Fork in the Road
How a University Student Gets to Their Future
by: Jonny Cissell Jennifer Trinh Yulissa Mora
College is a journey that can last multiple years. For a lot of students, they enter the halls of their university with hopes of becoming something more. Students want to become a contributing part of their society, a needed spoke on the wheel of civilization. Colleges and Universities draw you in with the idea that you can be whatever you want to be. The same thing that your parents told you when you were a young child, colleges drill into your ear when you step foot on campus. So, the question becomes, “What exactly do you want to be?”.
Almost every conversation that students have when first meeting someone new on campus includes a specific question that everyone has an answer to, “What are you majoring in?”. The weird part about this question is that you usually must have an answer to that question before you step onto campus for your first class. So many students come in with what they think is the answer. Whether it be a student majoring in a STEM field like Computer Engineering or a CLASS student majoring in Communications or Psychology, these students all want to find something that their good at and that can provide them a path to their future after they graduate. However, like any big life altering choice there is a conflict that seems to rear its ugly head when the decision must be made.
Money makes the world go around. You must buy thing to survive. Food, houses, cars, medicine and multiple other somewhat necessary items all must be purchased in one way or another. Money also talks very loudly. It’s safe to say that the more money that is in the picture, the more likely a person is to head towards that path. Money is a key part of today’s world as a means to survive, but while money makes the world go around another factor seems to be a driving force in this decision for students. That is passion. Passion for a certain field, occupation or even a creative platform cannot be understated. Without it, we wouldn’t have things of good quality. We wouldn’t have people who want to change the world. Passion is key to make the world progress forward. So how can students balance these two factors to find the answer to that one question.
Throughout the course of a student’s college journey, they are on a quest to obtain a degree that will help them once they cross the stage. From the core curriculum, to major requirements and upper division-electives, these classes are all designed to guide you towards a certain field. But what if a student decides to change mid-way through? Are they too far deep into their courses to change their path? Not to mention the high amount of extra money they would have to spend to go back and take classes for their new career path. This could cause students to ultimately have to settle with a degree that they may not necessarily regret, but one that wouldn’t be their ultimate first choice once all their classes are complete.
So what does a student do? Do they stick with the degree plan they first chose or do they go through the mess of major change petitions and extra coursework? Is that worth it? So many things have to be balanced out. It almost gets to a point where college is about surviving while getting the degree than actually getting the degree itself. The struggle to balance all of these factors may take away from the actual learning of the field and enjoyment of going through different classes. Students then are put in a position where they are only at a University to obtain a degree, rather than learning and immersing themselves in their field of choice.
There’s about 15 different colleges at the University of Houston. Each of them, filled with students trying to obtain that special piece of paper. Once that paper is obtained though, they have to find something to do with it, and that’s an entirely different battle. Some would even say that it’s a tougher battle to fight. You can get as many degrees as you want, but if you have nothing to do with them they may be for nothing. So, as students put on their caps and gowns to cross the stage, they may think about what exactly the future entails for them. How are they going to find a job? What path with they take? What exactly do they want to be?
The future is something that is uncertain for many people that cross that stage, so whatever the student decides, they may have to wait to see if it was the right choice. They will go off into the job market, with a degree in hand, as a new crop of students walk into the University for the first time, ready to take on the same challenge.
