Working class hero...

Today, reader, is the day of deep questionning about my future. (No, don't worry, it's not going to be long, I have a lot of work to do...)

I am tired of hearing people say the French youth are depressed, depressing and hopeless. I'm not saying that it isn't true. OK, we are depressed, depressing, and we complain all the time, but are not very often willing to do what's necessary for things to change. Fair enough.

But here I am, at the university. I know, French universities are free, the teachers at mine are really good, I love what I do, and really, I am grateful for the chances that are being given to me now.

But we keep hearing people telling us that there are no jobs in our line of work, hearing people who tell us that no matter what we do, we're not going to get very far in this society (which is terrible, by the way, that should not be forgotten either). Diplomas won't save you from unemployment, you fool! Universities are perfectly pointless, as well as obviously too expensive for all other citizens. People get out of them with no job, no knowledge, and no motivation. Students stay in them forever, like parasites, fed by the system.

I don't quite disagree with that, I never really worked and all my expenses have always been paid for me, by my parents mainly, or by the State. I don't think it's something I should be proud of, but it enabled me to go on studying, and I like to think that education is important for me as a person, and for my future job.

But I don't understand why people AT THE UNIVERSITY tell us that? Why didn't they tell us BEFORE ?? and why do they bother coming to classes to say that, since we are a hopeless bunch of failures? (OK, I'm exagerating a little, now). More to the point, how surprinsing that we don't want to leave the university, and that we're absolutely not motivated, really! Turning us into sociopaths and making us fear the time when we're going to have to get a job is not really a solution. And we might be more motivated for the courses we take if they actually mattered as such, if having a strike at the university and only 4 months classes a year made a difference.
As it is, it doesn't. You just have less classes, but in the end, you finish your year as if nothing had happened. It's just as well, of course, since I would hate it to have consequences, it would have driven me mad, but still, what does it mean? It means that your end-of-the-year exam doesn't certify that you have reached a certain level, but that you have come to the university like a good girl. It's not very rewarding. I would even say that it's kind of meaningless.

And then we're told that we're not working for ourselves but for our grades... It's a little hard for me to understand... Grades are, indeed, the only thing we're told has a little value...