Your Opinion of My Education

So, I saw this post shared on Facebook by a friend of mine a while back:

Let's break down what this thing is saying. I'm going to assume that "modern education" is in reference to a college education. It first implies that modern education takes people and turns them into, for lack of better words, slave robots (repeat what they're told and follow orders). Second, it implies that educated people think they are better than uneducated people. Third, it flat out states that educated people are dumb to have that opinion (dumb enough to think this makes them smarter than everyone else). Overall, it implies that anyone striving towards a degree is a pretentious fool. I am impressed by the lack of grammatical and spelling errors, but ultimately the existence of this image irks me.

Instantly, I was provoked to evaluate what my college education is really worth, how much free thinking I've been allowing myself to do since freshman year, and how my life compares to others. My conclusion is that college is what I need to do (at least for now), I'm neither dreamer nor robot, and I will only respect the opinion above if it comes from certain people.

What's it Worth: Clearly, college is not for everyone. Some don't go simply because they don't want or need to while others don't go because they don't have the capacity. I won't delve into what I believe the ratio is between those. For me, college needs to happen. For the careers and (more importantly) the salaries I have contemplated pursuing, a degree is required or, at the least, will generally put me ahead of those without one. That means that, aside from the "friends and experiences", what I get from these four years will add up to dollars and cents. Mostly dollars. And several hundreds or even thousands more of those dollars than I could make without a degree. A college education is worth a lot.

Free thinking: My ability to think for myself has not been hindered by education at all. Denying my creativity was not a condition of acceptance to college. If anything, free thinking has been encouraged. Several times in these semesters I have come to points where the only option was to create a solution on my own, as none had been pre-made for me. If that's not free thinking, then what is? I have come this far, first by the grace of God, but second, because I chose to. No one told me I had to do it. I did it because that's what I wanted. I have said before that college is a more traveled path, and that I know that sometimes more can be achieved by straying from it, but even that post shows that I am not a slave to the system, because I know there are ways out. If I am a victim at all, I am a victim of my own uncertainty, not of brainwashing. My thoughts are my own. They not forced upon my by books nor professors.

Respecting that Opinion: In my eyes, there are very few people who can rightfully have the opinion expressed in that image. The friend who shared the picture is one of them. To name a few others:

1. Successful business owners who did not spend more than two semesters in a college classroom as a student (any longer than that and their success can be contributed to their education).
2. Manual laborers whose occupation requires a specific skill set, but not a degree.
3. Musicians, real ones that play instruments, and who have honed their craft and are considered masters on one or more instruments
4. Current college students who understand that college is not the only way, and is not necessarily the best way to make it in life.

If you are making a career of work in any one or combination of the following jobs, i.e., this is what you're gonna do for the rest of your life, or are in any of these situations then you have nothing of value to say about a college education, a degree, or the people who have them:

1. Any fast food restaurant or grocery store in a non-salaried capacity
2. Any establishment that characteristically hires high school students (before they get their diplomas)
3. You are "self-employed" or are an "entrepreneur" but none of your goods and/or services are legal
4. Club promoters
5. Call centers (You can check me on this one. I might be wrong.)
6. Janitors
7. Bummin' it out at your mom's house
8. Struggling to get out of high school

To those people, I respect your right to mediocrity, but your opinion is worth a grand total of:

ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!!!

Take that how you will. I don't really care. I will be busy doing things pertaining to my "modern education", things that (contrary to popular belief) don't involve me taking orders, also, things you wouldn't understand  because I'm smarter than you.

50 points for reading. 100 points if you agree with what I say. 100 points if you disagree and have a good argument (please, be vocal about it. I want to hear what you have to say). -300 if you are included in the group of people whose opinion is worthless. 

JOSH, THE SHERM

Papers and Projects Frustration

I am thoroughly disappointed with myself. I know better, therefore, I should do better. But I don't do better. As of late I've actually been doing worse, and the biggest problem is that I'm not sure it's my fault.

So, want to know what's going on this time?

Well, let's start with the basics.

I don't like writing research papers. I don't like group projects. I absolutely hate writing research papers as a group project. Generally, I find these things to be fruitless and stupid, or, at the least, misguided. I am beginning to realize, however, that these things are unavoidable as a business major. Having that understanding, that I cannot go around it, that I have to go through it, beautiful, fabulous, superduper mud I expect that at some point I can convince myself it's worth doing, despite my liberally applied loathing.

This time, my expectations have not been met. I have yet to do that convincing for the current paper/project I'm working on. I just can't do it. As I'm typing this, I should be doing research, (or even better, I should be sleeping because the research should have been done yesterday) but I just don't care enough about it to focus. It's the project itself that's putting me off. I can't really explain it to you without picking through every detail of the assignment, but you can trust me when I say that it's very much a stupid thing to have us do.

And there we have it. That's the whole problem. 

I cannot stop myself from trying to poke holes in these projects. There's always so much stupid to work through before you even get to the real task at hand. So many unnecessary tasks, purposely vague instructions, pretentiously inflated length requirements, and offensive assumptions of previously acquired knowledge. All this and I additionally have the great fortune of running into teachers who enjoy giving you the exact amount of figurative rope you'll need to hang yourself. I feel like they don't even deserve to see my best work, because they came half-stepping to ask for it. Maybe I'll have an easier time telling myself these assignment are worth doing when these teachers decide to give me an assignment that is actually worth my time. Maybe I'll do better when I don't have to lie to myself to get it done.

You can have 50 points for reading this, but I'm mad, so no extras.

JOSH, THE SHERM

Inspired by a tweet

You can't solve problems that you don't know you're having. Even after you've been alerted to the problem, you need a plan of action to reach the solution. Since you cannot detect these problems, and, therefore, cannot solve them, you will need someone to do it for you. You likely will not enlist this assistance because you are unaware of your need for it. Every now and then it happens that someone notices a problem you are having, alerts you to it, and has a plan of action to solve it. At the point that you verify that there is, indeed, a problem that needs a solution, it is in your best interest to get it solved. The simplest way to accomplish this is by finding the one who already has a plan and then following that plan.

This method works until someone tells you that the plan you are following is not a perfect plan. You find that, that person is right; this plan will not completely solve your problem, this plan will be difficult to actualize, and it may even cause new problems for others. The one who finds the flaws (the naysayer) now ridicules you for following such an incomplete plan. It now seems that it is in your best interest to abandon that plan. Several do abandon that plan, feeling that all hopes of a solution are futile. They call you a sheep, because you followed absentmindedly. The catch, though, is that your problem still needs a solution, and no one is coming up with a better one.

The ones who abandon the plan are right about you. Metaphorically, you are a sheep. Your old pasture was running out (problem). You found the most expedient shepherd (the one with the plan) and followed him in hopes of finding a new green pasture to graze, only to realize that this shepherd doesn't know the best route to that pasture. What the abandonders have failed to realize is that they, too, are sheep. The only difference is they have chosen the naysayer as their shepherd. This shepherd know's that the other shepherd's route is inadequate, but does not know of a better one, thus he lets his flock stay in the old pasture. In the end, both shepherds will shear their flock for wool. Whether it represents money, time and effort, or just the satisfaction of having someone to agree with them, those shepherds are going to get that wool. I think I'd rather give my wool to the shepherd who is trying to get me to a greener pasture in return.

The tweet that inspired this blog.

Usual points for reading. I know it has holes, so +100 if you understand the point. And if you know what specific situation I'm referring to, you can take home a free month of unlimited existence points (guaranteed not to be unimagined for any reason for a month). Enjoy those.

JOSH, THE SHERM

My Repertoire for Guitar

I'm not gonna front like people are constantly asking me to play songs on my guitar. Actually, the most common request I get is "Turn it down and close the door" from my sisters. But when others do venture to request that I play a song, it's usually something I don't know, have never heard of and/or requires a skill level that I have not yet reached. So, to solve this problem (at least, for my Facebook friends) here is a list of songs I can play. I can't guarantee that I'll perform them flawlessly, but feel free to ask me to play these anytime. I'm always open to suggestions for new songs to learn (just don't expect it too quickly). Also, I can't sing and play guitar at the same time, so you're out of luck there.

Songs I Know on Guitar

Whole Songs (I can play90-100% of the guitar parts to these songs)

1. Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
2. Can’t Stop – Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Chasing After You – Tye Tribbett
4. Dance Dance – Fallout Boy
5. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
6. Funhouse – P!nk
7. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
8. He Wants It All – Forever Jones
9. He’s Able – Detrick Haddon
10. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s
11. Horse with No Name – America
12. Hurt – Johnny Cash
13. I’m a Believer – The Monkees
14. Lady – Lenny Kravitz
15. Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
16. Sara Smile – Hall and Oates
17. Say It Ain’t So – Weezer
18. Smells like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
19. Something in the way – Nirvana
20. Sweetest Thing – Lauryn Hill
21. The Truth – India.Arie
22. Wild Thing – The Troggs

Partial Songs (There is a solo or some parts that I have not learned)

1. Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
2. Back In Black – ACDC
3. Come as You Are – Nirvana
4. Dani California – Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. For Those About to Rock – ACDC
6. Foxey Lady – Jimi Hendrix
7. Hold the Line – Toto
8. Hotel California -- The Eagles
9. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room -- John Mayer
10. That’s What You Get – Paramore
11. The Pretender – Foo Fighters
12. The Takeover the Breaks Over – Fallout Boy

Kony 2012: Sharing in case you missed it.

I watched, and now I'm sharing. Considering my lack of consistent readership, posting here may be less than effective; however, I am of the mindset that every little bit counts. I don't have the Action Kit, but I will try to get it soon. Let's not sit idly by.

Last Time...

You never expect that the last time really was THE LAST time.

A woman from church passed away recently, a woman that I would consider very close. My mom drove her home and I walked her to her door when I was back home just a month ago. I am definitely not happy to know that she's gone, but at the same time, I'm not as affected as I'd expect to be in such a situation.

I said she was close, but that doesn't describe the relationship. I'm not one to claim people as family, but to put it into perspective for you, she was like another grandmother. I didn't ever see her and not speak and somehow the conversation always ended on "I love you." That kind of close. I've dealt with loss before, but this time the usual symptoms - heart dropping into the intestines, a dreamlike state of disbelief, the genuine tears - just didn't show up. The news was delivered to me in a matter-of-fact way, and I received it just the same.

All I can think about is the last time - that and how I'm not responding the right way. I feel worse about my reaction than her death, and ever worse about the priorities of my emotions, considering. I guess the best way to handle it is to say I'm really going to miss her. Because I am. I feel like you don't get too many people like that in a lifetime and when you lose even one, you've lost an asset more valuable than you can calculate.

JOSH, THE SHERM

Meh.

I need to be a better blogger. I find that the best blogger post regularly pertaining to a certain theme, they write just enough to get the point across without intimidating you with the length, and they usually make them as entertaining as is appropriate.

I do none of that. I post sporadically about anything, my blogs are rarely short, and (I'll be honest) even I find the content bland and uninteresting.

Thanks for reading anyway, but if you think this means I will do better then that's just too darn bad if you read any of it, because I refuse to fix it.

The usual points for reading.

JOSH, THE SHERM