Questions They Don’t Give an Answer to in College

—

Studying at college, you face different challenges. Some of them are not that complicated — for example, you can ask for math homework help when deadlines are looming and you have other important assignments. Or you can hire professional editing services to ensure your papers are flawless. But what should you do when it comes to issues like relationships with other people, looking for your place under the sun, developing good habits, and so on? Professors provide you with academic knowledge only without considering your real fears, doubts, aspirations. Let’s see what questions they never give an answer to and whether it is possible to answer them right now.

How to find your calling in life?

Enrolling in college, you choose the major that is expected to shape your whole life. There may be students out there who know exactly what they want to do, but we bet most of your peers are just desperate. What can you do if you like your major but you’re not 100% sure it is your vocation?

• Ask yourself: what makes you come alive? What gives you energy? Is there some job that you’re ready to do even if it is not paid? It can be sports, art, some kind of volunteering, etc.
• Try different opportunities — when you’re in college, you have enough time and energy to attend different courses and clubs. Check the schedule of your campus, and you’ll surely find there some interesting activities, e.g. a book club, a debate club, glee club, etc. When you’re trying out for various spheres, you get the chance to learn more about yourself and your desires.
• Meet new people. You never know where you can meet the best friend, future business partner, or employer. Be open to new acquaintances and they will show you the road to your successful future.

 

How to manage your personal finances?

Millions of Americans are in debt on student loans, which makes life very difficult for them. They are forced to stay in an unloved but paid job, forget about travels and shopping sessions. Some people even go broke. This could be avoided if colleges had simply taught students how to manage their finances. The good news is that it is not sacral knowledge, and you can develop some good habits by yourself.

Get educated

When you’re studying economics or business, you’re learning how money works. But if you’re a future historian, software developer, marketer, etc., your professors just avoid financial topics as if they are only needed for work. So, if you understand that you have some gaps, you can find a basic textbook and start with:

• Credits;
• Saving and Checking Accounts;
• Taxes;
• Currency Exchange;
• Online Banking;
• Investments

Learn to count interest and understand which financial offers are profitable and which ones will leave you penniless.

Save money

Whatever your financial situation is, it would be a good idea to start saving even if it is $10 per week. When you’re young, you can earn a living even in McDonald’s, and retirement feels far away. But starting to put away money is good not for the period when you’re 60+ years old only, this habit provides you with some guarantees. Savings protect you from situations when you need to leave a job and take some rest, when you want to buy something that is too expensive, or when your health fails. Start with $10 of monthly income and you’ll appreciate all the benefits of saving soon.

How to build healthy relationships?

College professors spend unreasonably little time speaking about different types of relationships and their features. They don’t tell you about empathy and emotional intelligence, about broken hearts and codependent relationships, or about toxic people. You have to learn these lessons by yourself, and sometimes it takes the whole life.

There are some basic tips that you can use to make your relationships healthy:

• Discuss your expectations. People can’t be everything you might want them to be. But they should understand what you expect from them as well as you should understand what you can accept and what not.
• Spend quality time together. In an era of smartphones, it is not that easy to take the time and genuinely listen. Give up gadgets during meetings, ask questions, show your interest. Think of some activities that you all might find interesting.
• Fight fair. It is impossible to avoid conflicts, so you should know how to deal with them. Discuss the rules with your closed ones, e.g. to agree that you disagree about some topics, to speak honestly about your feelings and emotions, to discuss issues, not personalities, to cool down before talking, etc.
• Take responsibility if something goes wrong. It is important to apologize when you want to set things right again.

 

How to become politically aware?

Politics is a very complicated issue. On the one hand, this topiс can be hushed up in educational institutions since the personal views of educators shouldn’t affect students. At the same time, politics is all around, and you need to develop a certain position if you want to be involved in society. Can you tell what is the difference between Democrats and Republicans? What are the consequences of Brexit? These issues are not from history lessons but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t delve deeper.

Start with some high school textbooks to learn more about the history of the USA and the world overall. You don’t have to learn names and dates, try to understand primary concepts and events. It would be perfect if you ask yourself unexpected questions like “What were the positive effects of colonialism?” Make your brain look for answers.

Read daily news and try to choose different sources so that you have a bigger picture. Remember that if some statements sound too radical, it is always necessary to double-check them. You should know who your local legislators are, how you can contact them. If you find out some issues that you care about, you can visit town hall and city council meetings. Being a student, it would be a good experience to join a school board.

Actually, there are a lot of questions that college educators don’t give an answer to. Life is full of various questions, and it is up to you if you want to seek answers. Be conscious about your thoughts and actions, and this path will be easier for you!

—

This content is brought to you by Ravil Khan.

Photo: Shutterstock

The post Questions They Don’t Give an Answer to in College appeared first on The Good Men Project.