Thursday, April 26, 2012

Fueling your future


When I got my driver’s license almost ten years ago, I could fill up my gas tank for around fifteen dollars.

Fifteen dollars.

For dramatic effect, I’m going to write that again.

Fifteen dollars!

And now, well, I don't own a hybrid, so, I pay a lot more.

Prices may rise – but your car still needs gas if you want it to go somewhere. And the same is true of college.

In this current national crisis of college completion and the subsequent rising costs of college, we have to remember: 

We get degrees so that we can go somewhere.

And if we aren’t filling our tanks, we run the risk of not going where we need to go. 

Fuel gets us to a destination.  And education is both a fuel and an investment.

In fact, I believe an education is the best investment you can make - because ultimately, it's an investment in you. 

Every time you sign up for another class, pass another exam, take a leadership position, or decide to study instead of take a nap, you are filling your tank

So set your GPS (e.g. sit down with an adviser to make an educational plan) and envision your destination. Where can your degree take you? What are you excited about? Where do you really want to go? Is it worth it?

Until you're excited about a destination, all you'll be tempted to do is complain, and it will be a struggle.  

So enjoy the ride, set your sights high, and commit to keep filling up until you get to your destination. 

To learn more about how to create a culture of college completion on your campus, check out Phi Theta Kappa's College Completion Corps toolkits!

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