Why Haven't I Gone Back To School?

I find this to be a good question I ask myself, especially since years of thought on it have only given me a vague sense of my internal forces directing my decision making.  I mean, growing up it always just seemed like something I would do, as much a part of my life and future as going through k-12.  I've always loved learning, about almost anything.  I think the world around us is a fascinating place, filled with amazing and spectacular things.

Another note, this isn't an argument for or against it, merely a presentation of thought.

With the advent of the internet, and a viable means of global sharing and networking, a huge amount of the world's information is at our fingertips.  Once, a person would have to be given access to the material, often through difficult channels.  This is to say, if I wanted to learn about quantum physics, I'd need to pretty much go to school for it to have the materials to learn from.  Yes, educational systems also provide better structures for learning as well, so this is much to their benefit in a comparison to simply looking up the information yourself.  So sure, it seems like in some part I seem disinclined to spend thousands of dollars to learn something.  My love of learning also means that the idea of picking one thing to learn about still seems... daunting?

There's more to it though for me, I'm certain.  I feel a sense of frustration about the notion that I "should go to college" because well, that's just what you do.  As though whether or not I've attended university decides whether or not I'm of much "value" to society.  So am I that stubborn and irrational? Maybe.  Here's a thought though -
I made a choice, a conscious choice to alter my life and experience in a way that was not how I originally saw myself, or how others saw me.  This wasn't (just) childish spite, I'd be a fool if I let that govern my adult life.  It was a choice about they way I would live my life, it governed the people I've met and the things I've done.  Have I impacted a lot of people, or really changed anything?  I guess that depends on your scope.

I've been blessed with meeting many amazing people who have enriched my life, and as it turns out, that's often a mutual thing.  So sure, I didn't end up going to school to study linguistics, or fashion design, or programming, or almost any of the other things that fascinate me.  I was the one making decisions in my life, and every one of them has shaped me into the person I am today.  A person who I am not ashamed to be.

Trot On Everypony,
Alturiigo