JENKEM: College? A perspective from pro skateboarders.

[nice_guy_2]

i was pro too attention me

[Lusty RunchBox]

i was pro too attention me

Sir, I have idolized your every utterance since I found out the secret story of your historic past.

[abudabi]

plus, I want to know, seriously, would you ever say frontside half-cab heelflip?

Also, to Abudabi, rather than edit my post, you would say fakie frontside blunt, not frontside halfcab blunt (as another analogy to your question about fakie frontside noseslide). 

I'm not calling into question your knowledge of the nomenclature, I'm just saying.  Now if I accused you of calling frontside nosegrinds on round bars that lock in frontside overcrooks, well, then we'd have fighting words, haha.

I'm just asserting the truth handed down from on high that "cab" prefix is fakie and backside only. 

to me, it seems super weird to call the bs version a halfcab noseslide, and then call the frontside one a fakie front nose.
youre right that i do say fakie front blunt though, so i guess im weird too. damnit.

[Jive Turkey]

Do you want to study abroad?
I am down for some weird beaver…

[tortfeasor]

If you ride a skateboard and can't see the value in working for something you want, pushing through the pain and misery, even if everyone else thinks it's a waste of time, even when your peers say it's never going to happen- you havent been paying attention.

[spool of cord]

I highly recommend taking the route that I did - start selling weed, drop out of college, stay ambitious with the weed, make a ton of money that you don't pay any taxes on, employ people, create your own hours and travel anytime you want....then one day get popped, spend a year in jail and get out to no $, no car, no skill set, and no degree. and not having skated for an entire year.




...but seriously, not to be too negative but- how many of you know people who have degrees and are working jobs that don't require a degree? does the mantra 'you can't put a price on your education' really hold true when college is so expensive?

[Chathamdontsurf]

For what it is worth......A college education can be incredibly important, especially if you want to make difference. But there are a lot of paths. For me, skateboarding represents a fucking amazing interaction between the dejected and the larger community. We were all idiot skate rats at some point who didn't have a pot to piss in. Either that, or we got involved in skateboarding because it represented something beyond the normal. Regardless, I would like to think that what we are discussing here, is "how do I translate my love of skateboarding to money"?

Well, I would argue that the love of skateboarding inherently involves the a) engagement of the social and physical landscape of a community b) the cultural involvement of disaffected people c) desire to improve the opportunity of others in your community to engage in physical activity

That said, I would argue that you should pursue something that would allow you to a)  give back to your community b) influence politics or policies of your community c) improve the lives of those around you.

Sure, you could make a lot of money working some bullshit job for a company you hate and that would be rad. But it wouldn't help you sleep at night.

For what it is worth. I have a BA in Education, and an MSW plus a growing inability to accurately ride my skateboard. Whatever, I have started homeless shelters for youth, operated community service centers, traveled the world. I make no significant money, but I sleep well at night and I give all the credit to skateboarding.

[Lusty RunchBox]

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plus, I want to know, seriously, would you ever say frontside half-cab heelflip?

Also, to Abudabi, rather than edit my post, you would say fakie frontside blunt, not frontside halfcab blunt (as another analogy to your question about fakie frontside noseslide). 

I'm not calling into question your knowledge of the nomenclature, I'm just saying.  Now if I accused you of calling frontside nosegrinds on round bars that lock in frontside overcrooks, well, then we'd have fighting words, haha.

I'm just asserting the truth handed down from on high that "cab" prefix is fakie and backside only. 

[close]

to me, it seems super weird to call the bs version a halfcab noseslide, and then call the frontside one a fakie front nose.
youre right that i do say fakie front blunt though, so i guess im weird too. damnit.

it's ok to be weird

[360 frip]

I highly recommend taking the route that I did - start selling weed, drop out of college, stay ambitious with the weed, make a ton of money that you don't pay any taxes on, employ people, create your own hours and travel anytime you want....then one day get popped, spend a year in jail and get out to no $, no car, no skill set, and no degree. and not having skated for an entire year.




...but seriously, not to be too negative but- how many of you know people who have degrees and are working jobs that don't require a degree? does the mantra 'you can't put a price on your education' really hold true when college is so expensive?

Quite a few foreign friends I knew were using fake degrees to work (as a BA was a requirement). This can work for a while, but if you are found out you can be out of a job and possibly have your visa knocked back...

I wonder though, university fees have just recently tripled in the UK. If I was 20 now, would I want to get into 50 grand of debt? Its crazy.

[Fenzadill]

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how is a way i can go to college for free

[close]

Are you American? 2 years in the military.

Go to college, I'm a 32 year old junior. Go to college. Making $15 an hour, physically busting your ass or dealing with customers is all you're going to get otherwise.

nah im straight on the military, not for me boss. i make well more than that now and i do stuff I love.  I just want someone to teach me photoshop really thoroughly for free.  and pro tools.

[Tufty]

 Even though I hated and still hate the university I was, I have to say that it was the greatest thing that happened in my life. University taught me how to teach myslef stuff, however when I learnt that (half-way through the program) the university was just a drag because I felt like it was slowing me down, because you have to deal with the bullshit of professors and not only with getting knowledge. However, things around the university are pretty important too. Living alone for the first time alone in a different city allows you to grow up but also develop your own personality. Meeting people is also very important. When I was at school I considered myself the smartest kid but when I went to the university I met smarter people and differently smart people and they really gave me much. I am still friend with some of them and I also have some of the best memories with them.

 Regarding skating things were mixed. Getting to skate a bigger city with lots of very good and very different skaters really helped my skating. My hometown is very small and didnt have many good skaters and most people had very similar styles of skating. I also met different people from those at university and they certainly affected me in a different way. I was friends with many skaters and I have the rest of the best memories with them. On the other hand engineering school was too demanding and sometimes I had to slow down on skating, like skating one time per week, in order to pass the exams or do assignments.

 In my opinion university/college is a good thing and everyone should experience it even simple workers for technical education. Disappointingly it is connected with career though it shouldnt. Education makes you a better person and citizen, career is another thing that has to do with how to make money.

[violentpizza]

Dan Murphy was the most honest about the whole thing. if you have the chance to get an education while skating, I give you props.

[art hellman]

I skated as much, if not more, during college as/than high school... plus, the only friends from college (who are good enough friends I don't refer to them as "friends from college" but simply, "friends") I'm still in contact with are the ones who skated...in fact, we still skate together when the planets align.

[SkateViolence]

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how is a way i can go to college for free

[close]

Are you American? 2 years in the military.

Go to college, I'm a 32 year old junior. Go to college. Making $15 an hour, physically busting your ass or dealing with customers is all you're going to get otherwise.

[close]

nah im straight on the military, not for me boss. i make well more than that now and i do stuff I love.  I just want someone to teach me photoshop really thoroughly for free.  and pro tools.

A lot of schools will have continuing ed classes that you can take at night that don't require you to enroll, just pay for the course. It's not free, but it's much cheaper than actual college.

[Hash Slinging Slasher]

Skating is one of the 3 or 4 things that has kept me sane while being in college

[360 frip]

Skating is one of the 3 or 4 things that has kept me sane while being in college

What were the other three? Pussy, weed and alcohol? Hard life.

[ChuckRamone]

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how is a way i can go to college for free

[close]

Are you American? 2 years in the military.

Go to college, I'm a 32 year old junior. Go to college. Making $15 an hour, physically busting your ass or dealing with customers is all you're going to get otherwise.

[close]

nah im straight on the military, not for me boss. i make well more than that now and i do stuff I love.  I just want someone to teach me photoshop really thoroughly for free.  and pro tools.

you can learn pretty much any software on your own. just buy a couple books and watch some online videos and mess around with the programs.

I think these days you can learn basically anything without going to school. books and Internet are all you need. a formal education is mostly valuable for supposedly teaching social skills and giving you that official credential on your resume. I went to college and, while it helped me get a job, the learning itself was not that useful. I would rather have been out there traveling and skating. I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth but I really think college is complete bullshit, at least the way the system is now. college courses should be a blend of practice and theory but it's mostly all theoretical nonsense. vocational and technical schools teach you more actual, practical skills but are probably not as reputable.

[tortfeasor]

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how is a way i can go to college for free

[close]

Are you American? 2 years in the military.

Go to college, I'm a 32 year old junior. Go to college. Making $15 an hour, physically busting your ass or dealing with customers is all you're going to get otherwise.

[close]

nah im straight on the military, not for me boss. i make well more than that now and i do stuff I love.  I just want someone to teach me photoshop really thoroughly for free.  and pro tools.

these videos are really helpful for learning photo shop....
[edit: better link]

[whaaaaat]

Good topic.  I think there's a big misconception of college within skateboarding.  Neither of my parents were college grads and with skateboarding as my only reference for the 'real world' there was only one thing I knew for certain growing up - college wasn't for me.  Sparing you a long story, as I grew up and grew more intellectually curious (largely spurred by things I was discovering through skateboarding) I ended up going to college and I'm glad I did.  Not just for the benefits it gives one re a job and security, etc but also because I learned a lot of interesting stuff and became a more well-rounded person.  I think skateboarding generally associates college with the jock mentality or 'mainstream lifestyle' and for that reason many skaters steer away from it.  But skaters are genuinely, for the most part, the most interesting and adaptable/resilient people I've ever encountered and I suspect we could be a damn successful lot if we were able to get over the stigma associated with college within our community. 

[Rasmus]

Can somebody clarify the american education system for me?

Because all those degrees would've been university degrees in Denmark (except for a Major in Art - and not Art History - that would have been at the Art Academy). The reason why I'm asking this, is because it seems like this article sort of says that an education is the same as an university degree.

But - in Denmark at least - there are way other educations like being a chef, physiotherapist, nurse, mechanic, elementary school teacher and many more educations which arent university degrees.

My point is I think education is important, but you shouldn't say education is the same as getting an university degree - universities aren't for everybody, but learning a craft is very good for both you and the general society.

There must be some people in the skateboarding industry that have other educations (unless your system works different from the Danish - in that case I am sorry for mixing things up)

[southsecond]

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what do you call a frontside half cab noseslide then?

[close]

Fakie frontside noseslide

You're delusional. If I posted any further replies, I'd only be validating your delusions. Carry on.

[JB]

Can somebody clarify the american education system for me?

Because all those degrees would've been university degrees in Denmark (except for a Major in Art - and not Art History - that would have been at the Art Academy). The reason why I'm asking this, is because it seems like this article sort of says that an education is the same as an university degree.

But - in Denmark at least - there are way other educations like being a chef, physiotherapist, nurse, mechanic, elementary school teacher and many more educations which arent university degrees.

My point is I think education is important, but you shouldn't say education is the same as getting an university degree - universities aren't for everybody, but learning a craft is very good for both you and the general society.

There must be some people in the skateboarding industry that have other educations (unless your system works different from the Danish - in that case I am sorry for mixing things up)

where i grew up, it was pretty much expected of you to go to college or university after you graduated high school if planned on being "successful" and landing a job that pays well. but the thing is that most kids that i knew who were entering college right out of high school, myself included, didnt give it much more thought than that. you could go to a trade school, or enter some kind of job training that didnt envolve going to a traditional university, but that has always been looked at as a lesser path than the university path, which is totally stupid but thats the way it is.

the thing is this, most kids who are 18-19 years old and entering universities have no idea what they want to do with the rest of their life, but have this sort of expectation that they need to go to college in order to get a career. i have many friends who have gotten degrees in many different fields and by the time theyre finished, what theyve really learned is that they want nothing to do with whatever they just spent the past 4 or 5 years studying. i have one friend who got a political science degree, then spent the next few years working basically for free on farms because he enjoyed agriculture a whole lot more than politics. my advice to any young people who are planning their next move after high school would be to not necessarily jump straight into a university and get yourself into debt. dont just follow your friends to whatever state school everyone is going to and major in business because you dont know what you want to do with your life yet. i have friends who did exactly that and now work office jobs they hate, but are scared to go back and get a degree in something they actually do want to do because they'll never be able to pay off their loans. just like you said, there are plenty of decent careers that dont require a university degree, but are still great paths if thats what you want to do. its just that in america, the university route is a pretty traditional one and many people still believe that a college degree guarantees them the prefect career and theyll be successful for the rest of their lives.

[julientailbash]

just wanna say that brian clarke part is one of my favorite parts ever. i didnt go to college.

[Harry in Your Pocket]

Your Mom went to college.

[bentmode]

Go to college or work at the huf warehouse and dj a dive bar every thursday 

[dillanharp]

Go to college or work at the huf warehouse and dj a dive bar every thursday 

Yea but once you hit 30 that's pretty sad...

[Fenzadill]

these videos are really helpful for learning photo shop....
[edit: better link]

thanks for those, im gonna check em out tonight.  i know i could teach myself it cuz i learned adobe premiere without classes, but its such an expansive program its hard to know where to start, plus im busy AND lazy so thats kind of a weird combo.

[midevilco]

The fact that an article like this could be written on such a subject is proof that my parents were right. Skateboarders are losers. Seriously though, how could anyone NOT consider going to some sort of college / career training / trade school in 2015?

[Stolen Darkness]

College ain't for everybody...trade school is an option. Do SOMETHING.

i went to school for film, worked at MTV and an Animation studio at 22 (they moved to vancouver) and now I teach film/video.

and have access to soooo many cameras and cranes to film skateboarding.

Do it for fun, get some clips, watch them when you're 80.

after high school, get some form of education...even 8 months online for a tech cert...something.

[ChuckRamone]

The fact that an article like this could be written on such a subject is proof that my parents were right. Skateboarders are losers. Seriously though, how could anyone NOT consider going to some sort of college / career training / trade school in 2015?

the skaters who are too contemptuous of the rest of society are a little annoying and could probably be called losers. skateboarding is recreation. the only reason some people can do it as their "lifestyle" choice is because of society. without society, there is no skateboarding.