Does reading matter in the real world? In college the answer is obviously yes. We read the textbook, the assignments and a former Brazilian rainforest worth of papers. But why do we stop reading after graduation?
Clearly this issue needs to be addressed, even among the formally educated. A July 2014 study from stasticsbrain.com showed that an alarming 42 percent of college students will never read a book after graduation.
What happens?
Do we experience a collective burn out where if reading a book isn’t on a syllabus it falls to the wayside?
What is truly alarming is that the percentage of students who won’t read after college graduation is higher than the percentage of those who won’t read after high school. At lest from these two data points it appears that going to college actually harms our long-term reading.
Name a job where reading isn’t required. Chances are there are few if any. Even reading a prescription bottle is a struggle for almost half of the American population, according to the same study. Imagine how different your life would be if you couldn’t even understand the medication you were putting into your body, the contract you’re signing or the newspaper you have in your hands.
Reading more has been linked to getting promotions quicker and reducing stress. It goes without saying that through out life’s ups and downs knowledge is one of the few things than can never be taken away from you.
Opponents of reading mention how reading is hard, how books are expensive and quite frankly boring. It’s true that Paradise Lost is not everyone’s cup of tea. Many people do struggle to understand different points of view, challenging vocabulary and uninteresting novels. Newsflash- there are all kinds of novels out there, including: Russian novels, zombie survival horror, S and M romance, revenge fantasy or a new expansion to the Star Wars universe. There is something out there that is interesting to you. Go out and find it.
Reading is like any skill, it gets better with time.
As college students reading is an important part of daily life, but don’t let it disappear after you leave the Ivory Tower. Don’t fall into the percentage that will never crack open a book again. Visit a library, a bookstore, download a book on your e-reader. Don’t let the written word pass you by.
