“Going to UWM was never really something that I knew if wanted to do. It was kind of pushed on me.”

Victor Calvo is a 23-year-old Milwaukeean. He attended  the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee for a year and Seattle Central College for one semester as a psychology major. After that, he switched to a community college in Seattle for Emergency Medical Services. During this time, Calvo developed a unique perspective on the importance of higher education.

Hannah Wescher – What would you say that your experience in higher education has been?

Victor Calvo – My experiences at UWM and the community college were pretty different. I started at UWM when I was 18 and I didn’t live on campus. I didn’t know really what I wanted to do so I kind of felt like I was wasting my money. The same thing happened in Seattle. I still didn’t know what I wanted and I didn’t feel like I was getting anything out of my money. I eventually decided to be an EMT. The class was a semester course at a community college. I enjoyed it much more and felt like everything I learned was for something that I was going to use. I started to feel more meaning in that environment than I did at UWM or any other school.

Q – Do you think your decision to go to college was something you wanted to do? Or was there outside influence?

A – Going to UWM to pursue a four year degree was never really something that I knew if wanted to do. It was kind of pushed on me. Everyone in my family went to school so It was kind of expected of me. I expected that if I didn’t go I would be less in my family. At the same time I had to fight with myself knowing that I wasn’t working towards anything. Going to get the community college certification was completely my decision. I feel like being there with a purpose really changes my mentality a lot.

Q – Would you say that there is a purpose and importance to getting a higher education?

A – I think there is value in knowledge and education for everyone. However pursuing education is a choice. There are plenty of things you can do without getting an education. I think a higher education can definitely help you learn skills as long as you know what you will be using them for. I think a lot of it isn’t useful but pursuing exactly what you want is better.

Q – Do you think you need an education to be successful economically and live comfortably?

A – You definitely can make it and be successful without an education. I see it more as helping you learn the skills you need to get to success. I don’t think anyone needs to get An education but it helps you if there is something you want to specify in. I think in America it has become a pretty big necessity to have a degree for many careers.

Q – Do you think that many people to that are pursuing a higher education today because it is a personal decision or because of outside influence?

A – I think many people today pursue an education because it has become more difficult to get a career without one. I think many people may be scared not to pursue an education because they fear they might not get a job without one. I also think that some people tend to pick a degree that doesn’t make them happy but makes them the most money. My parents definitely fear for me going through life without a four year degree.