I’ve been invited as a guest speaker to a local high school to talk about careers, motivation, and education. Basicaly, I had to be just another guy to tell the kids that “it’s a scary world out there, the real world” and that going to college is their top priority.

They didn’t really want to listen. Some said “it’s no college for them“. I asked the class whether some of the students liked cars. Four boys and a girl raised their hands. They happened to work on cars with their parents/friends, Grease Lightning-style. I asked whether they like cars enough to make a carer out of it. They agreed. I then asked them whether they knew what this year’s top 10 vehicles were in Consumer Reports. They said no, and I proceeded to tell them that aside from none of them being made by American companies, they were packed with modern technology … computer-driven engine timing, navigation, AWD, etc. I said that those are the types of technologies one may learn to deal with only after some training.

Some of the kids persisted – college is expensive, they have no money, they don’t like studying, etc. About to pounce on the ridiculous idea of not going to college at all, I stopped and second guessed whether the idea was that ridiculous.

From my entire college curriculum, I happen to remember two things – Ellison’s Invisible Man is a very long book and to increase a liability you credit it, to increase an asset you debit it. That’s it.

Right there and then, I attempted to estimate how much of my person is shaped by college, and how much – just by being myself. I recalled the late or sleepless nights in college, tired, cracked out on coffee or NoDoze, pissed off, cramming. In contrast, the late nights I spend learning how to deal with MySQL, php, .Net, and different blogging platforms are filled with geeky joy and excitement. Why didn’t I have that in college?

Having to finish my speech, I said that some form of continuous education is necessary. Whether it happens on your own time or on your professors time, it’s still got to happen throughout your life. They didn’t seem to mind that one.

As I drove home, I pondered things I can do with my college undergrad degree.

• It’s a great converstation starter if it’s framed and hung on the wall. It really looks neat, those nice gothic letters, clean lines, golden seal …
• Mom kind of wants it for herself, especially if she was the one to really be excited about your education. So just take it off the wall in your office and give it to Mom, saying “it’s yours, you deserve it“.
• It entitles you to a non-stop flow of alumni donation solicitations. Does anyone actually send checks two years after they got out of school?
• You can now become a full-fledged townie. One piece of paper, and you feel slightly out of place in college bars. If you don’t feel slightly out of place, you are a townie.
• You can use it as a motivational tool. It’s a constant reminder of the student loans. Sometimes both of us wonder whether it was worth the thirty grand. Good Will Hunting comes to mind.

Grand school, on the other hand, is a different story. Going to a decent grad school is always worth it.