Everyone Won't Succeed. And That's Okay!

[TheCommuter]

Everyone is capable of academic success, but some people arrive at the table better prepared than others.

The controversial truth is that not all people will succeed in school, no matter how badly some individuals may want it. And, in my opinion, this is perfectly okay. For instance, if everyone in our society becomes a surgeon, then the prestige and excellent pay that characterize this occupation would drop. It's the same story with nursing: if all 200 million+ adults in the United States had chosen to become nurses, then the status and solid middle-income pay associated with nursing would plummet.

We actually need ditch diggers, convenience store clerks, janitors, sanitation workers and other types of employees whose positions do not require education and training at the collegiate level. These workers are absolutely vital to our economy and I don't know what we'd do without them.

In addition, many young adults are being stirred toward college with a lack of direction when they would thrive better in a focused apprenticeship or trade school environment. Most of us have used the services of plumbers, mechanics, electricians and HVAC technicians. Workers in these fields earn decent money, too.

Moreover, parental stimulation and social class can be major influences in a person's success or failure in the realm of higher education. For example, a 12-year-old boy named Ernie wants to be a doctor someday. Ernie is being brought up in a poor household where his parents live from paycheck to paycheck. His mother is a seamstress who barely graduated from high school, reads at a 6th grade level, and does not know how to do math beyond basic arithmetic. His father is an illiterate short order cook who knows basic arithmetic and dropped out of school in the 9th grade.

Even though Ernie has four younger siblings, there are no books anywhere in their cramped apartment, and his parents are unable to assist with their children's homework assignments because they do not always understand the work their kids bring home. Financial stress exists in the household, and sometimes the electricity is disconnected for weeks at a time due to non-payment.

Ernie's parents have experienced nothing but personal failures with the educational system, and they do not discuss school with any of their kids. The parents are present-oriented, live in survival mode, remain totally focused on the 'here and now,' and do not ever discuss occasions that might dot their children's futures such as career planning and possible college attendance.

Most of us are cognizant that a future doctor must have a remarkably solid background in science and math, combined with exceptional reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. Ernie's parents were not able to inculcate any of these things into him at home. Moreover, even the best teachers in the public school system can do only so much with unprepared students. No matter how passionately Ernie wants to be a doctor, the cumulative effects of his disadvantaged background are helping to obstruct his ambitious dreams. If he fails to become a doctor, too many people would be quick to blame his personal failings when greater forces were working against him since birth.

People need to be oriented toward education well before they reach those formative preschool years. A disadvantaged child enters the school system with a diminished vocabulary, academic skills that are not up to par, and more distractions in the household than their more advantaged classmates. In other words, some individuals start horribly behind in the trek to success.

[SmoothKeys]

I am frustrated with the current wave of the "I can be anything I want to be" attitude. No, you cannot be anything you want, sorry. There I said it.

While an education is never wasted, in my opinion, it is not the end-all be-all measure of success.

Signed, the PhD student who will never make as much money as some people I know with no college degree.

I tend to disagree with this type of thinking. Look no further than this site and the success stories are moving; they are about individuals who persevered and especially of those who failed and refused to give up again. Sometimes the failure was for reasons that were non-academic at all. They are about people who figured out nursing is for them, but it is also about individuals who are honest about their capabilities to withstand the rigors of a nursing program.

Indeed, famed neurosurgeon, Dr. Benjamin Carson background was supposed to lead him to failure. His brother went on to become a successful mechanical engineer, too. But that's because they both were honest with their intellectual aptitude. In organic chemistry, especially, I cursed it in undergrad and appreciated certain concepts later in medicinal chemistry. Yet, I won't be a part of a drug design team. If someone follows a goal through (out of passion or necessity), he/she is a success. I dream of being an engineer (I think I'm honest with my ability to learn) but my circumstances dictate a nursing career is likely (and I've been saying this since last year, meaning I need to make the jump already). This is one case where success will be out of necessity and there's a part of me that feels guilty about this. But as you've said loosely, I'm the competition.

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

"The purpose of your life may just be to serve as a warning to others" Demotivators.

[NeoNatMom]

Success does not necessarily have to be academic. I would say I am an "Ernie" and although my parents were not well educated and struggled financially, I learned that I did not want the same life and I chose to study hard in school. Many kids born with a silver spoon in their mouths do not choose to "succeed" academically either and they have all the advantages in the world. I think it is a mix of nature vs nurture when it comes to academic success and it comes down to an individual choosing to do well in school. If it is important to them, a person will do well. I have also gone to school with other disadvantaged individuals who were made fun of in elementary school for being "dumb" and who later chose to study hard and rise to the top of the class.

I definitely agree with you! A lot comes into play when it comes to overall success of any one human being. I mean, the true story of the Pursuit of Happiness is a perfectly good example. My parents weren't academic, my mom is on welfare and my dad used to make 6 figures through self taught repairs of printing presses but they unfortunately are out dated now and he struggles a bit to make ends meet. My mother lacks determination while my father didnt. I saw the difference in lifestyles of both of my parents growing up and it was abundantly clear which life I wanted for me and my future family. I learn from other's mistakes; I am going to school to have a stable job that I enjoy, unlike my mother; and I'm going into a field that will never be out dated, unlike my father. And as you said, it was my choosing to make this life happen for myself, not my parents. I personal would not teach my child that it's a good thing to be complacent and not push themselves to get a higher education than high school. Educational background provides more options and I would want my child to have options.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I am going to school to have a stable job that I enjoy, unlike my mother; and I'm going into a field that will never be out dated, unlike my father.

Never say never.

Nursing is no longer a stable career pathway since there are a disturbing number of new grads who cannot secure employment during the first year after graduation. In addition, nursing might very become outdated or evolve to the point that significantly less nurses are needed in the coming decades. Never say never!

[NeoNatMom]

Never say never.

Nursing is no longer a stable career pathway since there are a disturbing number of new grads who cannot secure employment during the first year after graduation. In addition, nursing might very become outdated or evolve to the point that significantly less nurses are needed in the coming decades. Never say never!

I suppose it's possible, but I'm willing to work at clinics, offices, schools, many areas to look into until a more desirable position comes my way. I think the part of nursing that could be considered outdated in the future would be more on those with associates degrees. And pushing for higher education for certain specialties like having a doctorate to become a nurse anesthetist.

[Central BSN, RN]

Two certainties death and taxes. We will always have government/politicians and always have providers/nurses.

[Larry2016]

Then let's change the culture to enable students to attain their goals. Just because people's socioeconomic background is a hindrance does not mean disadvantaged children cannot learn well. There are many stories of children from disadvantaged backgrounds that have success stories who went on to be lawyers, doctors, what have you.

Also, if a disadvantaged child "makes it" ... they are usually the ones that give back the most...like doctors without borders....because they understand by personal experience the struggles of poor socioeconomic conditions

[EbonyWaltonEl]

I'm confused as to why you listed the items that those in poverty have. Was that to denote that they don't deserve the title of being impoverished or poverty stricken? The items that you listed are considered necessities to a degree. Certain technology like a cell phone and television is needed to keep up with the world today. You can't get a job without a phone number to list as communication. The television is a link to current events given from the news. We are sociologically dependent on those things and although another generation might consider those things a luxury it by far needed in today's world.