Hello Everybody!
This blog is dedicated to those of you who are wondering, "Should you go to college? Especially for Informatics Engineering." I really hope that this blog can be helpful or at least give some insights for you all.
If you want to watch me rambling around about this topic, you can watch the video on my YouTube Channel:
Disclaimer: Keep in mind that "I'm not an expert in this field." Still, I'm sharing this because I went to an informatics engineering major.
Okay, let's start the blog post!
What's Wrong?
Nowadays, people said that COLLEGE IS A WASTE OF TIME. But for me, the answer is IT DEPENDS.
If you want to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or other professional careers. In that case, you DEFINITELY NEED TO GO TO COLLEGE (aka. No Excuse).
But, if you're considering working in Electrical Engineering, Informatics Engineering, Computer Science, and other digital technology fields, should you go to college? For me, the answer is IT DEPENDS ON YOUR FUTURE GOALS.
So, if your goal is:
ONLY TO LEARN THE KNOWLEDGE IN THE CLASSROOM: I think you'll waste your money. Why? Because all you have to do is listening to the lecturers/professors all day, but at the same time, you're paying thousands of dollars or millions of rupiahs. I mean, we can watch YouTube for FREE, right? And nowadays, there are tons of Free Online Courses (such as Coursera, edX, Udacity, Udemy, Khan Academy, Kadenze, and many more). Even prestigious universities (like Harvard University, MIT, Stanford University, created online courses on the internet).
MORE THAN LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM: For example, you need the resources, facilities, networking, experience, career trajectory, or stuff like that; I do really RECOMMEND YOU GO TO COLLEGE.
The Reasons Why You Should Go to College
Because COLLEGE IS THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY -- again, that's based on my own experience (duh).
#1 THE STUDENT STATUS WILL OPEN NEW DOORS FOR YOU
For examples:
Getting an Internship Opportunity at Your Dream Company (e.g., Google, Facebook, Gojek, Traveloka, and many more). Because one of the ways for you to know "Inside the Company" is through the internship program, and remember, most companies required the "Student Status" for you to apply to the internship position.
You can Travel the World (Almost) For Free! Yes, it is possible because I am living proof. I went to Sri Lanka (Congress), Malaysia & Taipei (Competition), Yogyakarta (Workshop/Seminar & Conference). My university gave my team and me the funding or sponsorships just because we "Represent" our campus name for the competition -- sometimes full sponsorships, sometimes only partial sponsorships. If the university couldn't give you total funding, keep in mind that you can get STUDENT GRANTS and SCHOLARSHIPS. So again, IT'S POSSIBLE :)
You can GET STUDENT DISCOUNTS! My friend, Jeff, told me, "If you are a student, you can get airfare and hotel discounts through studentuniverse.com." And then you can get INTERNATIONAL MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS and CONFERENCE/CONGRESS/EVENT DISCOUNTS (e.g., IEEE, ACM, AES, ISMIR, and many other international organizations).
#2 GET THE MAXIMUM FACILITIES & RESOURCES FROM THE UNIVERSITY
For examples:
The Library Access + Borrow Books.
Access to Research Labs for Free (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Multimedia, Computing, Internet of Things, Hardware and Embedded Systems, Network and Operating System, Forensics and Security, Data Mining, Game Development, Software Development, Database, Mobile Innovation, E-Learning, High-Performance Computing, and many more).
Join the Student Organization, Communities, Activities, and Meet New Friends. You can have friends from other majors/departments or even other universities.
You can get the Alumni Resources. They usually give valuable and essential information, such as JOB OPPORTUNITIES, SCHOLARSHIPS, STUDY ABROAD, and many more.
THE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY IN COLLEGE IS PRICELESS.
Take Outs
I don't have any entitlements in encouraging you to GO or NOT GO to college. Because everyone has their own goals and needs. But, what I can share with you is the POSSIBILITIES that you would get if you go to college. And I hope you can use all of the resources and opportunities that the university gives you.
BECAUSE COLLEGE IS EXPENSIVE!
That's all for today! Thank you so much for reading this blog post or watching the video until the end.
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