wHy gO tO cOLLeGe? (part ONE)

Ok, so this is why I have not posted anything for the last few days. I have been working on my Sociology reaction paper, and this was the topic that I had chosen. I am gradually working my way through it, and, for now, I had just finished writing about the three (of many) reasons why people should consider going to college.

Of course, I’m all about working my arse off to earn a living, but, of course, I can’t help but dream of something bigger: graduating college. We were actually given various kinds of topics for this reaction paper, but considering that I am a college student, I think it was only practical to write about something I can directly relate to.

Anyway, here’s the first reason why people should go to college.

Reason number one: you get to learn stuff other than academics.

A person can learn things other than academics when he/she decides to invest in a higher education. This is because postsecondary institutions are not just for obtaining your degree or certificate; it is also the best place for an individual to be a much rounded person. A college education can shape your communication skills, expand your knowledge base, make you methodical and organized, and expose you to a whole new world of learning—all of which are essential for a smooth transition into the working world. For example, in high school, teachers communicate knowledge and facts, even draw connections to lead you through the thinking process; college professors, however, expect you to think about and synthesize seemingly unrelated topics. In addition, because testing is usually infrequent, may be cumulative, and usually covers large amounts of materials, you—not the professor—needs to organize the material to prepare for the test, unlike in high school, wherein testing is frequent and usually covers small amounts of material. A postsecondary course might even just have 2 or 3 tests in a semester! Through these experiences, you learn to take the initiative to find the best method that works best for you, which might be through the way you organize your notes or how much time you spend on studying. When you start working, these qualities can help you work well under pressure and avoid procrastination.

The next two will be coming up. I just want to make up for the days I have not made any posts because I’m kind of really serious about this blog thing. *nod* *nod*

wHy gO tO cOLLeGe? (part TWO)

Second reason, which I guess is the MAIN reason why a lot of people go to college: MONEY, baby.

Most people pursue higher education in hopes of having a more comfortable standard of living. Education opens the doors to many things like multiple jobs, career choices, the chance to further education at any point in life, and the option of teaching others what you have learned. In such a highly advanced and expensive world as we have these days, this is not an easy task, especially considering that competition among job-seekers have grown significantly for the past decade. More and more specialized jobs are being created, and those who have the proper skills and credentials are the only ones who can be considered for these jobs. Going to college helps people in this aspect because it qualifies them in the fields that they are most interested in, and it can also properly train them to qualify and get the job. With this specialization of skills also comes a specialization of wages. For members of all demographic groups, average earnings increase measurably with higher levels of education. In an inter-provincial comparison of graduate salaries conducted by Alberta Learning, postsecondary education is one of the best investments you can make, especially if you’re living in Alberta. Postsecondary graduates earn more money over their lifetime, experience fewer and shorter periods of unemployment, and have improved health and overall life prospects compared to those with only a high school diploma. While these benefits hold true for graduates in all provinces, the comparison also shows that graduates in Alberta earn among the highest gross salaries in Canada and, when taxes and costs of living are factored in, enjoy the highest take-home pay in the country. The average Alberta university graduate with a bachelor’s degree can expect to earn more than $46,000 a year – the second highest gross salary after Ontario. When taxes and costs of living are taken into consideration, the salary of a university bachelor’s graduate living in Alberta is the highest in Canada at just under $34,000, followed by Ontario at $32,000 and Saskatchewan at just under $31,000. As Albertan politician Dr. Lyle Oberg puts it, “There’s no doubt that post-secondary education is expensive, but there’s also no doubt that it’s worth every penny.”

wHy gO tO cOLLeGe? (part THREE)

Here’s the third reason: higher education benefits the economy.

Finally—and most importantly—if people decide to pursue a higher education, they are economically benefiting both themselves and the individuals that surround them. This means that with the increase of one’s average earnings through his/her investment in postsecondary education (as discussed earlier), the society also enjoys a financial return at the same time. In addition to the increase of widespread productivity, the higher earnings of educated workers generate higher tax payments at the local, state, and federal levels, and consistent productive employment reduces dependence on public income-transfer programs. Of course, this comes with a price. Because the individual outcomes affect others, it is not possible to neatly separate the benefits to individuals from those shared by society as a whole. Take the labour force for an example: unemployment is natural—even considered as healthy—as long as it is regulated. But as all workers benefit from the increased productivity of their coworkers, unemployment causes the most damage to those who are out of a job, resulting to a loss for the entire economy. However, through the increase of wages brought by higher education, the consequent increase in personal income taxes also increases the government’s revenue. With this, the government can provide more public services, such as health benefits and employment insurance, which can address such problems in order to dampen the effects of unemployment.

Wee~ I just need to come up with good introductory and concluding paragraphs, a bibliography, and, well obviously, a title page, and I am all done!

Yey~

tHe eViLs oF tHe iNtErNeT

I was planning to stay in school for at least 3 more hours after my classes were over to start on my studying for Macroeconomics. We have a midterm tomorrow, so it’s one of those final chances to redeem the credits I lost in the earlier half of the term. But then, I just decided to do the studying at home. I knew it would be harder though, especially considering that my mom’s home (and her constant nagging) and, worse, there’s DSL.

These are the times when I think to myself how much I really love hate the internet. It is so addictive, and yet so destructive. I know most of you probably understand what I’m trying to say here. There are so many more interesting stuff I find on the net just by clicking on some links than flipping through the pages of my sociology or economics books.

Probably, the problem lies in me, though. I’m the one who gets easily tempted by all those fun stuff over the internet that I end up neglecting most of the things that I should do.

And before you let your minds drift away as to what really catches my attention on the internet, I’d like to inform you that I am not one of those internet gamers, internet porn addicts, chat-ers, facebook-ers, or the dedicated bloggers (and putting them all in one sentence does not, IN ANY WAY, also put them in the same magnitude of this so-called “internet addiction”). I’m more of the google-r type. I just google whatever comes into my mind and that’s how I spend hours sitting in front of the computer.

But, for now, I’m going to try to stop that. Well, just until finals are over, I guess (which is more than a month away!). And, hopefully, tomorrow I can start on making outlines again for my other courses so I can be ready for the upcoming finals. For now, I just have to concentrate on my Macroeconomics midterm tomorrow and pray that I read every question carefully because that’s how I usually fail my exams. I miss a word or two because of time pressure. Stupid me.

That’s about it!

And, oh yeah, I still hate DST. I woke up late today because my biological clock is still not accustomed to the +1 hour thing. Hopefully, I’ll get rid of this problem by tomorrow.

sKiPpiNg sChOoL

I skipped school today.

Well, that is not really something new. I do not usually go to school on Fridays even though I have classes on Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. The only thing different for today is the quiz that I was supposed to write in Macroeconomics. The funny thing is I was all ready for it. Well, not entirely ready, but, still, I was pretty confident about it. I even finished my outlines for the chapter the quiz was going to be based on.

See, I told you I was ready. I was just stupid enough not to take it.

I was half-asleep in the morning when I was contemplating whether I should go or not. I would sit up on my bed, then go lie down. Then sit up, then go lie down again. (Don’t look at me like that! I know most of you do the same thing every morning.)

So I abruptly decided NOT to go.

Besides, our teacher came up with this thing regarding the credits we get for the quizzes she gives us. She gives us four quizzes for the whole semester, and the best three out of those four will be the only ones credited. So, basically, we can miss one quiz as long as we write the other three (and do good on them), without worrying about a lesser grade.

But I am NOT (definitely not) promoting “school-skipping”.

Even though I seldom go to class, I can still say that I am usually ready for it. I always sometimes do advance studying, and I have all the outlines to prove it. I even do most of my assignments beforehand so that I do not have to do it at the very last minute.

So, if you do plan to skip, make sure you have tackled all the consequences for it. Make sure that you will not lose anything, or if you do, it should be at the minimum level, and be sure that you will be able make up for it.

Or better yet, JUST DO NOT DO IT.

(This post is pretty ironic. I skipped school, and here I am talking about NOT skipping school. Geez)

cAn’T sLeEp

(This was an old entry. I just reposted it.)

It’s quarter to 4am, and I can’t sleep. I can feel my eyes dropping down, but whenever I find myself on the bed, I just can’t fall asleep! I have absolutely no idea why, but I just stare around the dark room and think. Think what? I don’t really know… It’s like a mix of everything: my finals, home, my friends, school… So many things run in my mind for the last few hours, and I just can’t seem to fall asleep.

So I just decided to write on this thing. I’m not quite sure if I’m going to be able to sleep after all this, but I’m just hoping that it will help, in some twisted way.

Ok, so where do I start?

Right!

NUMBER ONE: In Canada, I have ZERO social life.

And I hate it.

I can’t really say that I was popular back home, but I did know a lot of people. It even came to a point that wherever I go (in school), I always end up greeting somebody along the hallway, always have someone to talk to, and even always have someone to borrow books or calculators from whenever I need some. I’m even shocked myself whenever I think about this because I was never a sociable person. I was more of the quiet and don’t-give-a-damn-to-the-world type who you’ll always find at the corner of the classroom either sleeping or just have a blank look on her face. But somehow, it worked for me. I still gained a lot of friends and even came off as a funny person to some people (I have absolutely no idea how this came to be).

But where I am right now, It doesn’t work. ABSOLUTELY… no effect.

My aloofness and standard sit-at-the-corner-of-the-room habit has gotten me nowhere in regards to my social life. I’ve been in Canada for over a year now, and unfortunately, I haven’t made any friends. Well, I have made some at work, but now that I’m NOT working and just concentrating on college, it’s pretty damn harsh. I feel so alone with no one to talk to. Even though I have some friends from work, I’ve never really spent that much time with them for us to be “friends.”

I know it sounds pretty shallow, I mean it does for me, but it’s the truth. I can’t even believe that I’m complaining about such a small thing. I just realized that I’m so used to not exerting any effort when it comes to my social life that when I found myself in an entirely different place, I was kind of… well, I guess… lonely. I’ve never felt so alone in my entire life, and that scares the crap out of me. I miss home uncontrollably (but not to the point that I’m on the verge of tears, thank God!), and I always end up daydreaming of how it would be if I was back home. I mean, I’m so homesick that I even did something that I would NEVER IMAGINE myself do: write a freaking blog about it!

Oh well!