As a college-bound student, first, you must check your mirrors and adjust them as needed. Push your foot on the brake pad firmly. Next, put the key into the ignition, and turn it over. Grab your seatbelt and lock it into place. Get ready for the ride of your life! Facing many obstacles as a young person can seem crippling as you set out to accomplish your goals. Determining which path best suits you can take years of struggle and exploration. Often this journey is met with criticism and stern guidance from parents, school leadership, and sometimes friends.
“Why do you want to go to school in-state?” Some may ask.
“Why don’t you want to go to school?” Others will interject their opinions.
Casting your line into the pond to catch the right fish usually needs the right bait, no?
The amount of energy you’ll waste defending your choices to people who have little to no interest in your success will cause resentment to build for both yourself and others.
You must decide early on in your journey whether you’re willing to break through the verbal and emotional roadblocks to reach your destination.
Having only the experience of others to feed your hunger for higher education will often agitate and confuse the future you envision. Living up to tradition and preconceived ideas are often the stumbling blocks many never overcome as they strive to become successful. What is success? Is it cars, money, or fame? Is it family, legacy, or ownership? That would depend on the person answering!
Many children raised in impoverished homes face the illusion of their dreams having no value. Captured by enticing and hollow choices of their environment, many children often go down a dead end. The beauty is that it also can be the catapult that lifts others into a different stratosphere. Weathering emotional storms, and overcoming physical abuse are experiences that provide a glimpse into the depths of your resiliency. Choosing to be a victim or a victor can hugely impact one’s confidence in their image.
According to an article on Bloomberg.com, a quarter of college graduates work in fields that have no connection to their degrees. Furthermore, those same college graduates usually make 35k a year or less. Young black children raised in poverty see no point in committing themselves to something to live just as poor as their parents. The allure of rapping and sports satisfies the depths of one’s imagination to claim the spoils of success.
Single-parent households and parental absenteeism (especially among fathers) destroy the foundation of any goal or dream in a young person. With a distorted view of the world, the chances of choosing any form of higher education grow slim.
The weight of low self-esteem burdens the dreams of young people in ghettoes across America. Survival creates an alternative intelligence to higher education. The streets can teach lessons that no classroom could fathom. Growing up with a faux idea of pride and confidence, young black men chase the ghost of celebrity and gangsta personas. Additionally, with the highly sexualized culture rampant in media, young black women often face insecurities with their bodies and skin tone.
Red light, Green Light!
Should we look for solutions, or should people mind their business and let others live however they choose?
The answer is a mixture of both. People should feel responsible for their contribution to the culture they represent, yet people should also know when to let sleeping dogs lie.
We can only stand as a unit when we hold each other accountable.
As you travel along the highway of life, there are many signs to acknowledge to find the correct exit, while others help to avoid danger.
College is a great way to expose yourself to thoughts and experiences which speak to your soul. However, with the modern world giving access unlike ever before to educate oneself, will the classroom fit every goal?
There are more alternatives to creating the lane in which an individual finds success. With black entrepreneurship becoming increasingly commonplace, the path to better living for young blacks reaches beyond music and sports. The choice to follow goals and not tradition has driven more people to venture into entrepreneurship.
Is entrepreneurship a new form of higher education, as an alternative to the college-bound youth?
Have the latest generations of young black Americans found a new fraternal order?
With more black Americans reaching millionaire status, is the idea of college necessary to become accomplished? Again, that would depend on the person answering!
Opportunities to invest your time in trade school or develop a skill through rigorous self-study are other pathways to success.
Unconventional ways to learn a skill like YouTube have changed many lives.
Not sure you’d want your pediatrician learning all their techniques from a YouTube classroom. Lol.
The saying; different strokes for different folks have found more relevance and application in today’s generation of unconventional millionaires.
Such an important decision with life-altering consequences requires significant contemplation. Figuring out what motivates you to reach success demands constant self-evaluation. Furthermore, choosing to partner with like-minded people may offend friends and family, but you will suffer most as your dreams float in the empty abyss of failure.
Speed limit
Fearing the unknown will only keep you stagnant. Building the right disciplines early in life will give you the confidence to trust your abilities to achieve that which everyone doubts you can.
Some fast animals are cheetahs, and others are stallions. Both are animals of great speed, and yet they have very different body types. Don’t judge the rate of your success based on others. Chasing the goals others set for you will always result in you losing. Guidance is vital for growth, and advice is a person’s opinion. Knowing when to apply the appropriate lesson requires humility and a strong sense of direction.
As a young black male or female, your contribution to your culture should reflect your contribution to self. Higher education looks different to every student. Understanding what field of study you are intrigued by increases the chances that the right course of action will reveal itself.
As you get behind the wheel of your dreams, know the road will get treacherous. The habits you develop will help you to remember that you’re in control of the vehicle. Hold yourself accountable. Avoid taking the path of least resistance. This creates a sense of resolve that you’ll need at any higher learning facility.
Whether you’re attending a trade class, university, or creating a lane all your own, higher education requires you to stand committed and unrelenting in the face of all challenges.
Many can not see the vision you hold for your life, and that’s okay because they are looking through their eyes. Being scared that your dreams may be too big only shows that your imagination is strong enough to inspire.
You are powerful, valuable, and intelligent.
Search for keys that unlock your deepest passions. Walk boldly through the doors that others hesitate to approach.
Your identity in life is not attached to what you do.
Your identity is a reflection of the trials and tribulations you have conquered.
So the next time you come to a fork in the road, remember that the path you choose reflects the dreams you’re chasing or the nightmares’ you’re trying to avoid.
It is better to go after your dreams than try to outrun your fears.
College/Trade school/Entrepreneurship?
Whatever your speed limit is, always remember. First, you check your mirrors and adjust them as needed. Push your foot on the brake pad firmly. Next, put the key into the ignition, and turn it over. Grab your seatbelt and lock it into place. Get ready for the ride of your life!
