Survivor bias is when looking at a sample or group, we look at and focus only on the successful individuals in the bunch, the “survivors” of the group. This would leave out all those who did not “survive” in analysis process. How this applies here to what my teen reads is that these literature focus on the successful people who were college dropouts. However, most of the time, these literatures overlook the other people who were college dropouts but didn’t manage to be successful. This is just the nature of media because people really love success stories, so often times literature about these are what get the most recognition and consequently influence the most people, including impressionable teens. To put it, for every Bill Gates out there, there’s probably 10,000 unsuccessful college dropouts. Not a good number, and also not good odds for any teenager to pursue their passion successfully.

            The reason these college dropouts weren’t given any public recognition is because they did not achieve anything notable, probably partially due to their lack of completing their higher education in college. However, to properly analyze how to be successful while not going through college, one must not only look at what the successful did right, but what the unsuccessful did wrong. This comparison would make it easier for my child to possibly pursue their passions first, but since substantial information about unsuccessful college dropouts doesn’t exist, I wouldn’t let my child try that yet.

            I would then transition to how college would actually be helpful for them. College would allow my child to learn more useful skills for their passions that they wish to pursue, and thus increase their chances of success. For the argument that college would take up too much time for them, two things: one, their passion can already be pursued while in college as it won’t take up all 24 hours of their time, and baby steps are fine as long as they’re making progress; there’s no shame in slow progression. And two, life, contrary to the popular cliché, isn’t that short. After college, they’ll still have their late twenties and then the rest of their life to pursue their passion; not only that, but age also shouldn’t stop them from their passions as well. The successful college dropouts had fallbacks as well which thanks to their natural gifts of wisdom, intelligence, and resourcefulness they were able to utilize to their success, but most people do not have the same level of genius as them. However, college would also help them hone these skills to be able to survive doing their passion more.

            To end, philosophy, the love of and pursuit of wisdom, guided me in explaining to my child how college is more important for the meantime, as I was able to question then identify the hidden yet glaring flaws of the literature my child reads by explaining the survivor bias. Through college, my child should be able to learn more about life and thus be able to live their passions more to the fullest since they would be able to think more holistically when pursuing them; a byproduct of a philosophical mind.

Source used to explain survivor bias:

N.A. (2022, May 6). Survivorship bias explained: 4 examples of survivorship bias. MasterClass. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/survivorship-bias#what-is-survivorship-bias

 

Creative thinking can be defined as “making new connections between different regions of the brain, which is accomplished by cultivating divergent thinking skills and deliberately exposing ourselves to new experiences and to learning,” according to Psychology Today.

 

There is an argument before that “schools destroys creativity” as many believe that creativity is something that you are born with BUT in contrast, many of the experts, have debunk this opinion and has furthered the fact that true creativity is based in knowledge which in turn is based in literacy. Indeed, we are all born with creativity but it takes education in order for us to fully hone & further cultivate it. Innovation may be borne from my children’s creativity if they take their schooling seriously.

 

Through education, my children may further hone their creativity thru writing, experiments, risk taking and other meaningful activities that he may use in finding future jobs. Schools provide many interactive activities and extracurricular clubs for them to explore their interests. School provides such a different type of curriculum, and it allows students to maybe pick a niche or even experiment with what they may want to be creative with to make a determination with what they want to do with their lives.

 

As someone who once is confused on the career path that I would like to take after college as I am one who have a lot of ideas in mind, I will use this argument in letting my children understand how education helped me in focusing where I can excel. This may help them too as, based on my argument, creativity is something you are born with and it definitely runs in my family.

Source:
Gordon, Z. (2022). Students debate whether the school system restricts or encourages development of creativity. THE EAGLE EYE. Retrieved 26 August 2022, from https://eagleeye.news/8182/feature/students-debate-whether-the-school-system-restricts-or-encourages-development-of-creativity/.

 

 

Two real life example’s that prove my point are Mark Zuckerberg & Bill Gates. Everyone knows them for their incredible brilliance as tech billionaires, who just so happened to have dropped out from Harvard while developing their big idea. 

 

However not a lot of people know that they actually came from Upper middle class families; Mark Zuckerberg’s father had offered him either a McDonald’s franchise or a college sponsorship before attending Harvard and even when Mark decided drop out later on, he wished for his parent’s consent to do so and they gave it to him. Bill gate’s on the other hand had parents, who encouraged competitiveness within him while also sparking his interest in computers and programming.

 

These are the kind of parents; who I aim to be some day, make the effort to plant the seeds of greatness within their kids, all while analyzing the financial impact of their children’s decision while aiming for success, by thinking about

(i.e. “If my son/daughter drops out, how they will be able to explore their passion without college, is it even an option? And “Okay so they want to drop out, do they have a project in development?”)

 

This in itself take’s a very nurturing and well observed parent, who understands their child’s interest and mindset, while still allowing them the freedom to explore and innovate in what interest’s them, even if it stretches the legality of their actions from a very young age.

 

 

To end this of it all boils down to my belief. That a child’s ability to succeed is either strengthened or weakened by their home life and that not everyone will be able achieve the same level of success if this in itself is compromised. While this may seem like a grim reminder of reality. It actually urges us to push ourselves further to prove that we can succeed when we put the effort where it counts and as  a parent,  while there is a chance I may not be the next Elon Musk of my generation, I can at least  strive in cultivating my child to be the next diamond in the rough.

 

 

 

 

Sources: 

Griswold, A. (2014, January 24). Here’s The Startling Degree To Which Your Parents Determine Your Success. Business Insider. Retrieved August 27, 2022, from https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-determine-child-success-income-inequality-2014-1?international=true&r=US&IR=T

Inside Higher Ed. (2018, February 8). Students’ postsecondary education arcs affected by parents’ college. Retrieved August 27, 2022, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/02/08/students-postsecondary-education-arcs-affected-parents-college-backgrounds-study

 Now, the successful dropouts that my child has read or seen are definitely interesting and a good underdog story of people who decided to quit college to pursue their passion and found success in doing so. I hate to break the news to them but, it’s not as simple as it sounds. They’re leaving one important detail: most of the people who dropped out and followed their passion whether it would be business, art, or sports, in one way or another, have found less success than those compared to those who continued college and finished it but it makes them happy and satisfied regardless of how much money they earn.  It is also very rare for a college dropout to find success nowadays because of competition. Finding a very successful college dropout nowadays is as rare as finding a blue moon. A great example of this is an animator. Animators are people who love drawing and animating and they are very passionate about it so they join these animation studios to hone their skills further and do what they love. But, the majority of animators in the animation industry are often criminally underpaid and underappreciated. People who have a higher position in a business or company take advantage of the people below and it is often underlooked by the media and public.

In conclusion, I believe the best solution to their problem of whether to drop out and pursue their passion or to continue college and graduate is to continue college, take the course that they like or similar to their passion, graduate, earn a degree, find a job, and then they can pursue their passion. The philosophy of life being unfair to everyone is very much true because no matter how much talent, knowledge, and how much are you willing to work hard for it, it will only get you so far in life. As a parent, I can only prepare them, teach them, and give them the necessities for what the future holds for them. I don't want them to have any regrets in the end because of one mistake that led to another. Remember, no one knows what are Edison’s 1000 unsuccessful attempts of inventing a light bulb.

Source:
Luo, X., & Terada, T. (2009, November). Education and Wage Differentials in the Philippines. Researchgate.Net. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46444180_Education_and_Wage_Differentials_in_the_Philippines

College education. (2018). In ProCon.org (Ed.), Procon. ProCon. Credo Reference: https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/procon/college_education/0?institutionId=10780

Hello, son. I know you are at that point in your life where you start questioning your future. I know it's hard to choose because you are unsure of what you want to do. I am sure you do not know who to follow, so I’ll say a few words.

I say you pursue it no matter what it is. If you want to become a Twitch streamer, go for it. If you want to become a businessman, go for it. If you go to college with a course that you don’t even like, you will waste your time. Follow your passion. Passion is what drives you to become better and work harder in the future. I believe that one should always follow their passions not because they want to have an easier time, but because they enjoy it. Life is too short to pursue a career that you do not want to do for ⅓ of your life. 

Alhanati from Investopedia said that if passion is present, people tend to be more resilient when encountering obstacles. People who are passionate about their career tend to have “more positive outlooks and can overcome difficulty through problem-solving.” There are so many successful people out there who have succeeded without college, like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Steve Jobs believed in the power of passion, he said that “People with passion can change the world for the better.” He claimed that his passion for the work made all the difference. Meanwhile Mark Zuckerberg suggests “"following your happiness" when at a crossroads, using the logic that even if you do not end up making a fortune, you will at least be doing what you love.” 

We are blessed to be born in a generation where finding careers and jobs is easier than before. Chasing your dreams before the 21st century was really hard, but now, all you have to do is play your cards right, and you will succeed. I am not saying that it will be easy, there will always be people like you fighting for the top. My point is that if you do not find the college course that you want, I strongly believe you use the time you would have spent in college to focus on your passion and go with it.

No matter what you choose to do, I will always support you. If you want to quit college and pursue your passion, I will support you to the best of my ability. Just remember that whatever career you choose for your future, do not give up. If you are truly passionate about something, you will dedicate your life to it. I don’t want to see you giving up because you failed or some random person told you couldn't do it. You chose this path for a reason, so do your best. Do not let anyone tell you that you are worthless and useless, you control your own life. Do not worry about your college education, as long as you are doing what you love, that is what is important. So, follow your passion, and don’t stop until you are on top.

- Your loving father

Source:
Alhanati, J. (2012, June 28). Follow your passions, and success will follow. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/passion-success.asp

Now my opinion for this situation is to find a course that will resonate well with my kid's interest or passion. I would not advise my child to drop all education to just focus solely on what he or she is passionate about because it may also change. Yes, over time interests can change because when you get older you experience more that may result in a change of habits and interests. With interests changing there is a possibility of change in outlook in life and eventually your passion may change. Having the safety net of college is important because honestly society now at least in the Philippines you will not get a job in the top companies in the country without a degree. Having a degree can open more job opportunities compared to people who have no degree despite how unfair it is. 

I will also mention that college can help you learn more lessons and pick up good habits that will be useful in the real world. I will also mention what my mom said when I asked almost the same question. When I asked my mom what lessons she learned from her school life in her work life she answered none but she learned the proper work ethic that helped her in work life. 

As a parent I want my child to pursue something that will excite him or her every day. I want him or her to have a job that will make them proud of them doing it every day. I want them to wake up every day full of energy and not them wanting the next weekend. I believe if you are passionate about something you will pour everything you can and commit to the grind. I want that for my child because honestly, that is something I want when I'm the same age. With that, we will try our best to find the best course that will best complement the interest and passion of my child.  

Source:

Deakin University. What to do when your interests change. https://this.deakin.edu.au/career/what-to-do-when-your-interests-change

I am so proud to be your father for the past 17 years. From the moment I first laid my eyes on you, to your first smile, first laugh, first steps, first words, first artwork, first bike ride, first day of school, first graduation up until now that you are graduating high school, you have made yourself the best version of you. Do you know the common attribute you have among all those achievements? Passion drove you to do all of those things. Now if you are troubled with choosing either college or your passion, do what you are passionate about. 

I have noticed that you do not respond well when someone is instructing you. When I taught you how to ride a bike, you would often get angry at me because I bossed you around and did not let you be you. If you could still also remember, you got frustrated that one time when your groupmates did not let your ideas be used in the group project. I know that you are a brilliant kid since you can think what is best for yourself. However, you tend to have a hard time compromising with others and that is why you are mulling over the passion path. You must know there are risks with it like the difficulty of finding a job but deep inside I know that as your father, you can do it. Going back to the time when you learned how to bike, you did not give up even if there were gashes on your elbows and knees and learned how to ride a bike without our help. I believe that whatever choice you make, you could excel since you persevere in any given situation.

An article I have found on the internet from Farnam Street is that doing the thing we love makes us the best version of ourselves(Don't follow your passion, cultivate it, 2019, October 28). I for one am guilty since I chickened out in cultivating my passion because your grandparents, my parents have repeatedly said that this and that course will make you money and so I kept my passion from them. The world is your oyster and use it the best way you can since you have all your adult life to do what you are passionate about. I have noticed that you tend to enjoy making videos and scripts, go pursue that since I have seen that is what you are passionate about. Deep down, I know that you are talented in your own way and make sure to take your failures as opportunities to learn. I know that it may be a daunting path ahead of you, but remember to do what makes you happy and be your own self. No matter what happens, I will be there to guide you along the way.

I believe in you, my child.

Love,

Dad

Reference List:
Free radicals: Don't follow your passion, cultivate it. Farnam Street. (2019, October 28). Retrieved August 29, 2022, from https://fs.blog/maximize-your-potential-99u/ 

I would explain to my child the importance of a college education in life, that be, in pursuing their dreams, and explain what will be helpful for them in the future. College education is essential for financial security. Money is one of the main factors influencing people to choose a college degree because after graduating, one can obtain a good job and earn a good salary. One of the other main reasons that college education is important is that he/she will have promising career opportunities in the field in which he/she would want to work. ( How Important is a College Education?, n.d)

I will always make an effort to encourage my child to pursue education and never let them compromise on education. I will not force my child to do anything that he/she does not wish to do but will always advise him/her on the best for them of my experience and always support them to the fullest in what they do in life after completing his/her college studies.

References:

College is a four-year journey of your life where you can learn and share new experiences with various people. It is a place where you can learn more about your passion and meet like-minded people that you can collaborate and share ideas with, all while getting your college degree. And while your future may not be ensured by a measly piece of paper certifying that you’ve completed a course, the education, skills, and experiences that come with it certainly does. 

It is true that neither college nor passion guarantees life success, but college can ensure that you can get a stable job and support your lifestyle. Successful people like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, etc. have made their lives possible through years of hard work, you also have to factor in the fact that they flourished in the United States also known as the “land of endless possibilities”, which is a completely different situation from the Philippines. Sure there are people like Edgar Sia (Mang Inasal) and Joe Magsaysay (Potato Corner) who have hailed great rewards for the risk they have taken but in reality, 19.6% of college dropouts are more likely to be unemployed than degree holders (Ahmed, 2021).  These big names are part of only a small population of people who have succeeded even without a degree, either through pure luck or day-in and day-out of hard work, studies have found that 94 percent of US leaders attended college and 50 percent of them attended elite universities. 

In conclusion, my child’s happiness and wants is certainly important to me, but so is ensuring that their future will be bright even without my support. 

It’s true that there are college dropouts who became successful people in their fields, however they likely had access to a lot of resources and networking opportunities, which most people do not have. These successful people did not drop out from just any colleges as well, but ivy league and elite schools. They were the cream of the crop, and already had the skills, intelligence, and knowledge they needed, as well as a bit of luck, to successfully pursue their passions. Majority of college dropouts do not go off to become very successful. Most people dropout not to pursue their passions, but because they have personal problems, financial issues, or cannot keep up with the study load. Most people also think less of college dropouts, as most people are judgemental and will not understand their position. In the Philippines, there is a mentality that higher education equals success and employment opportunities. People will see your degree, titles and position before anything else. College dropouts make less income 

than bachelor’s degree holders, and are more likely to be unemployed than degree holders. Especially in the Philippines. Even with the implementation of K-12, most companies will not hire someone without a college degree, even for low-grade jobs. I believe both pursuing college and dropping out to pursue something one is passionate about can lead to great outcomes, but dropping out is much more risky. Therefore it would be unwise to drop out of college, so as a parent, it is not something I can encourage my child to do.

College allows people to gain knowledge, skills, connections and experience that can foster one’s passion, or even allow the discovery of a new one. In college, my child is put in a space where they can meet like minded people, and learn about a topic they like from a very knowledgeable teacher, which might even grow one’s passion. College can serve as a safe environment to hone the skills and give the child the knowledge they will need to pursue their passion. I also believe that if someone is really passionate about something, simply going to college will not kill their passion and drive. Unless there is absolutely no course that has to do with one’s passion, college can give one so many opportunities to learn more about their passion. College can connect them with people in the field they are passionate about and people who can help them succeed in pursuing their passion. You can choose to take advantage of the resources you have in college, or view it as just academics and simply getting a degree. There is no need to rush into pursuing your passion right out of high school. Jumping right into the workplace without knowing anything to pursue their passion may even waste their time more than if they pursue a college degree. Life is long enough for one to achieve anything if you know what to do with your time.

College is only a tool that provides an individual with the knowledge, skill, and criticality meant in order to go forward with a career path or life that a person so desires. Along with that college is an excellent tool to open up opportunities and windows into different sectors in employment and work establishments. There things in college which of course cannot truly be taught and certified elsewhere, such as sciences. However, in the case of entrepreneurship, business, athleticism, whatsoever, these things can absolutely be brought along directly. Thus, if I am absolutely certain that I have raised my child well in ensuring the they have the knowledge, the skill, and criticality to pursue a life outside of the collegial path, then absolutely I would tell them to pursue that passion.

Passion is a fire, one that needs to be fuelled or it shall be burnt out forever. Thus I would most certainly nurture their passion if I see that they truly have what it takes to play it risky and focus their all into that. For example, if I see that my son or daughter is not only willing, able, but also passionate for fencing, I will do my greatest to make sure that potential is not put to waste. They may not have all the options open for them to start anew, but at the very least there is one option that they have already chosen, and with great tenacity, fire, and conviction.

It is said that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. So why must I force them to waste their precious years becoming an amateur at multiple trades, when they can become a master at one thing and be the best that is possible to be at it. In fact, you will see that it is the people who dropped everything else and focused on one thing that become successful in life. And indeed it is with the people with the least options that will do their best to over achieve and over excell at what they are doing. These people, with nowhere else to go, driven by desperation even, are more likely to succeed, because they have no other choice but to. Look for example at people such as Khabib and Mike Tyson, these men focused on one thing in aspect in their life, fighting. Khabib is an undefeated world champion with 29 wins and 0 losses. Mike Tyson became the greatest boxer of his time, coming from the ghetto.

Thus, I would indeed tell them to follow their passion, no matter what it is, be it entrepreneurship, sports, fighting, arts, acting, teaching, anything. For as long as I know that they will focus their everything on it and become a master at it, then I would support them until the day I die. 

Since so many college dropouts have gone on to become great entrepreneurs in today's society, including Bill Gates, Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and many more, I do not see anything wrong with them choosing to follow their passions above their studies. Although I would like my kids to keep in mind that in life there is no surefire recipe for success. Living is like turning a wheel; sometimes you go up, sometimes you go down. You'll never really know if quitting college is the best course of action for you to take, since it is a big risk and you will never really know if it’s the right path and decision for you to make. Having the right mix of trust, ambition and encouragement among the people that surrounds you is crucial which as a parent is for me to take place. Having a passion for something won't require you in quiting college; if you are truly interested in it, you can pursue it while you are still in school. Gaining a college education is a wise investment in your future because it has so many positive effects. You'll increase your income, knowledge base, job stability and job satisfaction, and capacity for hardship. Each of these elements will ensure your future security. The biggest gift I can give my children, as most parents agree, is their education, and the best gift a parent could ask for is that diploma. Better safe than sorry, you can at least follow the career of your dreams and work on your passions after college, but if you don't succeed with that, you still have your degree or diploma to keep you secure.

In conclusion, it is always a good idea to have backup plans because we cannot always predict what is ahead of us. However, I do not think there is any need to rush things because everything will work out in the end and be put into place. We no longer have the ability to turn back time, thus it is preferable to seize the opportunities that are presented to us. Joel Dicker once said, “Life is like a foot race, there will always be people who are faster than you, and there will always be those who are slower. What matters in the end is how you ran the race.”

While it is true that you do not technically need a college degree to become successful, it becomes much easier once you obtain one. A college degree is a mark for many people in the world that you are smart enough to be successful. Although there are some people who are very successful without a college degree, that will not always be the case for all. You might not have the same level of discipline, perspicacity, or even luck as those people, making college a much safer choice. Many people who choose not to go to college have difficulty finding work and are unable to provide themselves. 

I believe that your passion is closely tied to your emotions. Emotions are something that change very easily and are very prone to influence. How can you be so sure that you will still be passionate about something 5 or even 10 years into the future? Once you start turning your passion into a job, I feel that you will start to hate it. You also have to consider that not all passions in life are something that can be monetized. It would be very difficult to make a living out of something like skateboarding. Which is why I believe that college is a much safer and better choice.

In conclusion, my primary goal is to make sure my child is able to provide for themselves when I eventually pass. It is for them to survive and live on. I strongly advise them to pursue college over their passion for this purpose. It will be much easier for my child to have a job and be successful with a college degree.