An education is probably the most important thing that anyone could be given throughout their lifetime. Education is the key to actually becoming everything that we dream to be when we are little children. Education seems like such a stupid thing to waste, yet all around me throughout my grade school career I have watched in astonishment as hundreds of my peers throw away a top quality education simply because they are too immature to realize it's of actual importance, or too afraid to grow up, and do not want to take responsibility for their furute, perhaps they are not even thinking about their future. It's puzzling to see kids who do not even bother to go to class, do not bother to do their homework, od not realize that they are only hurting themselves because the only thing that they do care about is how far away the weekend is so they can get drunk in a park and hump some pigs (that's an exageration) and surprisingly enough these same kids think that somewhere down the path they're taking the possibility of University, or some post secondary education is a reality and the dream of professional career exists. Of course there isn't really anything there for people who treat their lives as a constant party and absolutely nothing else. It's depressing how many people I know who do not even take into account the fact that with their work ethic in school the possibility of a high school diploma may be out of their reach, much less the possibility of being accepted to university. People fail to realize the consequences of their actions because well it sucks to think that maybe all a life of constant partying will result in is being passed out on a strangers living room floor while everyone else is making something out of their lives. It's scary to to accept reality, responsibilty and everything that comes with it, the good and the bad because high school is not the real world yet, it's sheltered and we'd love to stay that way forever.
As children we seem to think that our future, having a career, family, 2.4 kids is such a long way down the road but time flies so fast the older you become. Somehow we find ourselves having to decide what we want to do with our lives almost before we've stopped being children and that is an extremely difficult concept to fathom. There are tons of people who think that a high school diploma is all that is necassary in order to make something out of their lives. Well I've got news for those kids, the only thing that a high school diploma is going to get you is a job at the mall, or at McDonald's. It's scary how many kids do not realize that some form of post secondary education, whether it be a trade school, college, university, etc. is basically necessary in this day and age because no one gets a job without having any skills. But at this age, when we are still in grade school it is difficult to see that being a grown up is just around the corner, and that includes having grown up responsibilities like paying bills, doing taxes, buying your own groceries.
It's depressing seeing people who are 25 who's life consists of working at a gas station during the day and getting drunk at the bar every night. What kind of life is that? I don't know maybe someone out there would actually be satisfied pumping gas for the next fourty years of their life but I know I wouldn't. Honestly, how many kids grow up saying "When I grow up I want to flip burgers at McDonald's," or pump gas at Petro Canada? Not many.
It's when we are young that we have to decide what our future goals, plans dreams, etc. are and not just keep those in mind but actually think of ways by which we can work to achieve them. I'm not grown up yet, I am so far from it, but at least I have some idea of what I want do to for the rest of my life and it sure as hell does not include pumping gas for some 16 year old kids who's rich parent bought them a BMW when I'm 35. I have to take responsibilty for my own life, to achieve my own goals because the only person who can help me reach them is me. The sooner we realize the sooner we are on our way to being something, rather than just someone.