By Adonis
Of the common paths that most high school graduates take, college and the labor force are generally the two most common choices. Trade schools are still in high demand as well, as are the all too common “gap years” that many people take. A much less common and generally more tenuous, impactful path is the military. How do students decide between these options? Why do high school students choose their respective paths? At the risk of making sweeping generalizations or cliché observations, we’ll attempt to make sense of it all in this post, as well as provide insight through paradigms that many do not possess but would benefit from acknowledging.
The university track is generally taken by those with the grades, the money, and the motivation. Simply having any one of these three factors could compensate for the other two in this day and age with the prevalence of student loans, noncompetitive universities, and family or social pressures. Clearly, a university education is required for certain specific professions. This writer never believed that any field of study should be labeled “useless” since some use can be applied by any major or degree. But what is the biggest takeaway of a university experience?
Note that the word used previously was experience. The fundamental principles of university educations can be traced back hundreds of years to the oldest institutions of Oxford, Cambridge, and Bologna. Even prior to that, the academic and personal development found in monasteries and boarding school type programs across the ancient world served the purpose of developing adolescents and young adults to serve a purpose in their respective society through a comprehensive developmental experience. Where did this wholistic level of personal training go? Why did we discard it in favor of promoting “going to school to get a job” and leaving the entire experience at that?
While the university of today may bear little resemblance to the more austere experiences of the Spartan youth and Tibetan monks, the concept of developing young adults in their formative years to be academically, physically, morally, and mentally proficient and adept should still be pursued.
This would explain, to some extent, why so many recent high school graduates who have the means to attend a university opt instead to go into the military. The thought of spending another four years in a more academically rigorous institution and yet neglect the other components of human development seems to be daunting to many. However, are these individuals correct in that assessment?
A large component of the attraction towards entering the military is the physical aspect. Being pushed and challenged in different ways for one to grow and improve in a physical manner is a huge pull towards the military as well as certain jobs in the military. In addition, the thought of “adventure,” such as travel and experiences that are not immediately present in the civilian sector add to the level of attraction.
At many universities in the modern day, one can certainly find ways to challenge themselves physically and simultaneously experience adventure. There exists no shortage of combat martial arts, ROTC programs, or even adventure race challenges at most universities. This still doesn’t seem to provide the same outlet for the desire for challenge and adventure that so many who enlist think about. What is missing? Purpose.
Purpose is the fundamental reason why one can perform the same actions under different circumstances and feel completely different due to the nature of the circumstances rather than the actions themselves. One who is completing an obstacle course to graduate from boot camp is generally in a medium filled with more purpose than one who paid one hundred dollars to do an adventure race on their free weekend.
Purpose is the reason a struggling student pushes through a challenging curriculum with a subpar grade average whereas a less challenged student may coast through a similar program with no distinct goal in mind. The heart of purpose is an emotionally compelling reason. Don’t have one? You’re most likely not alone. Only experience can restructure emotional reactions.
As long as one has a compelling reason to embark on a particular task and is doing right by their own abilities, they are on a proper path. What does it mean to do right by their own abilities? One example would be a math prodigy completely discarding math to work in administration since they have such an affinity for paperwork. Or if an ROTC graduate opted to refuse commissioning in favor of enlisting. This individual may be disappointed to find themselves cleaning weapons in the armory all day and being micromanaged while scrubbing a toilet on field day. Wasted potential may not rear its head until much further down the road, but it inevitably will at some point unless the steps that one takes back serve to propel them forward.
That math prodigy could use their year of administrative skill to solidify their career working as a financial analyst at a Fortune 500 company. That enlisted soldier with a college degree could use his enlisted experience as a guide when he commissions (and collects that additional prior-enlisted pay).
IMPROTANT TIP: If one plans on pursuing a concentrated, difficult endeavor, doing that with another pursuit simultaneously will most likely make both unattainable. An example of this would be completing a four-year engineering degree while simultaneously serving in the National Guard. Or being on active duty and attempting to complete a pre-medical program. While certainly possible, academic quality will suffer and military experience will be limited or potentially become a hindrance. This should explain why so many degrees active duty service members attain are online programs in the humanities, liberal arts, or business. Academic rigor and return on investment of these programs is minimal at best.
At the end of the day, there is no “right or wrong” decision. There is only taking the decisions that you have made and moving forward through them. Choose wisely.
