Most pupils perceive the education system as liberal. Students, from the decrease levels, get the opportunity to learn about the complexities and diversities of the world. As the student grows, the training system varies towards the specific hobby in the learner. According to Murray (1) on "Are Too Many People going to College," parents consider the college training as the key to the success of the students. The parents equate success in college as equal to success in real lifestyles through the acquisition of necessary knowledge to obtain individual goals in life. More so, the author articulates that mother and father consider the education as a desirable way of transitioning the pupil from the age of childhood to adulthood. However, the two perceptions are misleading because the students possess the ability to achieve their goals without attending college as well as real maturity.
The college education is not the key to successful goals in life. In college, people get the chance to study their favorite courses and an opportunity to gain professionalism (Arendale 4-9). However, the perception exerts stress to the students. The students believe that failure in college is an ultimate failure in real life. Many people never attended college but lived their lives positively achieving all their goals and desires. The first person is John Rockefeller, who is the founder of Standard Oil Company. John Rockefeller terminated his education at high school and began working at the age of sixteen years. However, his net worth today is at $340 billion. The second person is Richard Branson who is the founder of Virgin Atlantics. Richard Branson dropped out of school at the age of sixteen due to academic pressure from a medical condition known as dyslexia. After dropping out, he began his journey towards his entrepreneurial dream. Currently, Richard Branson owns over 500 companies with his net worth estimated at $5 billion (Daisyme 1). The lack of college education did not hinder them from achieving their dreams. The achievement of individual goals depends on the desire to work hard and make sacrifices towards the success of the goals.
The transition from childhood to adulthood does not require the college environment for a successful transformation. Many parents consider the college environment as a definite challenge for the students. College life is a time when the student starts living away from the parent and takes charge of his/her life (Thurber Edward 415-419). The student enjoys freedom from the control of the parents and learns to make independent decisions without external help. Therefore, the parents consider the environment as necessary for the growth of the student to adulthood. However, a successful transition depends on the moral background created by the parents on the student. If the child is not strong morally, it becomes easier for the student to adopt new behaviors that might ruin his/her life. Many students fail to complete their college education successfully due to negative influence from their fellow students especially on matters concerning drugs and substance abuse. According to Pettit and Kathy (338), college students consume alcohol and other drugs to cope with the academic pressure. Others consume the drugs for fun due to peer pressure. The addictions make it hard for the students to focus on education as well as the transition to adulthood. Going to college does not guarantee desirable way of transition from childhood to adulthood.
Students can achieve their dreams as well as the transition to adulthood positively without attending college. In the contemporary world, not all people academically strong. Some people experience challenges in solving academic problems. However, it does not mean that they cannot achieve their dreams due to poor academic performance. Some students might possess talents in football, which is their goal in life. Such students do not have to go to college to achieve their dreams. One of the best footballers in the world by the name Lionel Messi never attended college (Dimengo 1). The player represents Barcelona, which is one of the strongest teams in the world. The success of such athletes shows that it is possible to achieve personal goals without the necessity of going to college. Similarly, students can transition from childhood to adulthood without going to college. The most important factor is for the parents to create a strong moral foundation for the child. Some learners who go to college fail to transition positively by adopting undesirable qualities. Therefore, a stable development relies on the values of the children and not the environment. As much as the college environment is challenging, most students transform well overcoming the challenges. Therefore, college life is not the mandatory bridge between achievement of life goals as well as the maturity of students.
The success of a person depends on the efforts invested towards achieving the goals. It is impossible to equate success to a single factor such as college attendance. Many students go to college but fail to succeed due to poor performance or external influence towards drugs and substance abuse. The transition from childhood to adulthood in college is good due to the challenges encountered, which prepare the student towards the future life. However, the college environment does not guarantee a safe transition due to the inability of some students to resist negative influence from their peers. Therefore, parents are responsible for the transition of the child to adulthood based on the values instilled in the child. As much as many people go to college on the perception of faster achievement of goals and positive transition from childhood to adulthood, college life cannot guarantee that.
Works Cited
Arendale, David R. "Understanding the Peer Assisted Learning Model: Student Study Groups in Challenging College Courses". International Journal of Higher Education 3.2 (2014): 1-12.
Daisyme, Peter. "9 Billionaires Who Didn't Graduate High School." 9 Dec. 2016, Retrieved from: www.entrepreneur.com/article/253724. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.
Dimengo, Nick. "The 30 Best Athletes Never to Go to College." 22 June 2012, Retrieved from: bleacherreport.com/articles/1232257-the-30-best-athletes-never-to-go-to-college. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.
Murray, Charles. "Are Too Many People Going to College." 8 Sept. 2008, Retrieved from: www.aei.org/publication/are-too-many-people-going-to-college-2/. Accessed 21 Sept. 2017.
Pettit, Michele L., and Kathy A. DeBarr. "Perceived stress, energy drink consumption, and academic performance among college students." Journal of American college health 59.5 (2011): 335-341.
Thurber, Christopher A., and Edward A. Walton. "Homesickness and adjustment in university students." Journal of American College Health 60.5 (2012): 415-419.
