The Most Valuable College Lesson: Flexibility

By Allison Berman
April 13, 2010

Life rarely goes as planned.

I never thought I was going to be an entrepreneur, a columnist or a stay-at-home mom.

I was going to have a wildly successful career working for someone else, and a house husband at home. Fortunately, college prepared me for both the life I thought I was going to have and the life I live.

While what I learned in the classroom has served me well, where the professors at the University of Rochester excelled was in teaching us how to think - to be open to answers we might not have considered, answers that might disprove our theories. To take a road we never intended.

Trying different things

I started my freshman year unsure what I wanted to be when I grew up. (My standard answer at the time was "happy.") And so I tried on different careers (and classes) to see if any fit.

I liked teaching in a temple preschool program enough that I did that for three years, but it was an advertising internship that really spoke to me. And so, I adjusted my psychology and fine arts coursework accordingly, taking some business classes.

So how did I end up in marketing?

The field paid better. And so I adapted, just like my professors taught me.

And when I wanted to stay home with my kids, I changed directions again, and then again when I started my business, and again when I started writing this column.

And I am sure at some point in the future, I will adapt again.

Value of being well-rounded

And so it makes me sad to hear high school seniors who haven't started college yet, talking about what classes will help them land the job they want upon graduation.

College students today keep themselves busy trying to make themselves more attractive than the next candidate applying for the same position by overloading on classes that will make them more marketable.

What happened to figuring out what you want to do with your life in college and becoming well-rounded by trying new things to figure it out? They don't "waste time" with classes unrelated to their intended careers. But are these electives really a waste of time?

Being well-rounded is a valuable skill that will improve your ability to do most jobs well and make you a more interesting person. Taking electives outside of your comfort zone is an excellent way for students to learn to be open-minded and flexible.

Get ready for life's curveballs

And as valuable as it is to know that the sound of hoofs in Central Park probably come from a horse, when assessing a situation, it's just as valuable to be able to recognize the possibility it could be a zebra. And while this next crop of students may be better trained technically for their first jobs than I, what will they overlook if they don't look for the zebra?

What will happen when life throws these future graduates a curve ball? Will they be able to change directions quickly enough to land on their feet? For that matter, will they be able to change direction at all?

Get ready for life's curveballs

I admit it was hard to ignore the Architectural Digest that was calling out to me. But when I realized my choice was to read the magazine now and write my column at 9 o'clock at night, or write my column now and go to sleep at a reasonable hour, there was no contest.

Allison Berman, an artist and mother of two, works out of her home studio in Warwick. She paints one-of-a-kind home accessories, specializing in kids' decor. See her collection at www.withlovealib.com. She can be reached at info@withlovealib.com. Her column appears Tuesdays.