College Motivation

Ken's Steele's Student Motivation for entering college

1.   The scholars: " interested in education for its own sake…m otivated by altruism…l ikely to go on to graduate school"

2.   The careerists:   "attend college as a means to an end: getting a job"

3.   The conflicted:   "like the careerists but are not sure where they are going… pushed into college by society or their parents"

 4.   The drifters:   "interested in the creature comforts of a campus and would rather go to college than get a job"

This list is quite interesting.  Although, I know people from every one of these categories, I don't think that any of them really cover my feelings, or represent my vision. But-- if I combined all of these lists, I feel like you might have ME...with a little bit left over.

As I am interested in education, I am hopeful for a job, not quite sure where I am going, and am not quite ready for a job--so I am in college...I feel like it's still more than that.

I am very interested in being educated, because I feel like living a life with ignorance, is just not the way for me.  With that being said, I also feel like some forms of the education that we are served, are purely purposeless, and some classes could be replaced, to give us other education that our generation is in definite need of.

I also feel as though, sometimes I am just buying my education, rather than really really learning-- It's like purchasing a degree.

*Pull up to the drive thru window:*

Me: "Hi may I please get an Undergraduate degree?"

Them: "Yes, would you like a side of education with that?"

Me: "Yes please; can you super-size the stuff that doesn't really matter?"

Them: "Yes ma'am....your total is $100,000"

Me: "?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?"

*scene*

--Sometimes that's what I feel like.  The education I am interested in, is the stuff that I really need to have to survive.  I think that a lot of people would be more motivated if they had the guarantee that the information they were receiving wasn't just filler information, and it was stuff that really could help them in the future.  If comparing this education to a car, it's like  Leather Seats vs. Gasoline.

I guess the biggest thing is that my motivation is mixed.  I want to feel as though while in college, if I were to change my major 5 times, the basic classes that I need would still be beneficial to my life, as opposed to just beneficial towards a certain degree.  Let's be honest, if I am going to be a musician, or if I want to be an accountant, I don't feel as though the chemistry class is really going to make a difference.  But, if there was a mandatory finance class, everyone is going to be an adult--and everyone needs to learn how to manage their money.

My  category would be more of a useful approach.  I want to learn, but I don't want to fill my brain with stuffing; I'd rather to have substantial and purposeful information buzzing around in my head.

You can call it "Instrumental".