I’m really sick of the idea that caring about things that you do is lame or stupid. I don’t understand why it has ever existed or why people think that they shouldn’t care about where their lives are going or the work that is going to get them further towards their “would be” goals.

This idea honestly doesn’t make sense, especially when you break it down from a logical standpoint. As college students it is often times seen as boring, uptight or lame to show that you care about a subject, but we are paying thousands of dollars to learn more about our majors.

We are college students. We are currently spending hours attempting to learn and grow as individuals in our fields. Doesn’t that mean that there is a part of all of us that wants to do something more with our lives? Yes, many of us are just here to learn what we need to know for our future careers, but we choose careers that require extra knowledge and a college education. I’m not saying that jobs that require a degree are better than trade jobs, but I am saying that if I am willing to spend hours reading and studying about journalism, isn’t it obvious that I am passionate about it?

It’s not just the fact that I get looked down on when I am in a class and get excited about a concept or technique that fascinates me, that is the problem. It’s the people who are focused on being cool, so focused in fact that they absolutely must never participate in class, classwork or group projects. We are in college, when is everyone going to drop the high school BS? Have we not outgrown this idea that all that matters about us are our passive natures? When will passion be valued? When will effort be truly praised?

Do I sound like an annoying student that sits up front and asks about tests? Absolutely, but I am proud of who I am and I would rather work hard and learn about the areas that I need to understand to fully grow and flourish in my chosen field than to look cool as I flunk out of college and lose a lot of money.

Long story short, if you truly only care about your aloof nature and the vision of yourself that others hold, please at least put effort into group projects and homework that affects other people because I promise that the people who aren’t ashamed to care will be angry if you mess with the hard work that they have and will continue to put into their studies. Also you are a jerk if you think your persona is more important than other peoples’ lives.