There are few phrases that bother me more than "the real world." I don't know how many times I heard in my undergrad and graduate careers that I thought I had it bad, but just wait until I got to the real world. Like it was this dreadful place that I should avoid at all costs and thank goodness that I hadn't experienced it yet. Unfortunately, like so many of my peers, we had already experienced the real world. We weren't protected by this little bubble called college that professionals perceived. Even now after I have graduated, I realize that there is a difference between college and "the real world," and the difference is that college is much worse.
I know there are exceptions for everyone and everyone's college experience is a different. However, you tell me what professional setting requires you to attend classes full-time, hold a part-time job, and complete an internship to gain "real world" experience." I don't know about you, but all I have to do for my job is come here, get some things taken care of, and go home. I don't have to do a ton of homework or study for finals or worry about not getting the classes I need to graduate next semester.
None of that takes into account all of the extracurricular activities we are encouraged to participate in to pad our resumes. Now, the caveat here is that as a professional you can also volunteer to be a part of several other opportunities outside of your work environment. Also, for professionals those opportunities are completely voluntary. In college, while you get to choose what to join, it is frowned upon to not join anything.
I guess my rant here is that I wish professionals would take into account that college students have it much, much worse than we ever did. I see college students every day attempting to beat the five year average it now takes to graduate, while working towards a GPA higher than a 3.7, balancing a ton of extracurriculars, and working to pay for it all. That is hard work and that is just their college life. That doesn't take into account the stresses they face outside of the college walls involving family, relationships, and money.
Next time you use the term "the real world" think about everyone our college students today have to deal with. "The real world" isn't some scary place that college students should avoid. It is something they should be working towards. They are paying their dues right now to be a part of that world that will feel like a luxury to them.
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Preach it! Looking back on how much I did in college (2 majors/2 minors, extra curics, sorority offices, part time work, internships). I'm surprised I made it through. If someone tried to get me to relive that schedule there is no way I would be able to function on so little sleep again.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think doing all of these things (at once) is what taught me to be successful and manage my time in my "real world" job. Also my job does have it's busy times (like hello, now) and the stakes are higher. In college the only thing you're affecting by your actions/work ethic is yourself and maybe your other organizations. In the "real world," if you drop the ball you don't just end up with a bad grade, you could see yourself standing in the unemployment line. Which, in my opinion, makes it more stressful. Great article, Jen!
~Joanie
www.flonmymind.com
I definitely agree! I have so much more free time now that I work a full-time job rather than attending school and working part-time and doing everything else (sorority! hello). Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love that last sentence: that the real world isn't something to be feared, but something to work toward. In the rat race that is college, it's easy to forget why we're doing everything we're doing! Appreciated the read.
ReplyDeleteI think "the real world" is a real thing for a lot of people. There are different obstacles and struggles when it comes to college and post-college, and it depends on your situation and stance in life. A sweeping generalization isn't the way to go here.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point! I agree that the "real world" is a very real thing and I'm not trying to generalize here. I just believe from my and others' experiences that I know of that college students face more difficulties and "real world" experiences while in college than they have any other time in history.
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