Encouragement to attend college

by Amy
(Bay Area, CA)

My dad always told me I must attend college. He was the first in his family to do so and my mother never got an opportunity.

I had to start out at a community college since I didn't know what to major in. "That's alright," my dad would say, "just stay in college and take only one class, but do not drop out because soon you'll work full time and start making major purchases that will lock you into your job. Go part time until you figure out what you want to do."

It is the best advice I ever received. And it took me until I was 26 years old to graduate from a four year university.

Today I do not work in the field I majored in. I did very little work in that field. But my bachelor's degree did open doors for me that would have otherwise been closed.

I got to teach English overseas, for one. It is very difficult to get a job at a school unless you have a bachelor's or higher. And it can be in any major, not only education.

Another advantage is just my overall level of education. My schooling experience has made me more technologically savvy and interested in the world around me.

So my education has been one of the best investments I've ever made in myself and I have my father's persistence to thank.