I repeatedly hear people complain about how they went to college to get a degree, graduated, and are still making the same money that they would have made without the degree. I hear people complain about how college is a waste of time. And, of course, there are those people who comment to me that I went to college to become a teacher, but it has been years since I've taught a class (a gentle way of saying, "You wasted all that time and money!").

But I didn't. Nothing was wasted.

I first got an A.A. in Liberal Studies, a general education major for students planning to transfer to a B.A. program. I focused my A.A. program on psychology, computers, and language arts. The psychology classes taught me that I wasn't a screw-up (saving me lots of money on therapy), introduced me to how the brain works when students are trying to learn (important for teaching and creating curriculum), and gave me deep insight into how to be a good parent (which made everything worth it right there). The computer classes taught me to build websites and research like a pro (which is the primary source of my income). The language arts classes taught me how to speak to a crowd (always useful), write content that the average person can read and follow (another source of income for me), analyze literature in ways that I just didn't quite grasp in high school (which improved my fiction writing passion), understand art and music in ways I didn't understand before (enriching the creative side of my life), and improve my foreign language skills (which has certainly served me well in many situations). Meanwhile, going to college gave me self confidence, connected me to a variety of people who taught me about life, and resulted in my meeting my now husband.

Then I completed a program for freelance writing. This was back before there was an abundance of writing information on the Internet, so it was the only way I could truly learn about the writing industry (again, a source of my income).

I then got a B.A. in Natural Science, a science based major for becoming a multiple subject teacher. Understanding how the world works via the perspectives of scientists was life changing. It turned me into a hard-core environmentalist, a health nut, and an avid nature tourist (all of which have made my life better as well as improved my husband and children's lives in so many ways). I also took more psychology and education theory classes. Knowing how other people think changed the way I interacted with others and taught me how to help others understand what I was trying to tell them. It has improved my parenting abilities, my teaching abilities, and my relationship abilities as well as my own ability to learn and adapt in my everyday life. Then I took philosophy classes, and that just changed everything about how I saw the world. I decided to let go of a religion that was holding me back from having deep joy and instead form my own beliefs about spirituality. Meanwhile, performing arts classes, like drama and music, gave me the courage to let go of my fear of the spotlight and taught me to be silly and have fun again, a skill we all have as children but sometimes lose through the turmoils of growing up.

I probably spent about $15,000 in higher education costs (e.g. tuition, books, fieldtrips, fees, etc.).

Today, I think about what I would do if somebody today told me that I could become a happier person and a better wife and parent for the price of a small car. I wouldn't be guaranteed to have a job that pays more than $100k per year. I might end up making just minimum wagefor the rest of my life, but at least I'd be happy (something even millionaires would give up everything to be). Would I do it? Certainly.

We initially go to school to get a better job, and we assume that any other benefits are just a bonus. But after going through all my schooling, I have realized that we should go to school to become better, happier people by following things we are passionate about (whether it be psychology, techology, history, etc.), and if we happen to get a good job because of it, then that is the bonus.

Besides, what is the use of having a high paying job if you're miserable? What is the use of saving time and money if it leaves you lacking the skills necessary to be a good parent? As many of the homeless people who lived around my university taught me during our daily conversations, there is more to life than money and posessions. It's easier to be happy when you're rich if you already know how to be happy when you're poor. And if you don't know how to be happy even when you're pennyless, then you'll never be happy, no matter how much money you have.

Labels: My Life