Self-Discovery in College (and on the Trail)

Credit: iStock.com/Heather Barrett
Credit: iStock.com/Heather Barrett
Many of our students think about college as job preparation. The focus tends to be on the job and not whether it suits their skills and abilities. A lot of students are pretty convinced about what they can’t do but much less certain about their strengths—what they could do, want to do, and would be happy doing for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, a lot of people end up in jobs that don’t make use of their talents. They have a job, not work with meaning or that brings satisfaction. Sometimes the fault lies with the job, but an education is supposed to lead to work that has personal value and relevance.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
I’ll probably never stream Netflix’s The Chair or read Julie Schumacher’s Dear Committee Members trilogy, even though colleagues...
As we gear up for a new semester, how can we ensure our planned collaborative activities and related...
When instructors sit down to write their syllabi before the semester, one challenge they face is how to...
I love family trips. Whether it’s a summer or winter getaway or a long weekend during the school...
Just as collaboration strengthens the quality and rigor of our research, it can also strengthen the quality and...
When a student turns in an early draft of a research paper, business plan, design project, or any...

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Login here

Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 thereafter. Cancel anytime.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

You only have  free article views remaining.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.00 $14.00/month

for your first 6 months. Use coupon code TP6MO.

$19.00 a month thereafter. Cancel anytime.

<!-- This site is converting visitors into subscribers and customers with OptinMonster - https://optinmonster.com :: Campaign Title: Reader Survey 2026 --> <script>(function(d,u,ac){var s=d.createElement('script');s.type='text/javascript';s.src='https://a.omappapi.com/app/js/api.min.js';s.async=true;s.dataset.user=u;s.dataset.campaign=ac;d.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(s);})(document,6063,'i4icjbiidtzffhxinqwt');</script> <!-- / OptinMonster -->