The Real Lessons From University

I loved playing sports when I was young and I really wanted to be a coach. One reason was a particular teacher I had in High School who also coached me in Basketball and Volleyball. He just had a way about him that spoke to me. However, it may have been a little to do with a coach I had when I was younger. Not a nice lady. And so it made perfect sense to go into Education. Become a Phys. Ed teacher. But in my mind, I needed an edge upon graduation. A little something more that would get me hired before the next guy. I was always good at Math and so I decided on a Math minor. What an idiot. They were the toughest courses. Now having an advisor the first year is great unless their load is too heavy and you are the student that just takes up too much time. Apparently my punishment was Linear Algebra. I was the only Phys. Ed student. Of course. Just me and the first year Engineers. There were two other females but they were Engineering students. It was a lonely class. Now, statistics wasn’t a core class for the Math minor. But the nasty advisor thought it fit my schedule nicely. And it did. The difference was like night and day. I loved it. Stats was an amazing class which led me to take another. It became quite clear that I wasn’t really that bright when it came to math. I did barely pass Calculus in grade twelve. But my world was opened up and I thanked the powers that be that decided students must be well rounded. Electives became my saving grace.

Because I took grade twelve in a College, I was able to finish my first semester of University while I was in grade twelve. It was my first time living away from home and dorm life is interesting in so many ways but also a sort of controlled freedom. It was a religious college and we were required to take a religious studies class each year. Not only did I learn a lot about Christianity and the reformation, I was exposed for the first time to other religions. Looking back I think this was such an incredibly open and inclusive introduction to what was for the most part a Christian School. Interestingly enough, the student population was quite diverse. There were kids who lived in remote areas who did not have access to high schools. The government paid for them to be sent away from home. There were the kids who lived close by who wanted to be nearer to home all the while receiving their first two years towards a degree. We were affiliated with the University of Alberta and as such all classes were completely transferrable. There were the religious kids, the bible thumpers as we called them. Quite a large number of PK’s (preachers kids) as well. The ones who don’t drink or party. They went to chapel every day. Most owned a guitar and had prayer groups. There were athletes of course. We had a men’s hockey team and both male and female basket ball teams. And finally, there was the last group that made up the largest population. The “bad” kids. I was one of those. The kids who were a bit of trouble at home and whose parents thought a religious school might be just the answer. Unfortunately for my parents, I met kids who were much worse than the ones I was friends with back home. But it all worked out. Eventually. I am doing just fine in life.

The biggest education I believe is the exposure to people. Coming from a small rural redneck town, I was surrounded by people from backgrounds which were so different from my own. I befriended a couple of people from the town where the college was located. As a result, quite a few of my new dorm friends became chummy with the townies and the party world expanded. These people lived at home and as a result had homes in which to have parties. Religious schools frown on booze so we spent too much time and money drinking in our cars or going to small town bars that let in underage kids. I did get kicked out twice for a week although I was allowed to attend classes. The details aren’t important. Suffice to say it revolved around rule breaking. AKA alcohol and parties. As it was always group efforts there were quite a few of us pooling money for a motel room for the week. In the intimate setting there was crossover between groups and life was fun. We all went to stay with friends on weekends and then our worlds grew larger. Never before had I been exposed to the wealth that some kids grew up with. It was eye opening in many ways and yet, those kids were just as rowdy and crazy as my small town crowd. They just had nicer stuff. Better cars. Edmonton was close and for years I spent a lot of time there with people I met when I was young. I still run into a couple of gals from back then. I am also in contact with a couple by text and email. Growing up also meant growing out of people. Sometimes it is sad but looking back it was good to lose those that hold you back.

Moving on to University brought a different experience. I became a Mom and all of a sudden my marks changed. No longer was I calculating what I needed on a final in order to pass a class. Now I was on the Deans list or the Presidents list. Anything less than an A was upsetting. The friends I made there were more serious but also a little older. More focussed on the future. It became obvious I wasn’t teacher material. There was a push to have more Phys. Ed teachers in elementary schools and I found that wasn’t my passion. But the real lesson was when I realized the environment would never suit me. Schools are very much a dictator style and I struggle with the atmosphere. I was young. There were too many old teachers. I felt like the atmosphere was just too much like a warden/inmate mentality. While there were so many kind individuals, it was still too authoritarian for my tastes. I hated it as a student and I wasn’t prepared to fight against it as a teacher. Computer Science made more sense and in the end it not only suited my personality but it was by far a better financial decision. I was able to carve out a career that gave me incredible control over my life and in the end that is number one for someone like me.

Looking back I am grateful for those years and the people who crossed my path. I read an article recently that reminded me of my grade twelve social teacher. His views on politics and his discussions with us taught me so much and peaked my interest in the world I lived in. I cried when Reagan was elected in 1980. And then again in 2016 when Hillary lost. Looking back he was the beginning of the end good old Ronnie. The classes I took on anatomy and human physiology helped lead me to where I am today. Not dependant on allopathic medicine but recognizing my own responsibility for good health. I will never forget the class I took where I was introduced to Lotus 123. The first spreadsheet system. I was awestruck as I recognized the incredible power this technology unleashed. Spreadsheets would become a huge part of my career and I am so humbled by the genius that first thought of it. I remember 25 years ago, my hubby calling me after a meeting he had with an industry colleague. He was so excited about some things he had learned regarding spreadsheets. “Have you ever heard of pivot tables?” hubby asked. Rolling my eyes, I responded with “Do you have any idea what I do for a living?” The first micro economics class I took was so boring. It was truly an introductory class. But the next one was more macro and it was fascinating. I was young and unsophisticated and it brought the world into my protected small town life as I had never seen it. I hated sociology as a class because I wasn’t interested. To me it was big words attached to everyday concepts. And yet as I aged it amazed me.

Even after I started my life in the work world I continued to take classes. Oil and gas accounting introduced me to plate tectonics which was a foreign concept. I was a little taken back that my eight year old daughter knew all about it. That was the jolt I needed to continue learning and taking classes. I was a math whiz and initially wanted to minor in math but when introduced to numerical systems like binary, hexadecimal and octal, I realized how lacking I was. And yet, although binary was invented in the 1600’s, smarty pants me had never heard of it. Until computer programming. The reason universities have you take many classes seemingly unrelated to your chosen field of study is two-fold I believe. First of all it gives you exposure to various ideas which in turn help you to become a more well rounded individual. Secondly, it is important to understand that your chosen field may not be what is right for you. I learned that. It just took a bit longer. But exposure to new and exciting ideas can help us to reach out and find a new future we would never have thought possible.

It is interesting that the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know, College and University taught me a lot about what I needed to make it in a career. It exposed me to an unending variety of people and backgrounds. Like the guy sitting beside me in a hall waiting for a door to open at the University. He was Dutch and I told him I had been to Amsterdam but that I didn’t think I was in a very nice area. He told me there were no nice areas in Amsterdam. We sat together quite often over the course of the class. I was exposed to a world outside of my own small rural and somewhat sheltered life. The skies opened and opportunity poured down. I was excited to learn and explore life. I learned that College and University aren’t just about getting a piece of paper for the wall. It is about ideas, expanding your mind and ultimately it is about the people you meet. Some say it opens up opportunities and that is somewhat correct. But I would hazard that opportunities are all around us. It is the ability to recognize them that is important. After all, there really is no such thing as a missed opportunity. If you don’t take it, the next guy will. He didn’t miss. Even if he didn’t go to university.