If you are one of the many people who believe that “education” means attending a four year college or university, you are sadly mistaken. The fact of the matter is that if you want to continue on to a successful life after high school or even college, you need more than a diploma. It takes much more than that.
It may be easy to assume what you already know: that an education is what will get you the job you want. That may be true, and it’s certainly logical. However, what does education mean to you other than the fact that you can get hired? What will that education provide you with in order to reach your goals? What do you want to become?
If you ask yourself what does education mean to you, the first piece of information that you should keep in mind is that you must take the time to pursue your goals. This is true regardless of where you want to get to or how much success you are looking for. If you don’t want to go to law school, you don’t have to settle for a degree, and you don’t have to go to a four year university if you don’t want to.
In addition, what does education: mean to you means that you make a difference in the world. This could be defined in a number of different ways, but it essentially boils down to helping others achieve their goals and becoming a better person in the process. That could involve helping a fellow student who has a problem with learning a second language, helping a struggling single mom reach her financial goals, or even just making it through the toughest days of a divorce when both parties are experiencing a loss. Education isn’t always a tangible thing, but it is certainly a valuable one. When someone pursues a goal, they are taking an active role and that in itself is extremely valuable.
So, as you can probably tell: what does education mean to you has a lot to do with making a difference in the world and having a fulfilling life. However, education isn’t just about getting you into a particular college or university. It also has a lot to do with your general outlook on life, and this is especially true if you are going to school for the first time. In fact, many people who come into the college admissions process are worried about what exactly they are getting into, but the truth is that they really don’t know what they will end up being able to accomplish. There is a lot to be learned from attending college, and everyone involved ends up learning something different. When you enter the classroom, you will have an opportunity to learn about not only yourself, but about others, too.
So, in summary: what does education mean to you can vary greatly, and it is certainly a big part of your life. You may only think of it briefly when you get ready to go to school, but it ends up playing a much larger role in your life than you might have originally thought. You can change your life in a million ways by simply getting the education that you need, no matter what your specific goals are. Whether it’s to become more competitive in the job market, or to find a better way to get your degree, or to pursue a higher degree that will allow you to better serve your community, education plays an important role in everything we do.