I apologize for my long hiatus. Last term was.. hellish at best. With a lighter course load and a new job, which I love, hopefully I'll feel a bit more human this term! Which brings me to my main point:
College is hard. And with all that money and effort that we put into an education, we certainly hope that we walk away having learned something useful. However, these lessons do not always occur in the classroom. Sure, you may learn how to read Canterbury Tales in Middle English, or the names of Jupiter's moons, however, if you are like most people, this knowledge will never be needed beyond the final exam. Unless you play Trivial Pursuit. Or Jeopardy. The really important lessons, the ones you will use for the rest of your life, almost always take place outside of the classroom. Here are a few of the lessons that I've learned so far:
1. How to parallel park. Seriously.. I was so intimidated by parallel parking before coming to college. Then I moved off campus and was told that a commuter parking permit would cost me 80 dollars per term. (seriously? For 80 dollars a term, I should be able to have valet service and a foot rub on my way to class) So, I did without the parking permit, but that means that I now have to battle with every other poor, broke, permit-less off-campus student for one of the 20 parking spaces within a block of the school. Therefore, I've learned to take what I can get. Even if I have to parallel park to get it. Trust me, when you're running late to a midterm, close parking spots are godsends.
2. To take heart, because no matter how terrible of a French/English/Grammar teacher I am in the future, I will still be better than my current French teacher. I know this because I could teach that class better in my sleep. I hate to say that, because my French teacher really is a nice lady, and she really does seem to care about her students, which counts for a lot in my opinion. She just... doesn't know how to teach. And its extremely frustrating to sit in a class everyday, knowing that your teacher is less competent in second language acquisition than you are.
3. When to compromise. As a poor college student, you learn how to cut corners to save money. Like, "I know my nose and my toes and frozen, even though I'm bundled up in blankets, but I don't want to pay to run the heater, so I'll just sit here and shiver." and "tv? Who really needs tv? I already have to pay for internet, and I can just watch everything online anyway." However, there are times when you just have to bite the bullet and pony up the dough. Like with toilet paper. I don't care how poor you are. Do not buy the cheapest brand of toilet paper. Just don't. It doesn't mean you have to buy the most expensive one either. A nice mid-range brand is good. Just trust me. Everyone deserves halfway decent toilet paper, and the cheap stuff is nowhere close to decent.
4. Spanish/French/ASL obscenities and insults. I know, some of you think that this won't be useful later in life. Suffice it to say that I beg to differ.
5. Small talk. I'm in the process of learning this one. With my new job as a bartender, chitchat is a pretty important part of the job description. I'm pretty proficient at talking about the weather now, but I've still got a bit to learn.
6. How to job hunt. It amazes me how many people come into my shop, dressed in sweats, or with a buddy and ask me if we have applications. Not to mention how many people come in unprepared. When I say we don't have applications, but I can take a resume and leave it for the owner, almost everyone I've talked to tells me they don't have a resume. You're walking around.. looking for a job.. and you didn't bother to write/print off a resume to take with you? Oh, and, just dropping off a resume or application isn't good enough. You should be asking to speak to the hiring manager. And then you should call or stop in to check on your application. Seriously. Make them so sick of seeing you that they just hire you to get you out of their hair. This job market sucks already. Don't make it worse on yourself by being ill prepared.
7. That sometimes, I will disagree with my parents. And that's okay. This one has been a tough lesson for me to learn. I love my parents very much, and relative to most of my peers, we have a great relationship. I love to make them proud, and I love when I have their approval. But I'm learning that I won't always have their approval. That we won't always agree about everything. But thats okay. It doesn't mean that I love or respect them any less. It just means that I'm forming more of my own identity, which I think is a good thing. Maybe sometimes I'll have to listen to them say "I told you so" as a result of those decisions, but I guess making your own mistakes is all part of growing up.
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