by cheating their way through, if that was the case in colleges so accessible. I just feel like we'd have a lot of

one of these.

Can I have my college grads on that side and my dropouts on the other side ?

'First statement: I feared how I would be judged if I didn't go to college'

Just me then, that's cool !

It was the fear of me caring about what was thought, as far as like, my peers,

but then, when you start bringing your parents into it, and it's like, that's a greater fear [laughter].

But you live for your parents,

it's like, yeah, you want to make them proud, so I just fear this closure between me and my parents

You know. - Yeah.

- 'I am Sean Fitzpatrick. I went to Columbia Chicago for not even a semester'

'And I was like : "No, you know what, let's go back to California and do music." '

I went because they wanted me to go and then... and then I said : "If you want me to make you proud,

let me do this !"

'Non-agreers, come on in'

I wasn't afraid that I would be judged if I didn't go to college, but I also didn't question going to college.

It was just kind of the next step... and I

didn't plan otherwise, so...

Yeah - That path of growth seemed like it was the next step.

- Yeah, and you're encouraged by your parents.

- And they gave me that pathway of saying, you know, "The only way you're going to succeed is through college.",

but then, as I got older,

they gave me the idea : "Well, you can do whatever you want if you find your path, though

you need to find your path, but if you can't you should go to college."

00:02:03,649 --> 00:02:05,829 I believe college should be free

[laughter] Yeah, let's do that, right ?

I had an in-state like, all of my tuition was paid for, and I still have debt !

Now I'm sitting on it, and I don't have a job. Not like a real job.

- Yeah, the debt definitely racks up. It's ridiculous.

That's true, but that that becomes an investment in the future so at the end of the day so you have to take that on

You have your education but does your like bachelors degree get you a higher paying job

Not in my experience

'I didn't even question going to college until after I had finished it who's like

What do I do now and why did I even go and you know?'

If everyone went to college it would become useless

Just like a lot of people out here, just getting degrees by luck or

Getting degrees by cheating their way through, and if that was the case and college is so accessible

I just feel like we'll have a lot of

Wannabes and that people who are really passionate about what they want to do or are

dedicating sweat, bones and tears into what they're doing so

the world would, I don't think would be a better place if everyone was this a

Degree yeah

(Offscreen) 'Did you just get converted?'

I changed my mind yeah

Yeah, I guess then you don't think of it. It's not college. You're just doing it

Just think about labour workers, like people that just do manual labor

You don't need a degree to do some manual labor work

so if you have everyone

you know sticking their heads in a book we won't have stuff being built, your house won't be built, your,

Your cars won't be fixed your oil changed. You know what I'm saying like, you have to remember that in life. Especially in the world

It's a balance of

just people like

I come from minority, underrepresented,

Disenfranchised and in my college experience

I, the higher I got, the less people that look like me that I saw so

The more people that look like me in college would make me so happy

That's what I'm saying, so like it's tremendous to see more people going to college.

- But you have to realize that

This is if [indistinguishable] a lot of people don't want to

- Oh no no no

- People don't have to, but if more people did, it would be a good thing

- I just think that college education, if everyone had it, I don't think would make the degree itself useless oh

[indistinguishable]

No, I'm I think we were taking it off a pedestal, not making it meaningless

'I know what I want to do with my life'

[laughter]

I'm still figuring it out, but I'm

In it right now, so I feel like I know, but there's so much more. That's getting revealed as I find out

I'm currently getting a degree in psychotherapy, however

I still need two or three more years to get all my hours

And so I'm debating whether or not even to get my license and just be an a woman empowerment coach

And I'm gonna be done with grad school. I can fully invest my, all of myself into itself it.

- It took a minute

I mean yeah, it was not an easy journey, and it was a lot of

Investing and finding out that I was investing in the wrong things so you know

- I like how you changed your mind

- I had to think about it harder. I was like wait. I really don't know

- I want to say that I mean I don't feel lost like I don't feel like I don't want to do

I don't know what I want to do with my life

I'm actively pursuing a lot of goals right now, and I don't anticipate like one goal lasting me a lifetime

- Exactly like and I know all the things that I wants to do

I'm just not sure which one is the like, for you guys like 'this is it', for me

I was like I'm dibbling and dabbling in so many different things. I'm just like anything could be the final go

I just don't know which one it is I want to perfect every craft.

- I was going in school for architecture

- Okay

- And it was a three years in and then I got into acting and I booked the job

And then I realized I was like whoa I really like doing this so dropped out of school

And I decided that I'd pursue acting instead

But that came later on after I did three years of college.

- And I did four

I had three classes before I graduated, and I just like

'I decided to leave because

I felt the time for me to pursue the things I wanted to do in my life was now and college was holding me back from

that'

'Education is the key to success'

Mm-hmm

So when I heard education and you know I didn't necessarily associate it with college

I just associated with gathering all the tools and the data and the knowledge and and then

Embodying that into you, but in whatever field you want to be successful in

- Beautifully put

- And success to doesn't just come with luck you know you have to you have to work hard at what

You want to do

- And what's success?

- Exactly

I took education as like, a college degree when you presented that question

Yeah, yeah, that's why I didn't even walk up

- Yeah we've got to realise that because and we got to realize like we learn

Daily like every day were learning something and it's so funny

But there's no book in front of us to learn those things that we learn it just so happened that

We cross the right person or someone related that information to us, or you know just based off life experiences

So I don't think that

You're gonna be successful based on the fact that you went to school or you know you're opening up a book or something

- You said daily is a learning experience every time you wake up in the morning

You should be learning something new at the end of the day. That's what I feel about life

- So we're actually more so on the same page

Yeah, just different parts of the page, Yeah, I am on chapter one, Yeah, where you from, hahaha

'That's a wrap guys.'

- Cool

-Sweet. Yeah thank you. Hey man nice meeting you

Awww, Awwww

Really nice meeting you. You too

Yeah good times

Hey guys, this is Dan and this is Jason, and you just watched another episode of middle-ground, thank you so much

Please let us know in the comments below, which person's opinion resonated the most with you

We'd love to hear from you, so anyway. You can get involved

Commenting, liking, subscribing, sharing with your friends. We really appreciate. It it all helps. See you later