My Master's program held its graduation ceremony in Vienna
last week. About that time, one of my compatriots who attended posted a Facebook
status ostensibly regarding his matriculation: "I'm making a note here.
Huge. Success." I got the reference without having to think about it. The
post is an allusion to the concluding song of a video game - Portal - the humor of which some
of my closest friends introduced me. References to the sarcastic rancor of the
game's narration have come to permeate our conversations.
What struck me about the post's allusion was the song's context within the game. Literally the post extols the triumph of receiving a degree . But, the sardonic bent of its source signifies the exact opposite of its denotation. The song is sung by the game's thought to be, but not-so-dead electronic antagonist. It focuses on the being's angst regarding the player's forcible dismantlement and immolation of it. This is event which the lyrics deem a 'success'.
I've always hated graduation ceremonies. Since secondary school, I attended them only upon the insistence of my parents. At first, my apathy stemmed from my perception of such events as insignificant. I'd completed compulsory schooling. So what? I was bound for higher education...and better things after that!
Immediately after my high school ceremony, I sought out the friends that later introduced me to the humor of Portal. One of them compared education to a game separate from reality: "Game over. Play again? Yes/No" she mockingly inquired. We all knew the answer in advance.
I chose USC because of the international bent of its business program. I wanted to live the global life that I'd be introduced to through travels to places including Poland, China and Maldives. I traveled while on the program. But, I didn't perceive further international opportunities as flowing from graduation. I finished in three years while spending as much time as possible abroad. The end of the program loomed. I decided that a dual Global Studies Master's in Poland and Austria was the best path to a brighter future. During graduation, I sat on stage as one of the highest honor students and contemplated the drunken masses below. I felt I'd accomplished my goal: the choice of my own future.
I had a great time earning my Master's degrees. Still, I didn't attend the ceremony despite earning perfect grades on the program. When confronted again with what to do after graduation I chose to play the game of school again on the next level. Prospects other than staying in academia seemed less enticing. So, I'm doing a PhD in political science. I enjoy academia; given the choice I'm content with the decision. At the same time, I question whether my own matriculation continues to herald the promised future I always assumed.We call graduation commencement (at least in the U.S.). Yet, we view the conclusion of a study program as a triumph - as an emancipation. That's why it's celebrated as a deterministic escape to a better world. But is it really that much of a success?
Recently I attended a conference. During the desert of the closing lunch my coordinator pointed to a selection on my plate. "That cake is called 'Le Miserable'" he said; explaining that it originated as a delicacy derived from diary product and old bread. Now, he informed, it was one of the most expensive confections in Brussels. I wasn't sure what to make of its bland richness. Reactions of the the other PhD students ranged from pronouncing it either delicious or disgusting .
After lunch, some of us attended the student beer-float parade in one of the most upscale sections of the old town. Think of it as Les Mis and the Rose Parade meet a wild party (at least I assume so. I've never attended the latter two). Student guilds create floats out of flatbed trucks from which they barricade streets and dispense beer to the masses of their inebriated brethren via watering cans. The 'parade' originated from 19th century tradition. It began as a means of 'sticking it' to Brussels' bourgeoisie and continues today, though I'm told that many of the current students are of somewhat bourgeois backgrounds themselves. We observed from an overpass as the spectacle of debauchery unfolded below. Especially in the context of the EU's economic situation, these 'Miserables' enjoy themselves until the day when the promise of freedom through matriculation collides with reality.
Most university students (Scary thought: a group that I may soon end up teaching) will probably regard their eventual graduation as something positive. This isn't untrue or wrongheaded. Yet, is future beyond graduation really something worth celebrating? In the public discourse, a degree should serve to provide right of access to an enhanced future. In practice, it only imposes an indemnity to higher obligation or unemployment. For the students in the street below me, the solution appeared simple: have another watering can of beer. Don't question what comes the morning after the sheepskin is shoved into your hands and the spigot runs dry.
What struck me about the post's allusion was the song's context within the game. Literally the post extols the triumph of receiving a degree . But, the sardonic bent of its source signifies the exact opposite of its denotation. The song is sung by the game's thought to be, but not-so-dead electronic antagonist. It focuses on the being's angst regarding the player's forcible dismantlement and immolation of it. This is event which the lyrics deem a 'success'.
I've always hated graduation ceremonies. Since secondary school, I attended them only upon the insistence of my parents. At first, my apathy stemmed from my perception of such events as insignificant. I'd completed compulsory schooling. So what? I was bound for higher education...and better things after that!
Immediately after my high school ceremony, I sought out the friends that later introduced me to the humor of Portal. One of them compared education to a game separate from reality: "Game over. Play again? Yes/No" she mockingly inquired. We all knew the answer in advance.
I chose USC because of the international bent of its business program. I wanted to live the global life that I'd be introduced to through travels to places including Poland, China and Maldives. I traveled while on the program. But, I didn't perceive further international opportunities as flowing from graduation. I finished in three years while spending as much time as possible abroad. The end of the program loomed. I decided that a dual Global Studies Master's in Poland and Austria was the best path to a brighter future. During graduation, I sat on stage as one of the highest honor students and contemplated the drunken masses below. I felt I'd accomplished my goal: the choice of my own future.
I had a great time earning my Master's degrees. Still, I didn't attend the ceremony despite earning perfect grades on the program. When confronted again with what to do after graduation I chose to play the game of school again on the next level. Prospects other than staying in academia seemed less enticing. So, I'm doing a PhD in political science. I enjoy academia; given the choice I'm content with the decision. At the same time, I question whether my own matriculation continues to herald the promised future I always assumed.We call graduation commencement (at least in the U.S.). Yet, we view the conclusion of a study program as a triumph - as an emancipation. That's why it's celebrated as a deterministic escape to a better world. But is it really that much of a success?
Recently I attended a conference. During the desert of the closing lunch my coordinator pointed to a selection on my plate. "That cake is called 'Le Miserable'" he said; explaining that it originated as a delicacy derived from diary product and old bread. Now, he informed, it was one of the most expensive confections in Brussels. I wasn't sure what to make of its bland richness. Reactions of the the other PhD students ranged from pronouncing it either delicious or disgusting .
After lunch, some of us attended the student beer-float parade in one of the most upscale sections of the old town. Think of it as Les Mis and the Rose Parade meet a wild party (at least I assume so. I've never attended the latter two). Student guilds create floats out of flatbed trucks from which they barricade streets and dispense beer to the masses of their inebriated brethren via watering cans. The 'parade' originated from 19th century tradition. It began as a means of 'sticking it' to Brussels' bourgeoisie and continues today, though I'm told that many of the current students are of somewhat bourgeois backgrounds themselves. We observed from an overpass as the spectacle of debauchery unfolded below. Especially in the context of the EU's economic situation, these 'Miserables' enjoy themselves until the day when the promise of freedom through matriculation collides with reality.
Most university students (Scary thought: a group that I may soon end up teaching) will probably regard their eventual graduation as something positive. This isn't untrue or wrongheaded. Yet, is future beyond graduation really something worth celebrating? In the public discourse, a degree should serve to provide right of access to an enhanced future. In practice, it only imposes an indemnity to higher obligation or unemployment. For the students in the street below me, the solution appeared simple: have another watering can of beer. Don't question what comes the morning after the sheepskin is shoved into your hands and the spigot runs dry.
So
much for graduation being a triumph. I
originally undertook higher education to achieve promised freedom after graduation. To that end, I have two more degrees as of
last week. Now what? I'm still here. Life goes on. And I have research to
do. So, believe me. I am making a note here. And this is it.
