And Carrie On

Higher education is in my DNA. My grandfather dropped out of school in 7th grade to help his family during the Great Depression, a decision that haunted him for the rest of his life.

He worked two jobs for years to ensure my dad and uncle would have a chance at college. He knew what it could mean for their lives.

My dad and uncle were both first-generation college students in vastly different fields. However, because education was so important, they both not only earned a bachelor’s degree, but went on to earn a master’s, a doctorate, and became college professors.

As I’ve had the opportunity to serve at multiple institutions, volunteer with our profession’s associations, and provide leadership opportunities to the next generation, I continue to see the work we do as important and meaningful.

As some question the importance of higher education, I’ve had nothing but a positive, meaningful experience and wanted to share the reasons higher education has been valuable to me.

Ten Reasons I Believe in Higher Education

1. Learning to set big goals and stick with them – College helped me learn how to set big goals for myself and stick with them. The processes I used to break up my degree credits and map out how to get everything completed in four years was so helpful. I’ve applied those same concepts many times in my life to help me earn my master’s, my doctorate, and several accreditations from industry organizations. Additionally, those same skills have been invaluable in breaking down action items in strategic plans and marketing maturity models.
2. How to study – If I’m being real, high school was pretty easy. College was different. I had to learn how to take notes, study, and retain information. While I may not sit for tests each day, the process of listening to someone (maybe a boss or a committee), discerning what’s important, writing it down, and retaining it to act is much the same process. I learned — and perfected– how I best prepare in college. That looks different for each person, so college is a great space to develop how that works for you.
3. Speaking and advocating for ideas – In many of the classes I was in, we had speeches and group work. This forced collaboration and advocacy. Additionally, I had to speak and advocate for ideas in many clubs and organizations. The process of outlining a thought, sharing it in a succinct way, responding to counterarguments, and being comfortable offering a dissenting opinion, are skills that came directly from college classrooms (with a fair amount of practice in student orgs). These are skills I use almost every day.
4. Group work – Speaking of group work, I know it’s not always fun, but it is definitely life preparation. Every class I was in seemed to have a group project, and I understand it now. Those group projects prepared me for committees and cross-functional teams. Sometimes there is great chemistry and everyone is aligned. Other times, one person is pulling the rest of the group along. Because of college, I was used to that environment and have an understanding of how to manage the myriad of scenarios I find myself in.
5. Problem-solving skills – I can think of so many times I had to problem-solve in college. The earliest one I remember is picking a beautiful schedule (10-2 classes only) only to find those were full. I had to figure out what classes were available for my major and rework my schedule. And I had to do it quickly. That taught me about making decisions quickly with the information I had. Additionally, I had to learn how to manage my calendar and my budget. It didn’t take long to realize that the money my parents gave me each month didn’t go very far. If I wanted to do things, I needed to figure out how to stretch my resources. Additionally, I realized that if I wanted to be actively involved, I needed to find out how maximize my time to study to not lose my scholarship. All of those problem-solving skills help me approach every challenge I face as a leader today.
6. Leadership – I was a leader in several clubs and organizations in college. Learning to set agendas, follow Robert’s Rules of Order, and complete follow-up with others are all skills I use regularly in my job and in my volunteer service. College, for me, really was a training ground in how to do this work and do it well.
7. New perspectives – Going to college in the town I grew up made sense for so many reasons, but one of the things I was most worried about at the time was “would it feel just like high school.” The answer was no. There were so many students from across the region who had different lived experiences. For example, one student had to drive everywhere because she lived in a really small town with not much in it. She was far more comfortable driving, and that encouraged me to practice driving in big cities if I wanted to one day be in a larger community. Similarly, I found a different denomination of my faith that was a better fit for me in college. Both of those experiences helped shape me into who I am today. I am grateful that college helped me to try new things and push my own boundaries.
8. Confidence for new experiences – As a journalism student, one of my favorite class projects was learning the history of a television station. I studied one of the TV stations during their 50th anniversary. I made several trips to the city to visit the station, and this project helped me in several ways. First, it helped me get comfortable driving in a big city. Going to the big city and being downtown was a new experience for me. However, it was one that would be important if I wanted to be on my own working in a city one day. Additionally, the project gave me the confidence to apply for internships outside of my home state. Learning about the station helped me to see what it took for a career in the news industry, and I gained the belief that I had the skills to be successful.
9. Networking – I am an introvert and having to meet people every semester and each year helped me to get better at small talk. It’s still not natural to me, but that continual practice helped me improve. In college it was name, hometown, and major, but the fundamental principles of making conversation and building a relationship still applied to those conversations.
10. Balance – In the moment, so many things feel urgent and pressing. However, college was a great way to help me understand where to focus my energies and where to let go. For example, science is hard for me. I needed to pass it to graduate, but I didn’t need to leave the science intro course as a scientist. However, as a journalism student, not acing a writing class would have been concerning. College helped me build my own way of discerning what things truly need my focus and what things I can let go of. I use that same approach today to look at what things are strategically important in my work and what things are nice to have. This is a key way to help my team stay focused and avoid burnout. If everything is critically important, then we tire out really quickly.

What Should I Add?

These are my thoughts on why I believe in higher education. I would love to hear your perspective on why this work is so valuable to our communities, our state, and our nation. Please add your own ideas into the comments, and let’s keep the conversation going!