Wisinger, Amber: Paglia

 As an older student who has already been in the workplace and had to be in the real world, I can plainly see that college doesn’t really prepare young people for the workplace. I have been in many classes that only want students to memorize things and then answer questions correctly on a test. Afterwards, the subjects aren’t thought of again until the final. The only classes that really prepare their students for the workplace are classes in vocational or technical schools, such as welding and some nursing classes.

I personally have worked a few different jobs during my adult life. I have worked in a “super store,” a department store, a gas station, a restaurant, and as a babysitter. These jobs may not take much education, but they do require social skills. Something that does happen with most of these jobs, however, is on-the-job training. Professional jobs do not have much training because the education needed to get the job is considered the training, but the problem is that when new college graduates get into the professions of their choice they are expected to just jump in and know exactly what to do. That is not the case most of the time.

Another problem that I have noticed as an older student is the maturity level of most of my classmates. While the older students like me are more focused on their studies, the younger students, who are usually between the ages of 18 and 22, are more concerned with their social lives than with their education. From what I have seen, the traditional college student is less serious about their assignments. I know that when I have a lab or a group assignment in a class, I look around to partner up with the older students because we are usually more focused and serious about getting their work done.

I propose a solution. It may be a simple or it may be complicated, depending upon who you ask, but I have an idea of what may help. I propose that volunteer work be required during college. I believe that it should be counted as a class, as credit toward degrees, but that time should be spent in the community, perhaps helping less fortunate people or doing something as simple as litter patrol. This will not only help the community as a whole, but it will give the traditional college student a chance to see how fortunate they really are. Most types of community service will give the person doing it real experience of some kind, giving them an opportunity to work with people of all ages, races, and professions; preparing them for life in the real world. The physical and emotional experiences in some community service jobs could also do wonders to help mature those who participate.

As an older, some-what more mature student, I have an idea of what I will be facing after I graduate from college. Many of my classmates have no idea what they will be facing when it is time to start their professional lives because college alone does not prepare them for what is to come. I believe that my proposal of volunteer work could help in many ways to prepare them, maybe not completely, but it would be a stepping stone.