Why not change the world?

I have mixed feelings towards my alma-matter RPI (better known to some as Rensselaer). One one hand, I went to one of the most challenging schools in the country and was able to have access to people, courses, and job opportunities that most could only dream of. On the other hand, I spent $35,000/year (not including room and board) to go to a school that is 80% male and the coursework was so challenging that I spent most weekend nights doing homework while other kids my age were partying.

Regardless, there is one GREAT thing that I took away from RPI - their slogan "why not change the world?" They pound it into their students head. They have a website about it, it's on every letter you get, it's on the front of every course catalogue, and it's on a huge banner that everyone sees when they enter campus.

What a great thing to pound into a college kids mind. When I arrived on campus as a 17 year old my main concerns were passing my classes and drinking beer, not always necessarily in that order. By the time I left, I had the confidence that I really could change the world.

Now does it take a $35,000/year education to do that? Of course not. We all know really stupid people who have Ivy League educations and MBA's, and we also know really smart people who never got through college.

What it does take is hard work and determination. It takes learning from your mistakes instead of blaming other people. It takes viewing those mistakes as road blocks that you have to work a little harder to get around, not as the end of the road. It takes focus and the ability to persevere through 70 hour work weeks where you make $0.00. But most of all, it takes the belief that you CAN change the world. You, I, and everyone else who's lucky enough to be alive can have an impact. So why not change the world?