Message from the Associate Dean
Where do we go from here? Choosing your college goals.
Personal Growth and Professional Advancement
While most folks don't think about it, the major benefit from a college education is really two fold. The most obvious benefit from all that class time and studying is becoming a subject matter expert. It is the obvious benefit because it is that which is easiest for prospective employers, colleagues, and your instructors to measure. It is the basis for your degree and opens the doors you need opened to land your dream job. The other, more subtle but no less important thing one gets from a college education is learning how to think. Yes, you read that right, thinking, at least effective thinking usually requires practice.
The journey through a college education provides many different challenges,
both personal and educational, that help us grow. To illustrate this I offer
the following: I find it hard to remember any but a few of the specific things
I learned while at St. John Fisher College in the mid 80's, but I do clearly
remember, and carry with me today, the habits I acquired while there. Budgeting
my time wisely, prioritizing work, and studying with the intent to "learn"
have stayed with me after all these years and still provide an incredible amount
of value to me almost every day. It is personal growth that gives you the courage
to try new things and achieve tough goals.
Good students learn how to balance the needs of work, family, and friends, with
the time required in and out of class to be successful students. Having been
there myself I can assure you that this is no easy task. I can also assure you
that there is no better feeling than looking back on the experience when you
are done, and knowing that you have been successful. In many cases it is the
most difficult thing, short of parenthood, that we will do in our life. Like
parenthood, it can also be the most rewarding. Your college experience will
undoubtedly open new career doors. More importantly, the experience will give
you the courage and self-confidence to approach any challenges life throws at
you in completely new ways.
