Column by CJ Conklin

“You can be anything you want to be.”

Teachers, coaches and parents tell us that as we grow up. They lead us down a path full of dream-chasing and infinite possibility; a path that tells us we can become a veterinarian, a doctor or a firefighter.

And, at a young enough age, they even convince us that our dreams of becoming superheroes and princesses can come true, rather than being just a distant reality that only exists in our minds.

But the truth is, I haven’t heard anyone tell me that in quite a while. In fact, not a single professor, up until one of my current ones, has told me I could be anything I want to be. And while it may not be in their job description to do so, it should be in the job description of all universities.

Every semester we shuffle through pages upon pages of class schedules, trying to find five or six that will help us reach our goal of attaining a degree. And every now and then, we even get the chance to sneak one in there that we might, just maybe, actually enjoy. A few semesters ago while I was searching through classes, I came across that one class I would enjoy: guitar appreciation.

Sure enough, though, the prerequisites required were well beyond my scope and unachievable as a business major. Essentially, I was told there was no way I could take the class because it didn’t fit in with the goal at hand: earn a degree that will allow me to be successful in the real world.

What happens, though, when the real world demands more — more than just knowing the fundamentals and being able to execute specialized functions? The most successful people are those that are the most creative, yet the one thing that I have yet to expand upon in college is my creativity.

I have learned formulas, definitions and theories, but those are tangible, concrete things. My imagination has hardly been tested because it doesn’t fit in with the style of learning done at the university level.

I don’t want my business card one day to read, “CJ Conklin: Guitar Dude,” but playing guitar does expand my mind to a place that academic ability does not.  That is the place that will help me reach my highest potential, but the university doesn’t give us the opportunity to explore it.

Albert Einstein said, “The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

College prepares us for what society respects: a rational mind that acts as a faithful servant. It has been structured to do so because it’s easier to shape a person into a servant; it has been done for centuries throughout human history.

What happens to those who aspire to be more? Unfortunately, the system leaves little room for those people and even less room for their dreams.

In essence, our dreams stem from our creativity. A person can live his or her life working from eight to five, attain mediocrity in its finest form and still be completely satisfied. That is a person who has forgotten how to dream (although they probably have their degree framed hanging in their parent’s living room.)

Nobody told that person in college that to reach their dreams, they would have to exploit their creative capabilities. Throughout our primary education we were told “think outside the box,” but college not only belittles that idea, it also doesn’t push us to do more. Rather than simply thinking outside the box, shouldn’t this be the place where we learn to make our own box?

College prepares us. For what, I’m not too sure. But it has become increasingly clear to me they are not preparing us for our dreams. Rather, they are getting us ready to live a trained life, full of ordinary goals and average achievement.

I don’t completely blame universities, because it’s easier that way. However, the place in the back of my mind, where my creativity is waiting to burst out of its shell, tells me that’s not good enough. That’s the place that tells me my dreams demand more.

So in case you haven’t heard it in a while, allow me to tell you now: “You can be anything you want to be.”