Education Rant for July 31, 2009

There's this poll going on my friend's page (www.jerzi.wordpress.com) to determine the AG (Stud) of the week. I submitted for the fun of it maybe see what the outcome will be. I am not telling people to vote for me because I do not want to influence the vote; though it may put me at a disadvantage. All in all, I began to read the bios for the individuals and the ages of the other two "competitors." After reading I found that it triggered a chord in my body concerning a topic that bothers me time to time. I have spoken to some of my close friends and co-workers about this and many do agree with me and others just tell me that life path is not meant for everyone. So here is my gripe… How are you 25+ years old (or damn near close to it) and you are still trying to be a "rapper" or you are still trying to "hustle?" How are you 22+ years old and you do not have a college education? I am not even asking for a lot of college education. I mean I wouldn't date you but even an Associate's degree in SOMETHING. I would rather see someone in the 25+ years old having Bachelors in something but let's not get too carried away. So we have two topics here: 1) Still chasing the dream of a teenager, i.e. being a singer/rapper and just "tryna make it" and 2) Lack of Education. DISCLAIMER: I am not discounting your intelligence if you did not pursue a degree past High School. I am just stating a fact. Your education STOPPED at High School. When you fill out an application and it stays to put an X in the spot of your HIGHEST Level of Education, you check High School.Topic 1Why are you still chasing this "I wanna be a rapper/singer?" Do you not realize that in the industry you are already considered OLD? Record labels do not want you because you are not young and marketable. I'm already 27 and don't look it and they wanted to change my "age" to 21 or younger. I have been down that road. I will admit I can sing and at one point I wanted to be a singer; however, I had enough sense to go to school, get a degree and get a real job. So I have done the meetings with different movers and shakers in the industry. But I am one for stability and though the job market isn't THE BEST right now, I would consider my job more stable than trying to "make it." Maybe I am not still stuck on the "dream" because my mother gave me 2 options when I was thinking about college. I said I wanted to go to school for MUSIC!!!! My mother turned and said to me, "if that is the case, you better find a way to pay for it because I am not." So then I went to the NEXT BEST thing, "I want to be an engineer." Her whole reasoning is go for something that is solid so that any hiccups in life I would still have a solid career to plant my feet into and still be able to live and take care of myself. Back to these hustlers and wannabe musicians, look truth is, what are you going to do when you are 40 years old and you are in the SAME place you were when you were 25? By 40 years old, anything you try to do from there (if you decide to FINALLY GET a DAM DEGREE), upon graduation, your counterparts/peers already have a good 15 – 20 years of experience on you in that field. I also understand that NOT all of us are made to do "big" things in our lives. We need all walks of life for this world to "go-round." Someone has to clean the toilets I piss in. I also know that stuff happens in life that is out of one's control; there are many people with degrees that are homeless. I guess it frustrates me to see where I am standing at 27yrs old/female/single, to see that the majority of this lesbian community that I come across is still in this hustla mode. When do you grow up and realize it's time to grow up. Being an adult, in my eye, is more than your possessions it is a mindset and I guess at times I feel like I am standing amongst a lot of children. Topic 2This one will be short- Lack of Education in the community (at least in my experience). It goes back to topic one, but all I am saying is HOW do you just graduate High School and you think it is okay to just not move on to something else. By something else I am referencing community college or a university. Where in your brain did it not connect that High School is the end of schooling. Again I am not staying you are not intelligent. However, if you are so intelligent why didn't you go on to higher learning? Statistics show that getting a degree not only help you out but help out this country. It raises the Education Level of the country. It is your duty as an AMERICAN CITIZEN to help and not hinder the Education Level. Don't tell me you don't have the money – that's what grants and loans are for. I am still paying back my school loans and I will still be paying them until I'm 40 probably. WHO CARES? It's education debt. I gained debt because I wanted to better myself not buy a new pair of sneakers or be the "best" dressed in the neighborhood, etc. Beauty fades as does the ability to keep up with the new trends…but education does not. You can always build upon it. Yes experience takes you far but the one with the experience AND the degree to back up that experience goes even further. And again, I understand the entire world isn't meant for this "life path," however I do think that the bar needs to be raised MUCH higher than what it is.

Trapped!

Oddly enough my last blog was about my friends stuck in an elevator.  Last night, I dreamt I was stuck in one.  It wasn't the most pleasant dream.  It wasn't because I was stuck.  It wasn't because people were freaking out because I was totally alone.  There wasn't call button for help, there was nothing.  The more I think about it, there wasn't even a door.  I just sat there; stuck between the 22nd and 23rd floor.  I decided to research the meaning behind the dream.  I found that a dream of being stuck in an elevator symbolizes that your emotions have gotten out of control. The same is true if you dream about an elevator that is out of order.  What has me more interested in this is that this morning all that has been on my mind is how I am totally emotionally messed up.  It's starting to get difficult to control how feel.  It's not cool when I begin to break down at work.  It's now seeping into my subconscious mind because I don't even notice when I zone out.  Last night my mom asked me if I was crying.  I wasn't.  But in some way I think I was.  I no longer release tears.  Think of it as recycled tears.  I cry backwards.  My eyes will become filled with tears, then the tears flood away but not down my cheeks.  I'm drowning now.