My teachers and parents are always telling me to do well in college classes in order to be successful in life? What do they mean by this?
What do you guys define as being successful in life after college?
Just curious.
Sorry if this is in the wrong section.
-beetleman
Self-defined, of course. Your parents usually just want you to be happy and self-sufficient: able to support yourselves living a middle-class lifestyle, usually. Depending on the parent or teacher or other adult, they may have additional visions: maybe of you rising above (or matching, if you grew up wealthy) their own socioeconomic status and becoming wealthy, or of you becoming powerful in a political sense, or well-traveled or working in a prestigious position. Some parents and teachers have specific expectations: they want you to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, something else.
My definition was working in a position I enjoyed and making enough money to support myself and my lifestyle.
I bet they mean something like setting yourself up to have the widest array of options available to you.
@beetleman this shouldn’t be a hugely philosophical question.
For most, this means getting a career that one enjoys and can do something with, and making enough to support himself and his/her own family. For others, the definition of “success” may be slightly different. But job prospects and other opportunities can be limited if you don’t do well in college.
Even just the career / financial aspect is self defined. Some people have frugal habits and do not need a very high income to live comfortably, so they may have more freedom in choosing jobs and careers. Others with spendier habits may have trouble even on very high incomes and therefore may have to chase the money all the time.
Of course, success encompasses more aspects than just career / financial ones.
I always think of it as being self sufficient through doing something that you enjoy. My parents think of it as becoming President of the United States, lol.
It’s a question you’ll need to answer for yourself. I’d say that it’s living a life that you feel is meaningful. So you’ll need to figure out who you are, what you want to be, what matters to you, what you like to do, etc. You’ll have experiences in school and in life that will inform those questions, but it’ll be up to you to be alert to them and honest with yourself. School can help you with the skills and network and can certainly make more opportunities available to you. While you’re thinking through this, it’s good to keep your options open, so that’s probably part of what your teachers are telling you.
If at age 30 you are still living in your parents’ basement, you are not successful in life.
I think this is a great question to ask and reflect upon. I am often thinking about / hoping for my children to “be successful in life” and u do push them to do well in school in hopes they’ll achieve such success. Juillet probably gives the most accurate answer in terms of what most parents and teachers mean. I would like to add that for me, both in my own life and in my hopes for my daughters, is to contribute to improving the world in some way. Do something with your life that makes this place a better place to live!
If you are living there because you cannot afford to live on your own and depend on a parental subsidy…
Some people live with their parents to help support their parents (particularly those who need some assistance due to medical issues), not the other way around. After all, some houses do have “in law units”.
I agree, success is merely the ability to support yourself comfortably without having to over work yourself to death.
It is happiness and a job that gets you off mom and dad’s payroll. Everything else is gravy.
I’m just hoping to figure out how to fool people into thinking that I’m a self-sufficient, functioning adult.
Very hard act to put on.
Also, so that I can say “Trust me, I’m an Engineer”
I agree with the previous comments, and add that a lot of parents want to have a couple of cute grandchildren.
Well i don’t want kids. Would I still be sucessful?
Sure, that’s your decision to make.
Everyone’s definition of success is different. It’s up to you to find your own.
Call me delusional if you want to, but I like to define my personal concept of success as something that is very very hard, Even nigh impossible, to attain. This way, I would never be satisfied with myself, and I would always have a reason to push myself even more.
In other words, I disagree with the notion that ensuring your own survival without sacrificing your pleasures is success. I would only consider myself successful if, on my deathbed , I can look back at my life and say that I achieved everything that I could achieve,and that I could not achieve what I did not.
@beetleman ,it depends on what you want out of life. Sucess means different things to different people.
Sucess for a laidback, wealthy son might mean inheriting his father’s corporation and investing in millions and retiring early. On the other hand, success for a work-loving individual who believes in always being productive might mean participating in community service and volunteer work beyond retirement. Does this make sense?
In general, “success” may mean getting a job you love, being able to pay the bills, owning a car, owning a house, having a family.
But it really depends.
@TheCollegeGirl These are all several-month-old threads you’re bumping up.