Do You Prefer College Parties or College Paradoxes?

Song Of The Week

Buckle up, music lovers! This week, we're diving headfirst into the adventurous soundscape of "The Youth Group" by Okaywill—an auditory candy shop that's as vibrant as a box of crayons left in the sun. With its playful beats and lyrics that zoom, swoop, and stretch the boundaries of imaginative storytelling, this track is a celebration of the chaotic beauty that is youth.

Okaywill paints a sonic portrait—think summer nights and neon-lit escapades. The rhythm dances between genres, blending pop magic with a sprinkle of indie charm that makes you want to tap your feet and sway like a rubber band in a breeze.

Lyrically, “The Youth Group” captures the highs and lows of those teenage moments—friendships blaring like fireworks, uncertainty peeking through the cracks, and dreams that shimmer just out of reach. With each verse, you can almost taste the nostalgia—like that first sip of fizzy soda on a hot day, bursting with sweetness and just a hint of fizzing melancholy.

Now, let’s not ignore the production! It’s like Okaywill pulled together a dream team of sounds, creating an orchestral playground where each instrument has its own personality, eagerly vying for a shout-out. The playful percussion slaps you across the face with energy while the synths swirl around like confetti at an unsupervised party.

Rumor has it that this song is a beacon for today’s youth, a siren call urging them to embrace their quirks and celebrate their weirdness. After all, who wants to fit into a box when you could be a glitter-covered unicorn instead?

"Are you going to that party tonight?"

"Sure.” That was the talk of the town every Thursday night my first year of college. Haven’t heard that question in many years but finally, I get to host my own party. You all have finally made it; glad you could make it. If you are new here, you probably just wanted to see what the stitch was. But if you heard about this Wednesday business before, spread the word, I need more attendees. I used to love walking into a party that was already fully in motion. A party where the atmosphere was banging, crowds were already lit, laughter reverberating, music blaring from the speakers, people enjoying themselves, and I could just be myself without having to be awkward or shy about it. Unlike most, I only needed one semester of partying to get it out of my system. However, that is probably because I only got one semester because before I knew it, I was forced to go back home. Right then was it time to hit the books… for real this time well, more like after my first year. 

 I am Too Cool for Skool

When you were just a child, at the ripping age of 5, we were all forced to go to something called ‘Kindergarten’. From then on, we would attend this thing called ‘public school’ up until we were 17 years old or 18 if you were cool like me. That is almost two decades of mandatory learning and then it was up to you to decide whether or not you wanted to pursue higher education. The only noticeable difference between these two is that one requires you to pay tremendous, I mean boat loads, a heavy sum of money to attend while the other is technically “free”, so thank your fellow taxpayers lol. 

I chose to continue, and like many of us, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. To be honest, I didn’t have a reason, I just knew I had to, I believed it was the right thing to do. I wanted to keep learning, and this drove me to continue.  College is a double-edged sword. I used to think college was a waste of time but at the same time, college is just as important to have as an ID card. I came to the realization that college is not about a degree, nothing about the title you hold, none of that. 

It all started when I noticed this phenomenon in college students. The paradox of hating school to its absolute core. Whether it was easy or hard, this feeling of hatred triumphs over all logic. Every homework assignment, or essays, dreadful group projects would ignite the flame of hate. Yet, at the same time we could’ve quit if we hated it so much but that was never the true solution. It was this that began my tingling sense of getting to the bottom of this paradox.  Like, why do we feel this way? 

I started with questioning why college was deemed difficult. All my life, people who went themselves would encourage me yet, at the same time discourage me from going because it was a waste of time or because it was too hard. It was even my own parents at one point, discouraging me from going. But why? The obvious answer is balancing life and school is too much for one to juggle. Most students have a job or even multiple jobs to sustain themselves while at the same time being full-time students. For first-generation and low-income students, the challenges of pursuing higher education are compounded. Historically being more underprepared to meet the high academic demands of higher education due to unequal schooling and financial limitations. However, for those privileged enough not to have to worry about their financial resources, I’ve always wondered what it feels like to be in their shoes and pursue higher education without having to carry this mental load. Is it the same? Or do they feel like college is a breeze, no over looming feeling of financial stress, just peace of learning. And that’s when it hit me, these students get to learn in peace. How blissful?

Learning in Peace

In today’s twenty-first century economy, we have lost sight of the joy of learning and become overly fixated on filling job vacancies for corporate entities. Students carry an enormous amount of pressure to secure “good jobs”. In fact, 80% of good-paying jobs require at least some college education, emphasizing that education beyond high school is a necessity, not a luxury. Going to college isn’t to have fun or make friends, hell, it isn’t even to learn at this point, it is to secure irrefutable doubt that you have some knowledge in whatever field you choose. And only some, because you then need to get field experience or continue learning and pay tremendous, I mean boat loads, a heavy sum of money to attend Graduate School. To then, further cement the idea that you have more knowledge in whatever field you choose. We have reduced education to a mere steppingstone on the path of employment while neglecting the profound value of knowledge. Which is why many students would rather take this path that costs hundreds if not thousands of dollars to get paid hundreds and thousands of dollars. But that isn’t the case anymore.

I believe the reason why many people hate school is because of this system we have put in place. Students are burdened by the future job prospects but how liberating would it be to just learn out of the sheer joy of expanding the mind? Imagine a world where you can learn anything you want for FREE or things just to learn. Don’t monetize it, you don’t even have to use it, but just to learn about it.

Personally, I want to learn everything there is to know about the world. I know it's damn near impossible and probably a waste of time in the eyes of capitalism but, I can’t help it. Every time I go to the doctor’s or the dentist I am like "isn't it so cool how they just know this stuff?”. I am always wondering how they just learn all this information and put it to practice every day on hundreds of people. It could extend to any kind of profession, like pilots, chefs, small business owners, people on Shark Tank. It fascinates me how much knowledge there is to know.

Knowledge is indeed power. It doesn’t just showcase itself in higher education but also as a tool for people to get rich. Just think of all those expensive learning courses people make so others could potentially be graphic designers, or house flippers, or social media managers. By paying these professionals for their secrets, you ultimately become a part of the known. Monetizing knowledge is essential gatekeeping, although A LOT of people would beg to differ and call it “girl bossing” or “self-employed”. And maybe my socialism is peeking through, but I am a firm believer that knowledge should be shared amongst everyone. Knowledge doesn’t have a price tag. If you want it, you can go and get it and NOT at a price.

College ISN’T a Scam, Society is the real Scam

Ah, this week I feel a bit crazy. Many if not all of you haven’t truly seen how crazy my thinking gets. Sometimes I think I can start a revolution, other times I think maybe, I am really disconnected with the world. I like to dance on that fine line, it adds a little pizzaz to my personality. This week, it’s all about the youth, whether your Gen X or Alpha Gamma ZWX, or whatever they call it these days, this blog post is about you. Hence the song, The Youth Group by Okaywill. Don’t get confused with the band called The Youth Group because I have done it plenty of times. The song title is The Youth Group, and it is a wonderful blend of techno and pop. Let it serve as a remind that the decisions we make in our youth, maybe small or insignificant but life has a funny way of snowballing all things at once till we become the person we are meant to be.

I did something a bit outside my comfort zone this week. I showcase how I develop my feature photo for every blog post on TikTok. Did a voice over, a time lapse the whole shebang. I have never done something like this before and it made me aware of my online present with TUT. I just want to say publicly, that I have no idea what I am doing but I choose to continue, to figure it out and have this blog what I want it to be.

Enjoy This Journey With Me

° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

Enjoy This Journey With Me ° 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 ₒ 𐐪𐑂 ♡ 𐐪𐑂 °

This isn’t the end—just a bookmark in the conversation. Stories don’t really close; they unfold, shift, and find new voices. If this one stirred something in you, let it breathe. Leave a thought, challenge an idea, or carry it forward in your own way. And if you ever feel like wandering through more unfinished thoughts, you know where to find me. Let’s keep the conversation alive. ~XOXO