Once college comes into play a lot changes.

Finances become more, classes become more, the importance of a timely manner become more. The largest difference is realizing that college is voluntary education. Motivation becomes more than it ever was before. Attending grade school is mandatory, and paid for by the government. College comes out of the pockets of the student, the family, and government programs that endorse a good college education. In high school the struggle is realizing that you need a high school degree to have a chance in life. College increases those chances in life.

The most used word in the life of a college student is struggle. Struggle is an everyday action taken by college students. Struggle can be specific or ambiguous, struggling without knowing why can also be a normal action for college students. I’ve been attending college for the past three and a half years, so I know what the struggle is.

Like I said before, motivation is hard to come by once education becomes voluntary. I truly believe that everyone wants to continue their education, but it’s not easy to afford a college education. Sure, financial aid plays a major role in helping a large part of the student body that can’t afford college, but the student body doesn’t like to owe anyone money. Most, if not all of student’s financial aid rewards usually have two to four loans that students must pay pack, and one or two grants and awards that students don’t have to pay back. Student loans are a constant struggle, because students don’t have to be worried about it now, but it’s always a lingering thought in the back of our heads. Before we can fully establish our careers, we already owe someone money.

Every day a college student asks the same question.

“Is this really worth it?”

College student mornings aren’t always chipper, they’re philosophical. In the sense that we’ll ask ourselves the same question, a million different ways, and see if we can get an answer that makes sense. The question mentioned above is the root of many same worded questions. They always revolve around the worth of our struggle, of our education, of our commitment to what we deem our craft. I strongly believe that I will be a successful journalist and photographer.

Sometimes I think I am studying the wrong areas and I am only setting myself up for failure. Is my time and effort worth it? Is my writing worth a read, are my photos going to attract and keep the attention of an audience? I can’t predict the future, but I know that I feel happy when I write and take photos. When we have those moments of doubt, it’s the happiness that carries us through. Instead of trying to figure out the value of our education, we need to ask about the happiness we feel when working on our education.

“Am I happy presenting this to the world? Is my message coming across the way I want it to, and can I convey my message to others?”

Questions like that produce results that will make everyone happy, but especially you. Questions like that are what produce struggle that produces positive production. That is the life of a college student.