When my child comes to the point where he/she contemplates on their future to pursue college or not I will tell my child to go to college and pursue their passion at the same time. We play two parts in life, with me being a father and businessman. My child's job is to study and graduate college and to pursue their passion as long as it is a good one and has potential. If my child is very talented in their chosen passion I would tell him/her that it can lead to a college scholarship. College is not just a place for you to study but also a place where you can know yourself more and build relationships that will increase your contacts. 

However, I want my own children to go with their passion because I want them to show both me and my father how far can they go and prove to both of us that college is not necessary in being successful. I want to believe that my son's passion and love for whatever his talent is will be the reason he will become a successful person. I also want to see my son go through tough experiences in his journey of chasing his passion and through those tough experiences and hardships that he will become stronger and grow as a person. Passion itself will motivate anyone to move and achieve their own goals in life. I would rather have my son to pursue something that he wants and he is passionate about rather than force him to attend college and take a course that he does not want just because it is a job that pays a high salary.

 

You would even be distracted in college because you have another priority which would torn you on choosing what to do first. Yes, education is really important but school isn’t the only place where you can learn different things. There are already multiple learning materials online that would answer you if need guidance towards a specific field. 

 
Even if you did go and finished college and work for a company from 9-5, would you be satisfied with what you you’re doing or would you regret all the hard work you spent just to get a college degree? Following your passion is still the best thing to do because success is highly subjective, subjective with what we like and what our level of satisfaction is. I just want you to know that at the end of the day it’s all about your self-fulfillment that would count as success. 

 

Pero nak, kausapin mo muna nanay mo ha.

But now, given the situation, I am responsible for my own child. If my daughter/son asks me what should he/she pursue, is it passion or college?

Personally, I would tell my son/daughter to pursue his/her passion. Go and put all your effort into what you love and what makes you happy. Passion is rare nowadays, but in this situation, I would want my son/daughter to take that risk because if they succeed, all the work and effort will be worth it in the end. Since it is a risky decision, my kid may fail, but my advice to my child is failure is part of life. If you want to succeed, you have to trust the process of succeeding and failing in certain situations. When my son is failing, as a father, learning from it is more valuable to me. When my child asks me what he/she should do, I would not force them to go to college knowing that my child really loves something so much that he/she would most likely sacrifice the experience of going to college. Speaking of sacrifice, it is another factor that goes along with my son/daughter's decision. I would ask him/her, "are you willing to sacrifice the opportunity to go college and benefit from the connections, culture, and experience to be certified? Are you sure you want to disregard the chance of finishing your studies right now? And lastly, are you willing to take responsibility for your decisions/actions?".These questions will test how much passion my kid has. If he/she answers them correctly, I will fully support them to pursue their passion.

I think passion can lead you to your highest potential because you have an emotional attachment to it. Being passionate about something is along the lines of being committed to working hard and overcoming whatever challenges and consequences to reach your dreams. If my son/daughter has the integrity to say "that is my passion dad", I would support them 101%.

Studying and accomplishing college is a huge success and is a dream for almost everyone. For some people, college is a must. In our society, some parents think that we should go to college and finish with a degree to be successful in life. But, that is not always the case. It is possible for someone to be successful even without finishing college. Although, it is true that college is very important. We can learn a lot from studying, not only about academics but also in life. It can teach us how to manage our time, set our priorities, balance life,  and such. 

In my opinion, if it is really your passion you would do anything to achieve it and your goals. “If gusto may paraan, if ayaw may dahilan”, is a saying that I truly believe in. I believe that if you really want something in life, you are willing to go through challenges, obstacles, and sacrifice anything for it. Both college and passion are very important in one’s life. It is just the matter of balancing and prioritizing. 

If my child is contemplating on the importance of studying well or simply focusing in all efforts on something he/she is passionate about, I would simply educate them once more on the importance of education and having a degree. Although, I would still encourage them to continue their passion. If possible to do both, it’s better. I would remind my child to always think about his/her future and long term plans in life. Our passion can change anytime, but having a college degree is something you can cherish until the day you die. Having a college degree can also help a person get jobs and other offers. Applying for a job usually requires employees who graduated college and has a degree. Therefore, it is a huge advantage for those people who graduated college. 

Making a decision like this requires a lot of thinking and reflecting. I will remind my child to not only think about the short term goals, but also the long term goals. Anyone can be successful, whether with a college degree or not. It is the matter of how one is determined to do so. My number one reminder that I would give to my child, or anyone in general, is to always follow his/her dreams and what their heart desires.

Why I go for that decision is because college is still really important even nowadays and considering that we’re from the Philippines and we all know that the Philippines is a third world country.  Living in a third world country is so difficult especially when it comes to job opportunities and education because most of the job application here in the Philippines requires have a college degree and if you don’t have college degree it so hard to find a job and worst scenario other people will discriminate you because you won’t able to graduate in college. It’s different when you have a college degree because it will allows you to boost your confidence and something to be proud of. 

Furthermore, whatever people say that going to college is such a waste of time and for me it is not true. Education is still really important because education has always been seen as the route to achievement and a better life. Access to a quality education might be almost difficult for bright children living in underdeveloped nations.  I can say that getting a college degree is a safe and wise plan because having a degree you have a something to fall back on incase there is something bad happen to you. 

 

Now, as a parent, I would really like to urge my child to pursue college. Not because I wouldn’t like them to pursue their passion or what not, but pursuing college is something that assures them that they could always fall back on something. As the Philippines is a third-world country, when it comes to hiring employees, people always focus on whether the people they are hiring have finished college. Most of the time, they do not accept people who did not attend or complete college. In all honesty, there is no need to rush if my child ever wishes to pursue their career, because I do believe that college is for that very reason; to enhance their skills in something they are passionate about. Whereas high school is somewhere you strengthen your foundation with regards to education, college is somewhere you enhance it.

 

I don’t see anything wrong with pursuing what one is passionate about and finishing college, because why not do both simultaneously? My child could always pursue college while taking up the course that they are passionate about in order to further guarantee their position in the future. Additionally, with a degree, this puts them in an advantageous position. With this, not only will they be able to finish college (with their degree that they are passionate about), but they will also have more opportunities to put their passion into use because they have finished college, which has provided them with more knowledge and skills, and have already maxed out their potential to be their greatest selves when they encounter what they want to pursue in the real world.

If I were to be in that scenario, I would make my child go to college than to work immediately.
No matter how good he is in his job I would still make him to graduate college.  Going to college may be added in his credentials and it can serve as a stepping stone in life. 

 It can be a foundation for socializing.  Not only does it have its benefits it is also a right of passage for our family, it is basically a tradition. After college that is when he/she will pursue their passion.

 Here in the Philippines education is very crucial when it comes to work. This may enhance their skills and give them a boost of practical thinking. In a mind of a parent we would want the best for our children so in my perspective that will be the way on how I will raise my child. I want them to have a successful life so for me education always comes first 

Which scenario would bring you more joy?

You being handed your diploma and taking a bow on stage.

or 

You walking down the street, and seeing strangers wearing or using your product.

Be it that you have mentioned this business of yours is your passion, I will strongly advise you to continue with your pursuit in this endeavor. Simply, continue doing what excites you.

 

With that, I now have a question for you to ponder:

If your life is to be made into a painting, what would you want the painting to look like?

As a father, I am but an easel to display your canvas on and I can only wonder what my child's masterpiece would look like…