Changing Communities

As people mature, they typically find themselves in new communities. One such change is going away to begin college. Another change is leaving college after graduation. At college, I talked to fellow Philosophy and Religion majors about the great things we were studying. My professors treated me as an equal in their classes or offices. Being able to relate my studies with other people was very exciting for me, but now it is different. I personally get just as excited while reading a good book, but not everyone around me is interested in the same things. My community has changed.

I have been applying for a job, and I assumed my "college degree" would help me get the job. But that is not necessarily true. My college degree on the wall does not help me during the oral interview. Just because I can talk about Kant's categorical imperative or Kierkegaard's teleological suspension of the ethical does not mean I can necessarily do well during the interview process. In college, each class was about giving me specific knowledge about a particular subject, but the overall goal of college goes beyond that. Hopefully, college gives us the skills and confidence to speak and reason effectively whether in an interview process or talking to our friends about where our lives seem to be taking us. We cannot allow ourselves to revel in the roles of our former communities; we must begin the search of understanding ourselves in our new communities. As our communities change, we must change as well.
dr