes you want to work even harder to make sure you're getting all you can out of it.

If I had to do college over again, I would've been more aggressive in searching out scholarships. I was a smart girl and had the potential to earn a lot of assistance for my parents, but instead I decided to be lazy and not try very hard. I also would not have attended I private residential school right out of high school, but instead (since I didn't know what I wanted to do) enrolled in community college and eased the financial burden on my parents. I did grow a great deal from my time at my first school and I know God worked out His plan through my being there, but I feel like I could have done a better job of owning my education.