July
What does it mean to be successful in the United States, keeping in mind the popular belief that it should be in everyone's interest to go to college and find a career?
Sometimes I would like to think and hope that life is more than going to school and working for the rest of my life. However, words such as college, career, jobs, fall into the goals of many Americans as well as many who live here. I would like to explore the question of how this has come to be and if it is truly a satisfying dream. What does it mean to be successful? Is it wealth? Happiness? #professional #jobs #student #doctorate-degree
2 answers
Ryan Bonaparte
Ryan’s Answer
Great question, and I think there are as many answers as there are people you ask.
My opinion is that success is around personal happiness. But there are a number of different ways to be happy. Whether that's building a family of loved ones, or having the ability to travel wherever and whenever you want, or creating a business that impacts millions, each person will define that goal differently. What leads to a lot of unhappiness is when people are doing something that isn't actually bringing them joy. Working 40 hours at a large corporate company building a career is not inherently bad, it just depends on whether or not the work you do (as well as what that work enables you to do) brings you joy.
The "American Dream" is constantly changing, and has undergone a dramatic shift in the last 5-10 years. What was once a dream of stability, is now one of individuality. Previously, a house, a family, and stable job were all that could realistically be achieved by the average person and that's what people latched on to. But as technology and society has evolved, many of the forward-thinking people in society realized that a one size fits all approach no longer works.
While I would advise most people to go to college for the options it provides, it's not mandatory, and is really dependent on the tradeoffs. Each college is different, and each program within a college is different. Also, your personal situation may mean college is more or less a priority. Additionally, the concept of college is changing by the day. In 10 years, college may not look like what it does today.
I attended college, and I don't regret it for a minute. I learned valuable skills, met amazing people, experienced a whole new world, and launched my career from that. I've also changed career paths twice now, and work on a multitude of side projects, which I've been able to do from both my college education and also my own hard work and determination.
While evaluating whether or not college is worth it to you, as well as starting a career in a given field, I would suggest you keep doing what you're doing and asking as many people for insight as possible. While the vast majority of people may give you similar answers, a specific reason may resonate with you more than others, and help in making your decisions.
Best of luck, and don't be afraid to go your own route and define what success means to you.
Ken Simmons
Ken’s Answer
Hi July!
You asked a very important question. Success can be defined in different ways by different people. Here are some suggestions that might help. You need to look at these and look at yourself and determine how you can measure you own success. Everyone has their own measure and it should not be inappropriately influenced by other's values.
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/20-new-ways-to-judge-others/
https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-successful-people-always-ask-themselves
http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/how-do-you-measure-success/
https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-waybetter-ways-to-measure-your-success