I Am Going To College Because…

I am going to college because I have been out of school since 1999 and I have been working since than at minimum wage jobs and couldn’t find any jobs that pay well or any jobs that involve my hobbies or interests.

Last October I was visiting my wife at NorthArk (she was going to school at the time) and was looking at the choices of degrees northark had to offer, and decided to go for digital media but because I worked in Branson at the time and living in Harrison I was trying to figure out how to go to school and work in Branson for a while and than on February 29^th, 2012 the tornado that went through Branson destroyed the store I was working at. Unfortunately that was too late to sign up for classes so I did everything I could to start this fall so I could better my digital media skills in hopes of after I graduate getting a job that pays well doing something I really like to do.

I have actually been flirting with the idea of going to college since 2004, but I was stuck at what I should go for. I didn’t want to spend money (whether my own or grant or loan money) on classes for a degree I may not even want. I wanted to go to school on my own terms and not on what others tell me I should go for. I also know I should go for something that would hopefully guarantee me some real work.

One time I wanted to go to film production school. There’s a really good one in New York. A few years ago I found out about FullSail University in Florida, which is my dream school but it’s not in my cards to go there. Probably never will be. I’m a firm believer that if you don’t go for the degree you want you are going to fail at your education. I want to be successful at college and my future endeavors.

All last spring my dad tried to convince me to go to college to be a nursing aide because my uncle does that and enjoys it. I never once had any desire to be a nurse’s aide. Yes, the pay is good but if it’s not what I want to do than I will fail at it. You have to go where your heart is. Do what you love to do, not something that you don’t want to do. I have always been into the digital arts – sound production, video production, graphic design etc. I know that jobs in that field are hard to find in Harrison, but I’ll figure that out when I get out of college. Maybe even go into business for myself if necessary. I have been trying to start a business doing that sort of thing since 2003 called “Strawberry Lane Media Design” and I’m hoping after I graduate college in a couple of years I will be able to be much better at my craft.

I’m 32 years old, it’s about time I do something to better myself and my lifestyle so I can support my family better. That’s why I’m going to college.dd