Oh boy, I have been there so many times to the level that I thought of dropping out of college quite a few times as I found the lectures and “college education” boring.
Now, have you ever questioned how unfair the world is?
Why do some people work 16–18 hrs under extreme circumstances and still get paid barely enough to support their family?
While some people work for several hours in fancy suits and offices yet still get paid millions?
Pretty unfair eh?
A friend of mine works for 10 hard hours to get paid $X. For me, it takes an hour of talking to get paid the same amount. Well, for some people, it is the matter of couple of minutes of their time.
The reason for all this discrepancy is that the cost of a product or an effort is not linearly correlated with your hard work.
Basic principles of economics states that the cost of a product is determined by the supply and demand curve.
If there is too much of demand for the job, the job supplier makes the call on the payment. In other words, if there are millions of people who can do what you do, then the reality doesn’t care about how many hours you work. That is the simple rule of the job industry.
And as you have experienced first hand, it ain’t easy to keep your head focused on studying for hours and hours. It is pretty easy for me to spend my time doing sports, singing, etc. rather than punching the wall for not understanding the Schrödinger’s equation.
But this is what separates people. This is what decides the roles in the job market at the end of the day.
Majority of people can do the physical work. There is too much of supply of workers. This is why they get paid less despite working multiple times harder.
If you do not have set of skills that market demands, then you are not valued enough and can always be easily replaced.
And education, at least for the current market, can equip you with the necessary skills.
(Of course, it is not only about the demand and supply, the payment also has to do with the product you deliver. But it is a story for a different time).
I understand that you are not interested in education. If you think you are better off without it, go ahead. You have my full support.
However, if you are not, then here is the reality.
The world doesn’t give a shit about your feelings bro. Sorry, but that is the sad reality. (This by no means aims to demotivate anyone. This is just a grown up version of oneself and accepting the reality).
Sure, I understand that people wanna do what they love and media sells you to follow your “passion” (whatever that means) to change the world. But here are two things I wanna say:
If you can get to do what you love, then go with it 100%. But, what if you can't get to do what you love? Just gonna sit there and wait for it. Unfortunately, the life doesn't grant what everyone wishes. The best way to deal with it is to face it and take the maximum out of the situation.
On the other hand, most of the people forget the fact that they start loving what they do “when they become damn good at it”. I have seen it so many times. Some people don’t even know what they love. They think they do, but in reality, they don’t.
Here is a personal story.
When I was selected to the science olympiad team of my country, chemistry was my last choice of subject. I hated it! And most of the people I have met hate chemistry. I feel like they are 100% right. The reason is that the subject is not taught properly. I did not understand it and this is why I hated it.
As I didn't have the luxury of changing the team to study math or computer science, I had simple two options - (1) leave the science team or (2) study damn hard to qualify for the International Olympiads.
Well, I didn't question if my lovely heart wanted to study the subject or not.
I decided to study even if I did not like it. I studied damn hard for 3 years and won a gold in national and a bronze in the International chemistry olympiads.
And you know what, I love chemistry now. I love it because I am aware of the power of what I could do with chem science and engineering skills. I only started to love it once I became good at it.
I wouldn't be who I am today, had I listened to that lazy and spoiled kid.
The motivation provided so far will turn you on to study.
This, however, is not the healthy way to motivate yourself.
The reason is that you are studying because you are afraid. Sure, the fear is a good source of motivation, but it is not the best source.
Think about one of the most valuable assets you have - time! Time listens to nobody. It constantly flies. And we have only constant amount of time.
So be it studying, sleeping, talking, etc., time is going to pass.
If you think long term, then investing your time in building useful skills and connections will bring you a prosperous future (statistically speaking) compared to thinking short term and investing your most valuable asset on temporary values.
Besides, realizing what you can do with the power of knowledge (building apps, editing genes, developing renewable energy resources, predicting the future economy, treating patients, etc.) is usually more than enough to have a “positive” motivation to study.
It is up to you how you want to spend one of your most valuable assets.
In college, I saw lots of students complain about studying. Although I also complained from time to time, questioning what’s wrong led to a self-realization, which completely altered my perspective towards studying:
You know what, on the entire planet, you are doing a favor only to yourself by studying. Not to your profs, friends, or a stranger on the street. You are helping yourself. You are helping yourself build a better future.
I mean, people are just too weak that they don’t even want to help themselves.
