It's Tea Time

I wrote about college and the debt loads incurred a while back. By the day, the advice I gave for prospective college students rings more and more true: save your money.

College, like the housing market circa 2004, is currently an impenetrable wall of idealism. Millions of children, and even worse their parents, take a stand on the issue by sticking their head further into the sand. If this continues we will have another financial implosion akin to the housing bubble burst, but it will be worse. You see, we're already stretched way to thin. There's just nothing more to give.

Now, while I believe that what is truly needed is a core transformation in who we are as a culture, I am a realist. It would be ludicrous for me to assume that such a thing could occur for any reason than absolute burning necessity. However I do think that given the opportunity to think about it, the majority of people will realize the wisdom in choosing alternatives to that expensive out of state school. They will come to understand it because it is in their best interest, and will give them a much better chance of achieving the goals they seek.

For any of you high school grads out there, or people thinking of returning to school, I have a single bit of advice that will solve all of your problems relating to your education choices. The beauty of my solution is in a single moment you can learn one of the major things all colleges purport to teach. So here it is:

Think about it.

Now before you dismiss this as patently obvious, give me just a moment or two more. When I say "think about it" what I mean is a few things, but two in particular:

1) Be aware of your emotions as you think. Your brain will tend to reflexively reject certain ideas you may have on emotional grounds. Maybe you don't want to live in a crappy apartment even though it allows you to be financially stable, so any solutions involving said apartment are immediately thrown out. Allow those ideas to come to the forefront in spite of negative emotion. Think about them, how would they work, how long would such a situation likely last. Don't be scared to explore any option, and keep your base goals in mind: food, shelter, clothing, transportation, etc.

2) Dismiss, to the best of your ability, stereotypes. Think about your future on the premise that everyone else is wrong, not that everyone else is right. Move forward with yourself in mind, and if a solution makes sense to you don't be afraid to pursue it. There is one thing that is absolutely true: misery loves company. Opposition to some ideas you have will be founded in that fact. But hey, you don't have to take my word for it. In fact I encourage you not to take my word for it. Find your own truth and you will likely find your truth makes you happier than the one society has set for you.

I promise you that if you strive to overcome communal or societal pressures when making these decisions, and just believe in and be happy with yourself, the decisions will turn out better. Sometimes you will find that what your peers or society as a whole has to say is right in line with your life planning, and other times it will be a terrible fit. The key is to make sure that you are deciding these things with your rational mind and not from fear or emotional need.

Remember: It's your life. Do you want to spend it desperate, a slave to your debt, or as a productive and independent human being. A human being who has built a base for themselves that will serve as a cushion should they fall when reaching for the stars. A base that will serve to protect forever the most important thing we all hold tight to our chests.

Hope.