Stop? Look and Listen

UP is a dream come true.

But it seems that this reality is getting exhausting. And it still hasn’t been a year since I’ve set foot on UP grounds.

I have wished to be one of the lucky “iskolar ng bayan” ever since I knew the existence of this prestigious national university. It was a dream I held on to until the end of highschool.

My problem was I didn’t know what I course I would want to take. Back then I was so resolute on taking up BS Accountancy and then afterwards proceed to law. But for some mysterious reason, I changed my mind. And I didn’t know what I wanted anymore.

I am currently taking up BS Psychology. My father told me this would be good. My two other choices in the UPCAT were BS Industrial Engineering (UP LB) and BS Accountancy (UP somewhere, I think it was Mindanao?). BS Psychology in UP D is my second choice. I decided to take it mainly because it was the one I passed.

I don’t hate my course. But I don’t love it either.

With quite less motivation in studying, I find myself asking “what if I don’t continue on with college?”.

There are a number of successful people who were not college graduates.

Henry Ford (Ford Motor Company), Bill Gates and Paul Allen (Microsoft), Larry Page (Google), Steve Jobs (Apple), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook are only a few of those people who were not hindered by their lack of a college diploma.

These people are an inspiration to the ones who have lost hope in school and to those who couldn’t really afford to send themselves to college. If you can use the best of your abilities to the fullest, you can be as successful or even more successful as those who have earned a degree. Persistence is a powerful weapon.

On the other hand lots of people insist that graduating from college compared to the opposite will always make life better. Even celebrities in the Philippines- Ai Ai delas Alas (comedian), currently taking BS Public Administration in UP D; Eric Santos (singer), very recently just graduated BS Psychology in Centro Escolar University; and many more- are convinced that earning a diploma would make them better and more productive individuals than what they already are right now.

The reality of the world today is that it is really hard to get yourself a job without a diploma. The first thing that establishments would look for to give you a job would be that certain piece of paper. People who fail to present a diploma would be given the low wage income jobs.

Though the huge successes of Bill Gates or Henry Ford are somewhat inspirations to disregard college, I still believe it would be better to continue on with my studies. It wouldn’t hurt to get myself a diploma, and with the current system of any country, diplomas are a passport to well-being.

Anyway, with or without a college degree, the important thing is that we know and recognize our mistakes, correct them, constantly improve ourselves, and persevere in what we do.

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