“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”
-Edith Lovejoy Pierce
I love this quote! Ever since I found this, it’s been my annual message, a way to emphasize how each New Year’s Day we have the opportunity to begin anew. I admit, I had a much harder time feeling that way this year, as the pandemic has had an effect on absolutely every part of our lives and will continue to do so for quite a while. That’s probably why I found myself thinking about the “opportunity” part of the quote this year and how the words we choose to fill each page come from what not just what happens but also our opportunity to reflect on it, based on our past experiences, values and beliefs and then choosing how we want to respond.
Not surprisingly, it particularly resonated with me on the subject of college in general. And I’m not alone. Recent articles have been published debating the overall value of a college education, especially now that it consists mostly of online classes.
In a way, the very fact that articles are being written about how a college education is about more than what you learn in a classroom is in and of itself an argument for the value of the college experience overall and the opportunities that it creates. But, there is also opportunity to be found specifically from the classes you take, either in person or online.
Those first-year classes especially help students figure out what they want to focus on and the variety of ways to do that. There are so many more ways to combine different subject areas in college than what is available in high school and that provides lots of possibilities in terms of incorporating a students’ interests, skills and talents into a major area of study. Interested in science and love food? Want to work in or for a winery or restaurant? Do you love fashion? Are you interested more in designing clothes or influencing trends? Are you into Esports but don’t want to program? These are just a few of the many ways to combine and create opportunities that help them choose their majors.
And speaking of majors, it’s encouraging that students are choosing not just based on the most financially lucrative majors but on what they are passionate about. And it’s understandable when you look at what these teens have already experienced in their lifetime from watching “secure” jobs vanish during the recession of 2009 to the uncertainty created by the pandemic, which we are still living in.
Yes, making informed decisions based on data is important, but that data is constantly evolving so using it as the only factor limits the opportunity to create a new possibility. Many of the careers that are available now didn’t even exist 5-10 years ago. Neither did a major in Esports management for that matter or the increase in the number of colleges that include it. Who knows what other possibilities will be created in response to the passions and interests of teens?
All of this is what gives me hope going into 2021.It’s not just about creating a new book every year.It’s reflecting on what we’ve learned from our past information and experiences and choosing how we want to use that to write the future pages and chapters of our “Book of Opportunity”.