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  • Just like a lot of people out here, just getting degrees by luck... or...

  • by cheating their way through, if that was the case in colleges so accessible. I just feel like we'd have a lot of

  • one of these.

  • Can I have my college grads on that side and my dropouts on the other side ?

  • 'First statement: I feared how I would be judged if I didn't go to college'

  • Just me then, that's cool !

  • It was the fear of me caring about what was thought, as far as like, my peers,

  • but then, when you start bringing your parents into it, and it's like, that's a greater fear [laughter].

  • But you live for your parents,

  • it's like, yeah, you want to make them proud, so I just fear this closure between me and my parents

  • You know. - Yeah.

  • - 'I am Sean Fitzpatrick. I went to Columbia Chicago for not even a semester'

  • 'And I was like : "No, you know what, let's go back to California and do music." '

  • I went because they wanted me to go and then... and then I said : "If you want me to make you proud,

  • let me do this !"

  • 'Non-agreers, come on in'

  • I wasn't afraid that I would be judged if I didn't go to college, but I also didn't question going to college.

  • It was just kind of the next step... and I

  • didn't plan otherwise, so...

  • Yeah - That path of growth seemed like it was the next step.

  • - Yeah, and you're encouraged by your parents.

  • - And they gave me that pathway of saying, you know, "The only way you're going to succeed is through college.",

  • but then, as I got older,

  • they gave me the idea : "Well, you can do whatever you want if you find your path, though

  • you need to find your path, but if you can't you should go to college."

  • 00:02:03,649 --> 00:02:05,829 I believe college should be free

  • [laughter] Yeah, let's do that, right ?

  • I had an in-state like, all of my tuition was paid for, and I still have debt !

  • Now I'm sitting on it, and I don't have a job. Not like a real job.

  • - Yeah, the debt definitely racks up. It's ridiculous.

  • That's true, but that that becomes an investment in the future so at the end of the day so you have to take that on

  • You have your education but does your like bachelors degree get you a higher paying job

  • Not in my experience

  • 'I didn't even question going to college until after I had finished it who's like

  • What do I do now and why did I even go and you know?'

  • If everyone went to college it would become useless

  • Just like a lot of people out here, just getting degrees by luck or

  • Getting degrees by cheating their way through, and if that was the case and college is so accessible

  • I just feel like we'll have a lot of

  • Wannabes and that people who are really passionate about what they want to do or are

  • dedicating sweat, bones and tears into what they're doing so

  • the world would, I don't think would be a better place if everyone was this a

  • Degree yeah

  • (Offscreen) 'Did you just get converted?'

  • I changed my mind yeah

  • Yeah, I guess then you don't think of it. It's not college. You're just doing it

  • Just think about labour workers, like people that just do manual labor

  • You don't need a degree to do some manual labor work

  • so if you have everyone

  • you know sticking their heads in a book we won't have stuff being built, your house won't be built, your,

  • Your cars won't be fixed your oil changed. You know what I'm saying like, you have to remember that in life. Especially in the world

  • It's a balance of

  • just people like

  • I come from minority, underrepresented,

  • Disenfranchised and in my college experience

  • I, the higher I got, the less people that look like me that I saw so

  • The more people that look like me in college would make me so happy

  • That's what I'm saying, so like it's tremendous to see more people going to college.

  • - But you have to realize that

  • This is if [indistinguishable] a lot of people don't want to

  • - Oh no no no

  • - People don't have to, but if more people did, it would be a good thing

  • - I just think that college education, if everyone had it, I don't think would make the degree itself useless oh

  • [indistinguishable]

  • No, I'm I think we were taking it off a pedestal, not making it meaningless

  • 'I know what I want to do with my life'

  • [laughter]

  • I'm still figuring it out, but I'm

  • In it right now, so I feel like I know, but there's so much more. That's getting revealed as I find out

  • I'm currently getting a degree in psychotherapy, however

  • I still need two or three more years to get all my hours

  • And so I'm debating whether or not even to get my license and just be an a woman empowerment coach

  • And I'm gonna be done with grad school. I can fully invest my, all of myself into itself it.

  • - It took a minute

  • I mean yeah, it was not an easy journey, and it was a lot of

  • Investing and finding out that I was investing in the wrong things so you know

  • - I like how you changed your mind

  • - I had to think about it harder. I was like wait. I really don't know

  • - I want to say that I mean I don't feel lost like I don't feel like I don't want to do

  • I don't know what I want to do with my life

  • I'm actively pursuing a lot of goals right now, and I don't anticipate like one goal lasting me a lifetime

  • - Exactly like and I know all the things that I wants to do

  • I'm just not sure which one is the like, for you guys like 'this is it', for me

  • I was like I'm dibbling and dabbling in so many different things. I'm just like anything could be the final go

  • I just don't know which one it is I want to perfect every craft.

  • - I was going in school for architecture

  • - Okay

  • - And it was a three years in and then I got into acting and I booked the job

  • And then I realized I was like whoa I really like doing this so dropped out of school

  • And I decided that I'd pursue acting instead

  • But that came later on after I did three years of college.

  • - And I did four

  • I had three classes before I graduated, and I just like

  • 'I decided to leave because

  • I felt the time for me to pursue the things I wanted to do in my life was now and college was holding me back from

  • that'

  • 'Education is the key to success'

  • Mm-hmm

  • So when I heard education and you know I didn't necessarily associate it with college

  • I just associated with gathering all the tools and the data and the knowledge and and then

  • Embodying that into you, but in whatever field you want to be successful in

  • - Beautifully put

  • - And success to doesn't just come with luck you know you have to you have to work hard at what

  • You want to do

  • - And what's success?

  • - Exactly

  • I took education as like, a college degree when you presented that question

  • Yeah, yeah, that's why I didn't even walk up

  • - Yeah we've got to realise that because and we got to realize like we learn

  • Daily like every day were learning something and it's so funny

  • But there's no book in front of us to learn those things that we learn it just so happened that

  • We cross the right person or someone related that information to us, or you know just based off life experiences

  • So I don't think that

  • You're gonna be successful based on the fact that you went to school or you know you're opening up a book or something

  • - You said daily is a learning experience every time you wake up in the morning

  • You should be learning something new at the end of the day. That's what I feel about life

  • - So we're actually more so on the same page

  • Yeah, just different parts of the page, Yeah, I am on chapter one, Yeah, where you from, hahaha

  • 'That's a wrap guys.'

  • - Cool

  • -Sweet. Yeah thank you. Hey man nice meeting you

  • Awww, Awwww

  • Really nice meeting you. You too

  • Yeah good times

  • Hey guys, this is Dan and this is Jason, and you just watched another episode of middle-ground, thank you so much

  • Please let us know in the comments below, which person's opinion resonated the most with you

  • We'd love to hear from you, so anyway. You can get involved

  • Commenting, liking, subscribing, sharing with your friends. We really appreciate. It it all helps. See you later

Just like a lot of people out here, just getting degrees by luck... or...

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