The home environment I grew up in simply lent itself to education in general. My parents have their BS degrees and my mother has a master's degree in education. With me, the actual decision to go to college was never made. I just decided where to go. When your mother is an educator, it is the focus. When I graduated from high school I never even considered that my education was complete. The expectations maintained in the lives of young adults plays a significant role in the choices they make. These expectations may be from outside persons such as: parents, grandparents, other family or peers. But, in many cases when the external expectations are not held, there are internal motivators that lead some to choose higher educational goals in place of more immediate career goals. My parents are the first ever in either of
their families to graduate from college. Each of them is a goal-setter and they really strive to finish what they start. Maybe it is who you spend your time with and maybe it comes from within----or both. Either way it does seem that outside factors are the MAIN influence in the pursuit of higher education.


Since it is evident that we all come from different backgrounds, I am curious to know, What do you think?!?!

I am in a similiar situation to Anna, however both of my parents do not have a four year degree. My father has his MBA and my mother went to nursing school. Growing up, not going to college was never even a thought of mine. I always knew I was going and always knew I wanted to go. However, not only did I have the push to go from my parents...but I also had the push the "go away" for college. It wasnt that my parents wanted to kick me out but they wanted me to gain indpendence and expierence college life entirely which I think is great!

I'm more like Traci.

My Mom graduated high school and became a housewife (I think that was the term used in the 70's and 80's) while my Dad took technical courses here and there but never earned a degree after high school. Mom steered the family spiritually and kept me involved in church, Dad remained agnostic and encouraged me to excel academically, but both my parents demanded a high work ethic; so my sisters and I started working after graduating high school instead of going directly to college. My oldest sister and I decided on practical, post-secondary education at technical colleges: she went for a degree in nursing and I went for one in computing; the middle sister tried going to a technical college twice but just doesn't like the whole schooling thing (she's got the highest work ethic -- my oldest sister and I are ... lazier ) I'm the only one, even in my extended family, to go on to a university, and Dad was the one in our family who encouraged me.

Outside family, my teachers were the "movers and shakers" who got the wild idea of me going to a university. My middle school teachers influenced my parent's decision to let me apply to the magnet, college prepatory high school instead of going to a district high school. I would probably not be here if those teachers had not sat down with my parents to explain my collegiate potential. And my high school teachers always kept college in the back of my mind by telling stories about their collegiate experience and alluding to questions discussed at college, like questions that a college physics course could answer. High school teachers peaked my interest but I will not deny the peer pressure to simply fall in line by going directly to college after graduation. When my friends started applying to college in our junior and senior year, I started applying. I was accepted (to ASU among others) but decided to work first, grab an associate degree, and work some more until I wound up at ASU.

this is really interesting to me because like some of the others, neither of my parents graduated from college. my mom went to community college for one year and then got a job at social security with the federal government. my dad went for a year too, but partied a little too much and ended up in the air force. he later got a job with the national weather service. both of them had good, stable jobs that paid well, but no college education. neither of my older brothers went to college either, one joined the air force as well and the other went to community college for a while, but never finished and now just works full-time. what's interesting though is that not going to college was never even an option for me. even if i hadn't wanted to go out of my own will, i think my parents may have forced me to go anyway. it just never entered my mind that i would not go to college, even none of my immediate family holds a college degree. it's really cool though because, like we were talking about in class on tuesday, i think that in my life, i have had so many opportunities. i think my parents help me take advantage of those possibilities and help me make them realities because it is something they never really had.

My parents did not go to college either. They both graduated high school and soon after got married. Now, almost 30 years later my mom is attending the community college at home. She had a "scare" at work a few years back and thought she might lose her job. That propelled her into looking for alternatives. After she learned that her job was secure she decided to go to college, since her job would pay tuition, so that if they situation happened again she would have other options. She is an amazing student and always strives to her best, even while working a full-time job she is a straight A student. Always being the supportive mom, my senior year she only took one class, online, both semesters so she could be at my senior sporting events and all that fun stuff. Even when I do good in my classes, my dad likes to say, well you could be as good as your mom, which makes it tough. I admire her for what she's doing and even though she could graduate in May of 08 she is putting it off yet another semester for me, because she doesn't want to take away from my moment. Just thought this would be a different type of response to this situation.

I'm glad this came up because it is so intersting to hear everyones story. My mom graduated college, my dad did not, he attended for a few years but decided he would rather ski. The funny thing is now though that my dad owns his own construction company and has done very well for himself despite his non graduating status. After college my mom did a variety of things and then two years ago she went back and did her student teaching to be fully certified to teach. My parents are divoreced and my mom put off alot of her goals for my brother, sister, and my self. I find this interesting because my parent that graduated has not necesarily done better than my parent that does not have a college degree. I think this shows what traci was saying that a college degree does not mean everything and is not for everyone. While I was definite that I would come to college I do not think it was necesarily expected. My mom showed me that the possibilty to do whatever you dream is always there by going back to school at 57. I think it is obvious from everyones response that it doesnt really matter where we have been but that we are instilled with possibilites and dreams to go! I just thought that this was an interesting perspective and addition to the stories.

This is an interesting topic to hear that everyone comes from a different background. In my case, neither one of my parents went to college, they both graduated from high school. When i was growing up i always wanted to attend college and my parents were supportive of that idea because neither one of them had the opportunity because they didnt have the money to go. In my fathers case he grew up working on a farm, so as soon as he got back home he had to help his grandfather in the tobacco fields. With my mother, her father wasnt very supportive and didnt want any of his kids to attend college. I always had the grades to go to college, but my biggest fear was how was i going to pay for it, then teachers in my school helped me find ways to come to college so that i could further my education. So not only was i receiving encouragment from my parents but teachers all the way back to my kindergarten teacher was helping me find a way to go to college. I look back and am so grateful that people stood behind me and pushed me to get me to where i am today.

It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that some people don't go to college. Yeah, that sounds rather stupid, but I had always taken it for granted that that's what everyone does after High School. My parents never gave me an option, but I never questioned it either. I think part of the reason was that all of my friends were planning to go to college, and everyone in my family had. My mom has a PhD in English Literature, and my dad is a lawyer. I've never thought less of people who don't have college degrees or don't go... I just never really thought about it. When I realized that a lot of people I knew in High School did not go on to college, I just saw it as a different life perspective. Sometimes I wish that I had realized that it was a decision. Maybe I would've taken a year off or something!

I really like the first statement that Lillie made "It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that some people don't go to college".

All my life, my parents have encouraged me to make good grades so that I could get into college. They never asked me if I wanted to go, it was always just expected out of me. My father never went to college and my mother went back when I was in 1st grade and her batchlors degree. She has always stressed the importance of going to college to get a good education to where I didnt have to worry about a job and making money when I got older. She didnt want me to have to stuggle like she did, having to work in factories to support her family.

But now that Im here, Im happy Im here. I love being in college and Im really going to miss it when I graduate. But I do understand Lillie's comment. Some people are just not made for college, but our society needs that. Think about where our world would be if we didnt have plumbers, garbage collectors, grocery store workers, waitresses, etc. I mean, we need these jobs, someone has to do them!

My boyfriend and I have been together for about 10 months. He never went to college but he has a good job and makes good money. He keeps telling me that he is glad that I have went to make something of myself. There are times when he says he wishes that he would have went, but he knows he would have never made it through because school work is not for him.

But I am very grateful for where I am today. It is a decision that I do not regret and would not take back!

I really like the first statement that Lillie made "It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that some people don't go to college".

All my life, my parents have encouraged me to make good grades so that I could get into college. They never asked me if I wanted to go, it was always just expected out of me. My father never went to college and my mother went back when I was in 1st grade and her batchlors degree. She has always stressed the importance of going to college to get a good education to where I didnt have to worry about a job and making money when I got older. She didnt want me to have to stuggle like she did, having to work in factories to support her family.

But now that Im here, Im happy Im here. I love being in college and Im really going to miss it when I graduate. But I do understand Lillie's comment. Some people are just not made for college, but our society needs that. Think about where our world would be if we didnt have plumbers, garbage collectors, grocery store workers, waitresses, etc. I mean, we need these jobs, someone has to do them!

My boyfriend and I have been together for about 10 months. He never went to college but he has a good job and makes good money. He keeps telling me that he is glad that I have went to make something of myself. There are times when he says he wishes that he would have went, but he knows he would have never made it through because school work is not for him.

But I am very grateful for where I am today. It is a decision that I do not regret and would not take back!

Neither one of my parents have gotten more than a two year degree from a community college. However, my Dad got a great job with his two year engineering degree and worked his way up. There is no way he could get the job he has now with a two year degree today. My brother messed up in high school and dropped out, so I am the first to actually go to college. I think it’s funny because when I go home everyone puts me on this high pedestal for being in college, and then when I'm here it’s not a big deal to anyone. If anything I feel like some people look down on me because I’m “only doing elementary educationâ€

Like some of you, neither of my parents went to college. My dad dropped out of high school and my mother graduated from high school. From their stories neither of them have even considered going to college. My dad had it made and followed the family in construction. He worked with my grandpa and soon opened his on construction company. Mom worked in an animal hospital as a groomer and as soon as my dad opened his company she decided to be a house wife and take care of us kids. Dad and mom always encouraged me to finish high school and from there it was my decision to go to college or not. I am the youngest out of 4 and the first one to graduate from high school. I am also the first to go to college. I am very proud of this. To me I have always wanted to graduate high school and go to college because I wanted to make my parents proud! My sister and brothers are doing well in life now but it was a struggle for them! Now a days it is easier to go to college because for the most part you cant find a decent job unless you go to college!

My situation is very similiar to Anna. My mom was also an educator and has a master's degree in education so it was always what college are you going to go to and not are you going to go to college or not. My dad on the other hand went to college for a few years and then dropped out because he found a good job. Unfortuantely that company closed down and my dad had to go to a lesser paying job because he did not really want to go back and finish college. He always told me that I needed to go to college because you have your degree to fall back on if you lose your job like he did. Both my dad's parents went to college and graduated with degrees in edeucation also so they told me they would pay for any college I could get into and stressed the importance of education.

Both of my parents graduated from 4 year universities, and they are both accountants. Like Anna, and some others, I never even thought of not going to college, my shocking decision was not to go to UNC like my daddy did. Because I never even thought of not attending college, I don't really know how my parents would have handled that decision. I think they'd definitely push me as hard as possilbe toward going, but if they realized it just wasn't for me then they would understand that and accept it.

I have a brother who just started his freshman year here at App (which i just love!). He was pretty much set on ASU if he decided to go to a university, but my parents were a little more flexible with him. My mom told me several times that she thought he might be more suited to work with one of our family friends who owns a landscaping company, or one who is a self-employed electrician. I can't say that John ever showed much interest passed mentioning either of these possibilities, but even if he had, my parents would have pushed him to go to a community college. My parents both value higher education so much because they were both the first of their families to attend a university. (My dad was the only one of 8 kids to go, but my mom started the trend in her family, because 2 of her sisters went onto get 4 year degrees, and one got an associate's degree.)

I, too, like Lillie's statement, "It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that some people don't go to college". Neither one of my parents went to college. Actually my dad tells the story of how he went to the community college near his house for the first day and went in, then went straight out the back door because he realized college was not for him. However, my dad is lucky because he and two of my uncles, along with my grandpa started their own grading business and became very successful with that. My mom didn't go to college because whenever she graduated high school she wanted to get married. No, neither of my parents went to college but what is weird about it is that they always encouraged me, my brother, and sister to all go to college. So that is why I agree with Lillie's statement. Even when I was younger I always knew that I would go to college and it really wasn't ever a question. I guess it was the way we were raised, but at the same time I never remember my parents trying to force it upon me. I know that my mom has always encouraged us because she says she wished that she would have went to college and I guess she didn't want us to make the same mistake that she did, in her opinion. So, anyways I guess what I am saying is that yes you can be successful without going to college, but nowadays it is much harder to become this way without a college degree. More people are aware of this also which is why the enrollment in colleges across the nation are increasing. Anyways, this was a good topic because it was very interesting like others said to see the different backgrounds that everyone in the class has come from.

Like many other fellow classmates my parents never went to college. In fact my mom graduated from high school but my dad quilt in eleventh grade. I always wondered why my parents never went to college and their explanations was they did not have the opportunity to go due to money and at the time they really did not need the education. My parents have always encouraged me to go to school and make great grades. They always expected A’s and B’s from sister and I. My mom and dad never said anything about college until my sister and I got into high school. They were always encouraging us to think about going to college in order to improve our lives. My dad would always tell us to get an education so we would not have to worry about working bad jobs in order to make a living. They wanted us to have education to fall back on, because for my mom and dad they have nothing. The only thing they have is experience in certain jobs, which in today’s society is not enough. Jobs are getting scarcer and in order to get a job you need a college education, where before jobs only required you to have a high school diploma. Listening and watching my mom and dad struggle over the years trying to make a living and send us through college was enough motivation for me to go to college. That is another reason I never gave up when taking the praxis because I knew my dad and mom was counting on me to get an education. My dad and mom are very proud of us and they keep pushing us to get our dreams because for them they never got this opportunity. Even though my mom and dad do not have an education I still feel they know just as much as someone with an education. I also feel truly blessed fulfilling my dream as becoming a teacher, because many of my high school friends did not get the opportunity to go to college due to financial reasons. As society grows worse I feel that the only students that will be going to college will be the high class because the middle class/lower class will not be able to afford it.

My parents didn't go to college, either. Back when they were growing up, though, not many people in my area DID go to college (my mom is 63 and my dad will be 66 at the end of October). My dad wanted to drop out of high school when he was younger. He kept telling my grandfather that he was going to be a truck driver and that he didn't need a high school education for that. My grandfather made my dad finish high school because when my grandfather was growing up (he would be 97 now), the school he went to only extended through the seventh grade. After that, students had to be sent away to boarding school to continue their education, and my grandfather's guardians couldn't afford that. He went to seventh grade twice so he could get the most out of his schooling.

My dad did go on to be a trucker, but he finished high school first. My mom was a teacher's assistant in elementary school for most of her life. She quit before I was born (eighteen years after my brother and seventeen years after my sister), then went to work at a children's clothing factory when I started school.

I'm one of few people in my whole family to go to college. I have an aunt who is a professor at Mars Hill, two first cousins that got their degrees, and two or three second cousins who are in college right now. When you take into account what a huge family I have, that's a very small number. My brother was a welder for a while, so he did go to community college to learn how to do that well, but it was just for a few courses and now he's a postal worker. My sister almost didn't graduate high school because of mental illness, but I think she did get her diploma before she was put in Broughton.

I never felt pressured to go to college; it's just something my parents always planned on for me. They had money set aside for it since before I was born. When I was young, I didn't really know what college was; I thought that when I graduated high school, I was going to get married and have kids. It wasn't until I was in middle school that I really realized I would be going to college, even though my parents had been planning on it.

[i]“…there are internal motivators that lead some to choose higher educational goals in place of more immediate career goals..â€

Both of my parents went to college and recieved their degrees. It was something that they were both interested in and was not really an option for my mom. As Anna said, college was not really an option for me either. It was assumed that I would go. I am lucky though because my parents pay for my college and car and provide me with pretty much everything I want. As for graduate school, my dad told me that I would have to pay for that on my own or start working somewhere and ask them if they would pay for me to go to night class. I would really like to go to grad school but I do not want to have student loans for the rest of my life!!! My family has always pushed education and have always pushed me to do my best in everything I do.