EPISODE · Aug 31, 2023 · 17 MIN
#005 - 3 Reasons Why Going To College For The Social Aspect Is a BAD Idea
from Construction Mentor Podcast · host Ryan "Ike" Eisenhauer
It is funny, more and more people today are questioning the validity of college as a necessity. We all know the reasons why, let’s not go over them here. Yet many parents still want their children to go to college. Not because of the merit or return on the investment, but because “well I still want them to go for the social aspect”.We have ALL heard that one, right? What does that mean? To “find yourself”? To learn how to be an adult?To learn how to socialize with adults?To cut loose?To make friends? To make mistakes? Or my favorite…for “polish”?Why? I hope those aren’t the reasons because I could do all of those things for a lot cheaper than a college tuition…but for the heck of it, lets talk about the “social aspect”.You should be able to find yourself in high school, or at least get an idea. You definitely could if you had the right mentor. But let’s say you still haven’t found the path you want to take. Would you rather expose yourself to different industries by trying them? Spending time, getting experience, seeing what it was like while making some money? Or would you rather throw tens-of-thousands of dollars at an education, “trying” that out, when it may not even be practical to the industry anyway, only to turn around and decide you want to “try something else”.“But you are talking about career path, I am talking about being exposed to new people and new ideas”. Ok, lets address that one. I have met more diverse people in the workforce that I have learned more from then anyone I met in college. Do you know why? Because they have ACTUAL LIFE EXPERIENCE. Not to mention…I don’t know if you have seen a college campus recently, they are not exactly promoting diverse thought like they use to. They are the definition of a monolith.Let’s move onto “be an adult”, “socialize with adults”, or “polish”. Ask anyone who has been in any industry for a long time. Entry level graduates have worse and worse social skills every year as time goes on. If college is supposed to “socialize you” then they are all failing across the board.Whether it is verbal communication, writing skills, professional emails, event networking, dinner function etiquette, or even something as simple as dressing the part…college graduates are piss poor across the board. So much so that young people who do dress and carry themselves professionally stick out so much, that they are sought after and coveted.The good news is…. there is an opportunity! The bar is low my friends!Again, being around people with real world experience as early an often as possible is the answer here. Lastly, lets talk about friends and lifestyle.If I were to make a list of things, you could do or have in your life that are proven to have a negative affect on your life, they are in abundance in college.Inconsistent sleep patternsExcessive drug & alcohol usePromiscuityMasturbationPoor dietLack of purpose or even the desire to find oneLiving for the moment, short term satisfactionGroup thinkVictimhoodCheating on exams, as a groupSurrounding yourself with people who compete at overindulging in these things instead of making each other better and challenging one another.I can’t express to you how many people I have removed from my life since college and how I am better for it. Not because they are bad people but because my relationships we based on these things (no not masturbation with friends so get off my back on that one). People would avoid 8:00am classes and reasons to get up before 10:00am. People drank every chance they got. Pizza or donuts after a long night of drinking. We would spend entire days hungover on the couch, eating comfort food, only to sometimes start drinking again. People would play the victim when a professor or boss at an internship treated us poorly. Scheme with one another to do what ever it took to pass an exam or get a decent grade on a project. Even if it meant bending the rules or cheating as a group. Many people became reliant on Adderall, percosets or other drugs. Many people started using drugs like cocaine or oxycontin. Worst of all, people acted like the purpose in life was to do less, to take it easy, to find our way up the ladder so we could be paid to gold and boat and party with clients. Many people that I know from college struggle with depression and anxiety. Some have suicidal thoughts. In some instances, they have succumbed to those thoughts or overindulged on drugs.The people that have moved past the habits from college, and the people from college that are doing the best right now. Those are the people who are becoming the best versions of themselves.I am not telling you to avoid college...I am saying when you go to college, go with a purpose, go to work hard, to learn, to test your mind. And most of all be abundantly aware of the temptations, of the indulgence, and statistically what those things do to people. Most importantly, how much better their lives become without them.Key words...Construction Jobs, Construction Manager, Construction Saletraining, Construction Fails, Construction Simulator, Construction vehicles, Constructionsounds, Construction truck, Construction accidents, Construction sites, Constructionjobs interview, construction jobs that pay well, construction jobs with noexperience, Jobs that pay well without a degree, jobs that can make youa millionaire, jobs that pay well, jobs that pay over 100k, jobs that allow youto travel, jobs that don’t require a college degree, jobs that AI can’t replace,jobs that Pay 100k a year without a degree, jobs that will be replaced with AI,jobs that will make you a millionaire, jobs that make over 100k a year, jobsthat hire immediatelyCareers that make a lot of money, careers in finance,careers for introverts, careers that don’t require a degree, careers without adegree, careers in techBlue collar millionaires, blue collar boys, blue collar man,blue collar edu, Skilled trades shortage, skilled trades that pay well,skilled trades vs college, skilled trades in demand, skilled trades are dying,skilled trades jobs, skilled trades podcast, skilled tradesman, Student loan forgiveness, student loan debt, student loansexplained, student loan crisis, student loan plannerHighest starting salaries, Carpenter work, carpenter tools, carpentry basics, carpentrywork, carpentry podcasts, carpentry apprenticeship, carpentry hacks, carpentry course,carpentry projects, carpentry tips, carpentry schoolsElectrician work, Electrician tools, Electrician basics, Electricianwork, Electrician podcasts, c Electrician apprenticeship, Electrician hacks, Electriciancourse, Electrician projects, Electrician tips, Electrician schools,electrician vs plumber, electrical design, electrical engineering, electricalbasics, electrical wiring, electrical engineering course electricaltroubleshootingHVAC tech, HVAC system, HVAC work, HVAC tools, HVAC basics, HVACwork, HVAC podcasts, HVAC apprenticeship, HVAC hacks, HVAC course, HVAC projects,HVAC tips, HVAC schools, HVAC vs plumber, HVAC design, mechanical engineering
What this episode covers
It is funny, more and more people today are questioning the validity of college as a necessity. We all know the reasons why, let’s not go over them here. Yet many parents still want their children to go to college. Not because of the merit or return on the investment, but because “well I still want them to go for the social aspect”.We have ALL heard that one, right? What does that mean? To “find yourself”? To learn how to be an adult?To learn how to socialize with adults?To cut loose?To make friends? To make mistakes? Or my favorite…for “polish”?Why? I hope those aren’t the reasons because I could do all of those things for a lot cheaper than a college tuition…but for the heck of it, lets talk about the “social aspect”.You should be able to find yourself in high school, or at least get an idea. You definitely could if you had the right mentor. But let’s say you still haven’t found the path you want to take. Would you rather expose yourself to different industries by trying them? Spending time, getting experience, seeing what it was like while making some money? Or would you rather throw tens-of-thousands of dollars at an education, “trying” that out, when it may not even be practical to the industry anyway, only to turn around and decide you want to “try something else”.“But you are talking about career path, I am talking about being exposed to new people and new ideas”. Ok, lets address that one. I have met more diverse people in the workforce that I have learned more from then anyone I met in college. Do you know why? Because they have ACTUAL LIFE EXPERIENCE. Not to mention…I don’t know if you have seen a college campus recently, they are not exactly promoting diverse thought like they use to. They are the definition of a monolith.Let’s move onto “be an adult”, “socialize with adults”, or “polish”. Ask anyone who has been in any industry for a long time. Entry level graduates have worse and worse social skills every year as time goes on. If college is supposed to “socialize you” then they are all failing across the board.Whether it is verbal communication, writing skills, professional emails, event networking, dinner function etiquette, or even something as simple as dressing the part…college graduates are piss poor across the board. So much so that young people who do dress and carry themselves professionally stick out so much, that they are sought after and coveted.The good news is…. there is an opportunity! The bar is low my friends!Again, being around people with real world experience as early an often as possible is the answer here. Lastly, lets talk about friends and lifestyle.If I were to make a list of things, you could do or have in your life that are proven to have a negative affect on your life, they are in abundance in college.Inconsistent sleep patternsExcessive drug & alcohol usePromiscuityMasturbationPoor dietLack of purpose or even the desire to find oneLiving for the moment, short term satisfactionGroup thinkVictimhoodCheating on exams, as a groupSurrounding yourself with people who compete at overindulging in these things instead of making each other better and challenging one another.I can’t express to you how many people I have removed from my life since college and how I am better for it. Not because they are bad people but because my relationships we based on these things (no not masturbation with friends so get off my back on that one). People would avoid 8:00am classes and reasons to get up before 10:00am. People drank every chance they got. Pizza or donuts after a long night of drinking. We would spend entire days hungover on the couch, eating comfort food, only to sometimes start drinking again. People would play the victim when a professor or boss at an internship treated us poorly. Scheme with one another to do what ever it took to pass an exam or get a decent grade on a project. Even if it meant bending the rules or cheating as a group. Many people became reliant on Adderall, percosets or other drugs. Many people started using drugs like cocaine or oxycontin. Worst of all, people acted like the purpose in life was to do less, to take it easy, to find our way up the ladder so we could be paid to gold and boat and party with clients. Many people that I know from college struggle with depression and anxiety. Some have suicidal thoughts. In some instances, they have succumbed to those thoughts or overindulged on drugs.The people that have moved past the habits from college, and the people from college that are doing the best right now. Those are the people who are becoming the best versions of themselves.I am not telling you to avoid college...I am saying when you go to college, go with a purpose, go to work hard, to learn, to test your mind. And most of all be abundantly aware of the temptations, of the indulgence, and statistically what those things do to people. Most importantly, how much better their lives become without them.Key words...Construction Jobs, Construction Manager, Construction Saletraining, Construction Fails, Construction Simulator, Construction vehicles, Constructionsounds, Construction truck, Construction accidents, Construction sites, Constructionjobs interview, construction jobs that pay well, construction jobs with noexperience, Jobs that pay well without a degree, jobs that can make youa millionaire, jobs that pay well, jobs that pay over 100k, jobs that allow youto travel, jobs that don’t require a college degree, jobs that AI can’t replace,jobs that Pay 100k a year without a degree, jobs that will be replaced with AI,jobs that will make you a millionaire, jobs that make over 100k a year, jobsthat hire immediatelyCareers that make a lot of money, careers in finance,careers for introverts, careers that don’t require a degree, careers without adegree, careers in techBlue collar millionaires, blue collar boys, blue collar man,blue collar edu, Skilled trades shortage, skilled trades that pay well,skilled trades vs college, skilled trades in demand, skilled trades are dying,skilled trades jobs, skilled trades podcast, skilled tradesman, Student loan forgiveness, student loan debt, student loansexplained, student loan crisis, student loan plannerHighest starting salaries, Carpenter work, carpenter tools, carpentry basics, carpentrywork, carpentry podcasts, carpentry apprenticeship, carpentry hacks, carpentry course,carpentry projects, carpentry tips, carpentry schoolsElectrician work, Electrician tools, Electrician basics, Electricianwork, Electrician podcasts, c Electrician apprenticeship, Electrician hacks, Electriciancourse, Electrician projects, Electrician tips, Electrician schools,electrician vs plumber, electrical design, electrical engineering, electricalbasics, electrical wiring, electrical engineering course electricaltroubleshootingHVAC tech, HVAC system, HVAC work, HVAC tools, HVAC basics, HVACwork, HVAC podcasts, HVAC apprenticeship, HVAC hacks, HVAC course, HVAC projects,HVAC tips, HVAC schools, HVAC vs plumber, HVAC design, mechanical engineering
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#005 - 3 Reasons Why Going To College For The Social Aspect Is a BAD Idea
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