School

The high school student did all that was asked.  Going to all of the classes and taking all of the tests.  They wondered why they had to take all of the classes that seemed boring and did not have anything to do with what they wanted to do.

So they sat in those boring lectures about topics that seemed like a big waste of time.  They traveled like drones from one classroom to the next when the bell rang.  Hour after hour of uninteresting topics that seemed to lead to nowhere.  But they kept on going.  They kept on taking tests and doing their best to get the top grades that could get them into the college of their dreams.

Graduation day comes and they have got into college.  They really don't know what they want to do, but they know that college is the place to go. It had been drilled into them since a very young age.  College is where you have to go if you are going to get ahead in life.  

Students arrive at school with a college major and a bunch of general education courses.  Was college any different than high school?  The people were a little bit more focused, but not that much.  It was still just sitting in classes and doing homework.  Semester after semester of boring information.  At the same time, the college students are filling out financial aid paperwork and taking on large financial obligations in the forms of student loans.  College students are not really paying attention to the balances.  They are going to parties and paying big money for textbooks every semester.  Every semester they pay huge amounts for books that sometimes become worthless when the semester ends.  The college students do this year after year.  Sitting in boring classrooms listening to lectures on topics that they could care less about just like back in high school.  The only difference is that in college the student is picking up the bills with student loans.  They are learning and getting a college degree on credit.

Graduation day finally rolls around and the college student is now ready to hit the job market and the business world.  Prepared with all the skills that they need to make a good living.  How many classes did the college student take on finance?  How many classes on marketing?  What about business experience or doing some actual work?  

The graduating college student gets a great graduation present.  It is not a brand new car.  It is a letter in the mail saying that the payments for the college loans are going to be coming in the mail.  Now, the clock is ticking.