After someone achieves something great, a tempting mindset to take is to assume that he has “arrived,” thus abandoning his regiment of self-improvement by which he accomplished the worthwhile thing in the first place.

The same is true with learning.

Upon college graduation, many graduates will abandon the regimented learning that they have been following for nearly two decades.

This is such a waste. Learning is a lifelong pursuit and ought to be recognized as such.

After you’ve just graduated college with around 17 years of education under your belt, it’s time to climb down off that pedestal and realize that learning doesn’t simply stop once you have that degree in your hand.

Granted, undergraduate degrees do give you some foundational knowledge in the area of your major, they really signify that you now know how to learn.

I often heard people in my graduating high school class who chose not to continue on to higher education rationalize their not going to college because they were over school.

As if life wasn’t the hardest professor you’ve ever met.

You will end up learning life’s lessons one way or another.

Embracing a lifetime of learning rather than resisting the lessons could make it a whole lot easier on yourself.

No one can know everything all at once, it is impossible.

No matter where your professional career takes you, there will always be a learning curve.

For examples, suppose your lifelong ambitions steer you towards a roadside McDonald’s somewhere in upstate Nebraska, for instance, you will still have to learn how to not burn the fries. Don’t get discouraged, it took me a few fries too. Wait, I mean tries.

Even after you leave college, you still don’t know everything.

Gathering on-the-job experience will prove to be far more valuable in the long run to your success than a college degree, most of the time.

In effect, the learning that comes after college is even more important than the learning in college.

That is not to discount college as a necessary stepping stone for most professions.

Embracing a lifetime of learning is not easy. If it was easy, everyone would be doing.

Sometimes the hardest things in life become the most rewarding accomplishments.

The idea that you can somehow avoid learning is absurd.

Don’t fall into the trap of assuming that you’ve arrived at your full learning potential simply because you are graduating college.

Remember, learn something new every day, embrace life’s lessons, and don’t forget what the buzzer on the deep fryer means, if you’re ever in Nebraska.

Congratulations, you have not arrived.

Ryan Morgan / Senior reporter

Ryan Morgan can be reached at [email protected].