What matters to me, and why?
When I was seventeen, I stood back and watched most of my friends getting ready to graduate the following year, some of them had planned on continuing their education after graduation, some were getting married, and a few decided that living with their parents for as long as they could before getting kicked out of the basement by mom and dad was going to be the best idea than anything else.
The few who were going off to school made me jealous, but happy for them as well. They were following their dream, and higher education was the key. I would have been in that group of friends too if I hadn 't become a parent at seventeen with my first child, which forced me to drop out of school and start raising a family as a single parent. It would have been impossible to work, maintain my education, and raise a small child all at the same time back
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I would often think about how life would of been different if I would have gone on to graduate with my class and then gone off to college. I would think about those friends from school who were able to do just that, and how I missed them. Most of those friends I never saw again once I became a parent. When I became nineteen I had my third child and was married, I took a two year break and had my fourth child at the age of twenty two, and was on a second marriage.
By that time I realized that raising four small children was quite the work, and I also realized that without a degree under my belt, finding a career was a even bigger challenge. So, I chalked it up as a life learning experience, and assumed that my chances of ever being able to pursue my dream of a degree was never going to happen. That 's when I turned my focus on my children 's education, I was not going to let them miss out on that opportunity for
The reason behind this was me being afraid of having piles of debt stacked onto my shoulders as soon as I graduate (or after the six month period after graduation). I am still terrified of having the crash and burn after college of not being able to find a job or afford my basic lifestyle. Even finding a basic part time job was hard for me and other people my age and younger. The endless cycle of needing experience to get a job but needing a job to get experience is tiresome. Also the cycle of needing a degree to get a job but needing a job to pay off the degree is like being in a
Throughout high school and during my undergraduate studies, education was never a top priority for me. Only during the past two years, in the "real world", have I realized the importance of education. I look back at those years and wish I had done more and realized all the potential I had in my hands and not wasted so much time. During my undergraduate career my social activities consumed my life. My friends were not motivated to do well in school so I followed their lead. My grades were low, and I did not even care. After I graduated in 1997 with a Psychology B.A. and lost touch with my old friends and old ways, I have realized that I should have spent more time doing some soul searching and thinking what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I liked Psychology but what I really wanted to do was work with children more closely. I had spent my junior and senior years involved in internships at Head Start and at a High School in a Program for teenaged mothers. I loved my work there. At Head Start I was a Teacher Aid for the pre-school, teaching the children to read, numbers etc. And at the High School I counseled the teenaged mothers, took care of their kids while they went to school and after the school day I tutored them with their homework. After being out of school for a while, I started to miss that. The feeling that I was teaching something those kids, the feeling that I was making a difference. I was determined to find a job in education, with my background in Psychology, how hard could it be? I found work at a residential school for runaways and abused teenaged females. It was great! I was ready to go, I was going to change the world and change those girls lives. What I didn't realize is that will alone does not make me a teacher and that I needed training, a lot of training. I made a lot of mistakes in that job. I got discouraged and decided to forget about working with children, forget teaching and do something else that paid more. So, I got a job as a Secretary, I did that for about two years. Teaching, working with children was always on my mind.
My parents have this perfect life for me pictured in their heads, and the first thing they see me doing is going to college. They expect the best of me, and so by going to college, I will not only have fulfilled their goals for me, but I will have accomplished one of the goals I have set for myself. In our culture, when parents come to the age where they can’t support themselves, it is the duty of the children to look after them.
Going back to school at 30 is not the same as going back to school at 20, especially when you’re a single parent with an established career. Returning to school never left my mind throughout the years, I received my associates seven years ago and between then and now a lot had changed. So many questions I asked myself; do I have the time, who can help watch my daughter, can I juggle another load, etc. I answered every one of my questions; unfortunately I gave myself excuses instead. The decision going back to school was overwhelming because it was taking up another full time job; making it a priority and possibly putting in overtime to study and do homework.
Human life is full of meaning. As humans, we assign value to many things. However, what happens when we assign a specific value to a human life? This is the issue being presented in the article, “What is a Life Worth,” by Amanda Ripley. The government is determining a monetary value to a human life, and it does not appeal to the masses. There are many problems with the cold calculation, and most people cannot see the other side of the numbers. The economic value of a human life is calculated based on the income the person was receiving, but when the check is given to a loved one of a small amount, the compensation is misinterpreted as an overall value of the human life. The true value of a human life should not be combined with the monetary value that is determined by the government, or the value of life would be worth very little.
By that time, I was married with a two-year-old, so I did the only thing I knew how to do and I pushed off college again. Fast-forward five additional years and I was seriously looking to enroll in college this time, but now there were three kids and I quit my job (daycare was not a feasible option with three kids) to be a stay at home parent. By not bringing in any sort of income, college still wasn’t going to be an available option anytime soon. Once my youngest was three I decided to start looking at college once again. I knew it would need to be online since my family’s schedule does not allow for anything else. An article titled “College Students with Children are Common and Face Many Challenges in Completing Higher Education” states, “Being a parent substantially increases the likelihood of leaving college with no degree.” I heard about WGU Missouri (Western Governors University) and knew that was my ticket to receiving my teaching degree since they are completely online. Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt knowing I would finally be able to start college. However, my excitement quickly turned to disappointment when I learned in order for me to be accepted I needed to have at least 12 credit hours already under my belt. At this point, I didn’t quite know what I would do. I also discovered my husband and I was expecting our fourth child. I knew college would need to be pushed
Up to this point, all the major decisions in my life were made by my parents. To make this decision on my own for my future and where I want to spend the next four years of my life proves that I am moving on from being a carefree child to becoming a responsible adult. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” by Theodore Roosevelt.
Having a job made me fear starting college because I knew it was going to be a lot of weight on my shoulders. Though, I knew if I wanted a better life that meant I would have to go back to school. Meaning I had to do both school and work because of my car payment and other bills. After a year of being out from high school, I decided to take a chance and start college. Getting an education has always caused stressed upon me. School did not come easily to me, like how it does for most others. College is not easy to handle when you are having to juggle time, work, and other responsibilities.
When Christians first encounter the idea of creating a spiritual discipline, some almost instantly become overwhelmed with anxiety because they must perform well for God to please Him and get to heaven. I was once one of them and to a point, I still think that way. However, the more focus on the relationship with Jesus and nothing else brings about the desires to want more in terms of spiritual growth. Desires however, do not last if disciplines are not met with a genuine commitment to maintain a fervent relationship with Jesus. For my rule of life, I will pencil in daily life disciplines that fit in the season of life that I am in currently so that God can work in me and I can become Christ like. First, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily prayer with God. Second, I will commit fifteen minutes to daily scripture reading. Third, I will commit to lead, encourage and support my wife by living out the vows that we both agreed to with God. Fourth, I will commit myself to my family in raising my two
I had to mature quickly and learn how to take care of someone else besides myself. I am now a mother to four children. They have taught me how to have patience. This has become something I value very much. I have learned that in life you must wait for things. I now know that there was a reason why I had my son so early and wasn’t able to go to college upon graduating high school. I am so thankful that I had patience and waited for the right time to enter. It has been 14 years since I graduated high school, and I’m attending college and know exactly what I want to become. I had patience and took care of my babies at home before I decided to go to school. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m so glad I
I have always been to asking myself what is meaning of life? or what I supposed to do ? or what I have to achieve? . Meaning of life what 's you have been given? what you have given by different kind of human? Or what I believe or what I do not believe in life .Everybody have Meaning of life it depends between person to person, I found myself when I was young because my parents always talk about experience in their life.Throughout my entire life ,I have wondered about the significance meaning of life that has beneficial for the people, because the life is beginning odds and ending odds .Even though struggle of life, I believe meaning of life are ,regional ,ambition, participate ,achievement ,and happiness .Due to this, I
COUNTLESS BLESSINGS Life is a walk In the gardens Of muddy way It’s the life We just pass Along this way Life is bitter It is sweet It is chuckling It is amazing
Individuals in my generation that decide to go away for college may graduate with a degree but they also graduate with debt and have a hard time finding work in their area of study. College graduates are young and many may not have much experience in their field. It is a bittersweet option to go to college and further your education, I am all for it, but I am not for getting yourself in tons of debt, that will cause you to live your whole life paying off student loans and such. Which is one of the reasons why I chose to stay at home and go to community college, I’m saving money while still getting a great education. In earlier generations, people may not have felt that college was important because they needed a job to support themselves and their families. That is understandable because in the early years becoming an adult meant turning of age, 18, getting a job, moving out and starting your own family, but now turning 18 doesn’t mean you automatically are an adult and can move out and start your own life, I have friends that went to college, have a job but still are not able to move out on their own even in their
Death is something that causes fear in many peoples lives. People will typically try to avoid the conversation of death at all cost. The word itself tends to freak people out. The thought of death is far beyond any living person’s grasp. When people that are living think about the concept of death, their minds go to many different places. Death is a thing that causes pain in peoples lives, but can also be a blessing.
After graduating high school I went to college and this was a very exciting time for my occupation as a student. It was a different experience, I was more comfortable with the language, I had the freedom of picking my own classes, my own schedule and even the professors. So even though my occupation good more challenging and I had to work part time I was very motivated and proud to be a college