Motivation For Education

Every person in the United States is required to attend some schooling. Since college is not required, there are so many reasons not to go. Motivation is one of the biggest reasons that people do go. There are so many things that motivate different people to attend college.

Probably one of the biggest things that motivate people to go to college is to improve their jobs or compensation. Anymore, to get an individual would have to have a college degree. Anyone can get a job where they show up to work, work long hours, with a low pay rate, and cannot wait to go home. However, by going to college and getting a degree in a field of choice, a person will be able to choose their job, work better hours, have better pay, and enjoy their career.

Another good motivation students go to college is because of self-gratification. Many students these days are the first person in their families to better their education, such as myself. To me, I get self-gratification because it makes my family proud that I am in school, this, in return, makes me proud. In addition, self-gratification comes when students do something they were told they could not do. A good example of this is women being in college. Such as Adrienne Rich explains in “Claming an Education”:

“Our upbringing as a women has so often told

us that this should come second to our relationships

and responsibilities to other people…Responsibilities

to yourself means refusing to let others do your

thinking, talking, and naming for you. It means

learning to respect your own brains and instincts;

hence grappling with hard work…

The education of women has been a matter of debate

for centuries, and old, negative attitudes about

womens ability to think and take leadership,

are still rife both inside and outside the universities”(Rich 174-75).

Therefore, by pushing so much for a higher education, should bring all women self-appreciation.

Another example of motivation to go to school is probably the most obvious. It’s to learn. One way college is so different from elementary and high school is that it is not required. People are there because they want to be. In college, you can take classes just to learn about things. You do not have to be going to school to be something, but maybe just to learn. Also, there is the motivation to learn by teaching yourself, to read and write or maybe home schooling, and then going to college to smooth the edges of your self taught education. Malcolm X is a good example of that. He was a self made man who taught himself to read and write. He can inspire so many of us for the strength he had to do that.

Another motivation to go to college is socialization. Students come to college and meet so many different people, and are exposed to so many different cultures. Frat houses and dormitory living are good ways to get these experiences. Parties might be another reason that motivates people to go to school. Students might not know what they want to do with their life yet, so they pick a party school so they can have fun with things until they figure it out.

Extra curricular activities are another motivation to attend college. Some students pick schools for their extra programs. They might pick a school for the drama program, or they might pick a good football school in hopes to be drafted to the NFL. This can be a good motive to get you into school because a lot of times you can get scholarships that will help students pay for school. In addition, you have to keep your grades up to be in these programs so you have to try extra hard. This is good in helping to keep students focused.

All motives are good; they are a big help in setting your priorities in line. Since college is not required, there are many other options in life to choose. However, if you want to get out and socialize in the world, get a better job, or be in an extracurricular activity, I think college is a good way to accomplish these goals.

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