College Is Not The Pathway To Success? Real Talk!

This is part 2 of the first blog I wrote called: "Is Education Really Important?" If you have not yet viewed it, check it out here.

So, is education really important?

Some say yes. Some say no. But for me it was. Since I was young, I have always wanted to be a cartoon animator, a story writer, and a game creator... so much I decided to get an education in the field. I spent three long years at Full Sail University in Bachelors of Science Game Art degree program with a sweeping success of a 3.0-grade point average. Once I finalized my education in 2019, I began to prepare myself for the workplace by getting experience by working with some real-time game developers in the Christian Game Developers Community. I have implemented my 3D modeling skills to help with the creation of enemies and armor for the characters.

My Golem Character featured in Dreams and Nightmares

And it was an astounding accomplishment for me. I was the only one, out of all my family members; who achieved this. And I was proud of this accomplishment. I am now able to pull myself out of poverty and do what I love to do at the same time.

Topping that, game artists start out with a salary of 22/hr. That was wonderful news for me. Goodbye minimum wage working days!

So, what could possibly go wrong? Maybe it could be that people are no longer taking education seriously, anymore. Anywhere from employers who are biased, to your average person.

Why? Because of the indoctrination centers that offer useless 'studies' degrees. Even our own President, Donald J. Trump; has devalued education and deemed people like me who have taken the time to get our education, so we could gain the proper knowledge of the field we are going for; as unimportant or of equal value to someone with no skill.

Skills over degrees? I thought we were supposed to earn those degrees by learning the skills needed to get them? To get the qualifications for the jobs we are shooting for? So is this degree I earned useless then? It's not about the piece of paper. It's about the skills I have learned to get that piece of paper.

I'm pained. But...

...Without education, without teachers where would doctors come from? Where would game artists come from?

Nothing can be more discouraging than hitting a wall after working so hard to earn your degree or get your education: only to be told that your efforts are pointless. Topping that, there are plenty of videos like the one below that try to tell people like me, who have considered college as a valid option; that we've been sold. Why even bother, then? Right? And is it really true?

By the way, they changed it from "College is NOT the path to success" to "College is not the only path to success. Well, at least they realized their mistake and corrected it.

College is Not the path to success (response)

I like to just take some time debunking this since this topic is at most controversial and heavily opinionated and also can be perceived as biased. At the rate, if I go making comments on the length of an essay paper; I might as well write it here when going over such topics. But I digress.

The Old Days vs Today

Sure, school can be a hard time: but we can all relate to that because we all had to go through that five-year wait gap. But picture this for a moment and go back in time when you didn't have that five-year gap between childhood and adulthood: Your father when you turned twelve would immediately recommend you work at his workplace whether it was mining coal, factory work or working on the farm and you'd do that for a much longer than you would today, the work conditions would require you to wake up at the crack of dawn work your hands to the bone and you'd be lucky if what you did that day could afford you the bare necessities for living maybe one day you don't have enough to pay for heat, electricity or are forced to work overtime.

Back then the workplace was your home, you'd get no privacy and everything that you were was stored in your footlocker at the side of your bed. Given this example, which would you prefer? Because life back then was so much worse than it is now. You're given equal rights, equal opportunity and you're also given an actual education. Sure it'd be great if you spent it goofing off hanging out with your mates behind some abandoned bowling alley. But what's better is actually being able to afford the luxuries an adult can have: a car, roof over your head, clothes, food and not having to sit on the benefits system because you have no job.

Education allows you to do all that:

Education gives you freedom and comfort in knowing that you can afford anything you want because you learned to become a productive individual in society.

But oh no, what am I talking about? Who the heck wants to learn and get a paying job? Let's all be hobos on the street and raise our signs in the air to spread the message that we won't be forced to work and expect the government to pay for it all. That's what the Pepsi commercial was all about right?

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Useless Studies Degrees vs Skilled Degree Programs

Err... yeah, of course,

You can't call bankruptcy you're paying for a service: welcome to adulthood, dweeb. Oh, I'm sorry you expected that teacher to give you free advice and education? Too bad you're no longer a kid anymore. You're an adult that shouldn't be relying on the welfare of others. If you don't like that: don't go to college, simple.

But that'd be the easy way to explain it, apparently, you social normies prefer the PC approach of telling others they should just look for a job straight away instead of going to university and getting loans. Think of it like equivalent exchange: I want a degree to do a qualified job, they have those degrees, the job I am interested in applying to requires that degree. I ask for a loan, I learn, get a part-time job maybe and then pay off that loan after successfully getting a high paid job.

The only issue here being is if I am stupid and pick a career path that's not profitable, that's not financially secure.

When you turn that age: You are taking your first steps out in the open, you need to learn the REAL stuff, the hard-hitting facts that you're no longer in your parent's bubble: This is the real world snowflake: Learn to live in it or melt!

Life is cruel, life is hard, you're no longer a kid anymore and you've got to recognize that.

Maybe what you should be saying is when you get to that age you should look into which career most interests you that's realistic and not just pick useless degrees that get you nowhere like "Gender Equality".

If you want to get a degree in something it should be something that ensures you get a paid job at the end of the day.

And if you don't get it at least you made that effort in bettering yourself and learned from it. Being an adult is about making mistakes, you're never always right and you are constantly learning from your decisions.

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Your College Degree Doesn't Matter Argument

((Having a degree doesn't make you smart.. I mean, you are pathetic if you need a piece of paper that tells you that you are smart to think you are smart. some of the smartest people I know have never gone to college and they are more intelligent than a lot of people I know that got their college degrees.))

Ah, the old: a piece of paper doesn't matter 'argument'. Yeah, you try getting a 30,000 a year job without any qualifications and see how easy that is?

Did you have to end up getting those degrees whilst on the job? Well suddenly that burnt piece of paper on your wall doesn't seem so useless now, does it?

I'm well aware this is to reflect the college people that can't get jobs but that's old news. Job seeking is as much about marketing as it is about learning: if you can't market yourself to an employer well: you most likely end up with no job. It's almost as if having people skills and the right attitude to work with matters. Imagine that.

Oh sorry no, business does matter because by the looks of things are you ready for this: Business is the very thing these kids with no motivation or outlook as to what to do with their lives need in order to get purpose in their lives. They need to work so they themselves can learn what their goals are and how to accomplish them. You can't learn that from sitting around your house all day playing video games. You need to go out and earn those relationships, experience the highs and lows of employment, so sorry no. Business is a necessity and you'll end up working for one whether you like it or not. Even if it's your own it's still a business.

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Being Self-Taught vs Taught By University

((I can teach myself. I don't need to go to college to learn.))

Umm yes: you can teach entrepreneurship. It comes mainly from marketing and learning to do things on your own.

Sure, you can be self-taught but that just means you're doing it the hard way with no guidance, if you can be criticized for the things you are doing then you'll most likely succeed and not be stuck in a safe space where outside thought can't reach you.

You can't learn the hard lessons as easily if you're stuck in a repetitive cycle. You can't develop yourself, that's why we have children go to school in the first place: so they can learn how to become entrepreneurs in their own field of work.

Here's a fun fact where does the word entrepreneur come from? An entrepreneur is a French word coined by the economist Jean-Baptiste Say, a French classical, liberal economist and scholar. Usually is translated as, "adventurer".

Guess what kids? To become an Economist or Scholar you have to be well educated and know what the heck words are in a textbook: That's right kids I just proved to you that to be an Entrepreneur or "adventurer" you need to learn. You know what that means: YOU HAVE TO BE EDUCATED TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR!

Therefore meaning: You can teach people to learn how to become businessmen the very thing that you said we can't be taught.

Also that math you made up saying you are 100 thousand percent "with no hedge" whatever that means, not only is that mathematically unsound as you can't be logically more than 100% sure that you are right. But I'm guessing you aren't a gardener because, of course; hedges aren't involved in Entrepreneurship sir. I'm guessing this is just some bizarre in-joke that I won't get maybe you mean "without a doubt" because that would make much more sense. Stop trying to be trendy, dude. It doesn't suit you and you sound ridiculous.

Congrats you finally have a sound argument against college. There is no defined path to employment or success. As for all you know this kid is a Hollywood star that has already achieved success, not being unrealistic here. Just saying not everything can be solved through education, but you'll most likely learn from this thing we call life and your teacher will be you, I know this is pretty deep stuff! Well they should be a little stressed at least I mean, this is what their entire future they're thinking about here that might affect them for their entire life, but I mean no they should be going out getting crunk right?

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Only You Can Determine Your Goals and Career Path

I AM THE FUTURE YEEEAH! Well yeah man, I think you could have summed this entire video by saying: "Maybe instead of going to university you should think about what you want out of life, after all, #YOLO",

A better thought would be:

"Hey, maybe I should think for myself. I mean, I should probably make informed decisions that matter rather than just being told what to do?"

MAYBE!? I mean if I'm ever going to learn it, it won't be from listening to those who failed. It will be listening to those who are succeeding.

But sure, some adolescent adults, who are highly opinionated; who say that college is dumb and you shouldn't go will have all the answers: Please, tell me more about that Million Dollar Business you run, Bruh.

So basically you end by saying we're lucky to have the choices we have to carve our own lives. Wow man, that's so pretentious pointlessly outspoken, and totally mindlessly moronic to tell someone: that's like saying: "Oh hey man sorry the sky is grey, maybe it'll be blue tomorrow!" Why in the world would you think that would help someone that is looking to find out what to do with their lives?

If there is advice I can give to someone that is genuinely looking for some in this long-winded drawn out blog post, it is that:

If you want to know what to do with your life: You live it, set goals for yourself and motivate yourself to succeed. Don't just sit there wasting your time listening to those who think they know what you should do. They don't know! They aren't you.

Why not actually spend your time researching the things you will find helpful such as jobs that may interest you, look at the requirements and try to become that person detailed in the job advert and MAYBE you'll get a job find your dreams, discover what your life is worth and find happiness, because sitting here listening to "You shoulds" aren't going to get you anywhere. Just do it! Make your dreams come true.

Only you can be the person that can define your own path. If you sit here being counseled by the people you're just speculating. Trust your own mind with these decisions and formulate your own viewpoint based on what you have already experienced.

Oh, and don't take what I said personally. I just read that little yellow sticky note memo you left at the bottom of the video there, way to go! You couldn't have started with that point, to begin with, have me not rant on and on about how there are lots of YouTubers out there that claim the same thing because they're in debt too! You even pointed out this video is controversial. Well, I'll be darned I guess it is! Funny that. And I'm glad you're not teaching kids to be complacent like this video sort of suggests. Maybe you should have made the video sound a lot more adult and stopped trying to appeal to your "hip" demographic it's kind of demeaning.

There are people that probably clicked on this video saying to themselves, hey maybe this is some real advice I can get to make my decision on what I want to be when I'm older only to be met with #Lifehacks and unclear opinions. All this does is discourage them from choosing university which is still a valid option for those who actually seek out a job that requires a lot of education.

Yes, you don't need a diploma to create your own business, however, university for some people may be the only solution to how they learn to become the thing they desire to be.

And I'm not saying you can't do that through other means. Hell Blizzard was formed around a few computer nerds that dropped out of college to form their own company and made World of Warcraft. Now they have Overwatch even though their original game isn't nearly as popular as it was back in the day. But a decision like this needs to be thought out, forming your own business is as much a risk as it is a reward and that takes time and effort, they have a lot of time to decide what they feel is the best solution for them. However, so pressuring them not to go to university when they might benefit from it isn't always the right answer to this problem.

People can only learn from their mistakes, sure they don't need a University to make them, but for some that are aloof about the future it helps them develop character and that I think can benefit those who are unsure what they want in life. It allows them to explore their dream without barriers such as "Qualifications". This has a good message it just needed to be polished in such a way that explains something to us without making the whole thing sound like some brat boys trying to give you the scoop on life.

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How This "Anti-College/University" Message Can Come Across

This is a topic that makes or breaks for some people and I hope you take time to understand that because I feel like you're coming across in a totally different way than what your comment suggests and that isn't always great when you're trying to put forward an idea: maybe look over your content before you post it?

It sounded like you recognized that your message was unclear: well then make sure your message is concise, to begin with. Then your audience won't end up confused or misinformed. I did think this was informative to some, but at the same time, this is the knowledge that they probably know already.

Work on being more clear in your reasoning and you won't have to follow up your content just because you had afterthoughts. It makes sense to review what you post before posting is what I'm going to say to address this.

Sorry I couldn't fit this into one long essay into a comment section under this video. Apparently, there's some invisible limit. Not expecting this to get any praise or acknowledgment. Just leaving my feedback.

I would do a video on this subject, but I think this has already been said so many times over in much better-expressed manners. It'd be an old hat for me to debunk what has already been debunked several times over. Anyway, if you managed to get through this long essay I salute you, sir/madam. I hope my input was at least engaging enough for you to read it.

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Conclusion:

I don't regret one thing I've learned. It has expanded my knowledge and bettered me by far. Also, I've been criticized for pretty much everything I've tried to do and every goal I have tried to accomplish. But the fact is that everyone's path to success for their dreams is not going to be the same. Some may need a college education to pursue their dream job. Some may not. I know that it's better to take risks than it is not to. And my goal is to start my own gaming company in the future, but in order to do that, knowledge and skill is needed for that.

A lot of people will criticize you for any life choices you make and you shouldn't be discouraged by them: the good out-way the bad and usually it's the hard-working ones that actually succeed in life. Keep positive and live your dream I acknowledge there are other paths but they aren't always the most logical and that goes double for anyone who is working in media.

-W0lfbane Shika

Any of my followers choose a career path that requires much education? Let us know in the comments!