I had just signed up for all my classes, reluctantly. I knew I was supposed to go to college, but I didn’t have much desire to. When I started going here, I felt more comfortable about my decision, but there was the phrase “I don’t want to be here” lingering in the back of my head. I went through my freshmen year, got good grades, had great friends, but I was still complaining. I wasn’t saying things like “I hate school” because in all honesty, I do love learning. I would complain about little things, my classes, teachers and homework. When I realized how dissatisfied I was with being here, I had to be intentional with changing my perspective about school. So if you are feeling dissatisfied, change your perspective. 

There seems to be at least one person in any given class who doesn’t want to be there. Don’t be that person. For new students, that class seems to be SE 101 which is underrated. The class, at its worst, is self-explanatory, a waste of time and shouldn’t be required. At its best, it is a catalytic environment for personal growth, a time to destress from all your other classes and a way to meet new people that you didn’t choose to be with including your SE 101 teacher. 

I remember my SE 101 teacher saying, “If you need anything, I’m here.” All your teachers are here to help you grow. In case you need reminding, you are paying to be here or someone is paying for you to go here because there is value in going to school. Regardless of if you want to be here or not, you are here. What if you get into a job you don’t want after college? You may stick with it because you need it but no one desires to live dissatisfied. If you don’t kill the complaining stigma now, you will live unsuccessfully.

This generation’s definition of success is to be able to wake up everyday doing what you love. When making the choice to do what you need to rather than what you want to, be open to having what you want challenged. If it is a desire of yours to have a great job, then indirectly, it is a desire and a priority for you to be in school. If it is a priority to be in school, then it is within your interest to enjoy being here. If you want to enjoy being here, then you need to stop complaining. 

The opposite of depression is vision. If you feel stuck, change your perspective. If you are complaining, be thankful instead. Choose to pick up a different vision for your life now. See your classes as learning environments, see your teachers as professional mentors and see the potential in every student and in yourself. It becomes hard to complain about anything, big or small, when you see the greatness in everything. If you choose to live this way now, it will change your life. Make the mature decision, go to your SE 101 class and challenge yourself to enjoy it.