03 | Video

[khajidont]

Hey, so, I got a question. Which is basically half of what this thing's used for, so I guess everyone's used to it by now.

[Jaime's sitting down in a chair in his room as he addresses the network, feet out of the frame and propped up on his desk. He raises his hand up to the screen, and it becomes clear that he's holding out a row of brochures like a fan, each and every one boasting the various virtues of various college campuses.]

I know a bunch of you guys are either in college or you're at least thinking about it, and I'm just wondering why. Not the usual reasons - of course I know everyone back home wants an education to get a job and all that, but why do it here? It'll be at least four years before most normal - [read: non-genius] - people get any payoff, and I know most people get Ported out by then.

[He puts the college brochures back down, sucking absently on the inside of his cheek as if trying to think of anything else to say and coming up empty, so he cuts the feed.]

Comments

video;

[gonstop]

[Killua appears on screen up close at first, pulling back to gesture with his free hand at the camera accusingly.]

Hahh, you can't ditch school like that, Jaime! After all of that nagging, you want to know what the point is? You're screwing with me! [Because wow, after being scolded for violence in school, he sure is not about to let up on the nagging in return.]

It's to learn! There's opportunities too! You don't know how long you'll be staying here!

video;

[khajidont]

[Jaime raises a brow at Killua, frankly surprised.]

I didn't know you felt so strongly about college. It's not really ditching, you know - anything past high school is totally optional. You're planning on going if you wind up staying here for the next ten years of your life, then?

( audio )

[chancetoatone]

[His voice is thoughtful when he responds.]

Perhaps some simply enjoy learning. Others, perhaps, see the benefit of learning here, in this alternate Earth. It would give one a more solid understanding of this world's similarities as well as its differences.

( audio )

[khajidont]

[That's a good response, Jaime thinks, and is one that actually makes sense to him though he's not all that interested in education for education's sake.]

That's a good point. I've learned plenty in high school already, only... when it comes to learning about the differences, going out and working isn't a bad way of figuring things out either, don't you think?

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[gonfreaky]

hey jaime if you ditch school does that mean i can too?

text

[khajidont]

I'm not ditching school. I'm going to finish high school. College is just something extra you can choose to do if you want to

So no don't ditch school.

video;

[attainment]

[Oh, hello, Kotetsu's roommate.]

Some people didn't get the chance to learn about themselves back home, and university classes can be a good way to challenge your beliefs concerning the world around you.

[He says this as someone who actually considered going back to school himself.]

video;

[khajidont]

You don't think you can learn just as much outside of college? I think I learned plenty when I worked at the garage over the summer.

Video

[youbastard]

I take it you're not considering going then? [ not that she could really blame him if he was. What would the point be exactly? That's an answer she doesn't have. ]

Video

[khajidont]

Yeah. Back home, it was a given, and... well, I'm pretty sure my parents would kill me if I didn't go. [He laughs a little underneath his breath.]

I'm not so sure about doing it here, is all.

video

[aggressiveapathy]

What else are you gonna do?

video

[khajidont]

Work, of course. What else would I do?

[Video]

[walks_the_earth]

[Hello there Jaime you have the dubious pleasure of being Ginko's first attempt at using the little device he was given--both because he recognizes your face and because he has a question of his own.]

What's a... 'college'?

[He saw those pieces of paper you held up but that was just words talking about how nice some buildings were. Useless.]

[Video]

[khajidont]

Oh, hey Ginko! [Ginko gets a little wave. It's always nice to see the newbies going about their business on the network - it means they're settling in.]

College is... okay, maybe I should explain from the beginning. Around here, you have to go through school until grade 12, and it's free. After that, you can pay to go through more school. Technically, the pay-off is to learn, but for a lot of people - [read: Jaime] - the pay-off is that going through college means you can get jobs people who didn't go to college can't get.

video;

[motherboxes]

If your parents heard this, Jaime. But...I get it. I know we don't remember this, it doesn't cross over to back home. I guess I still want to try for it myself as a way to fill in the time, but you don't have to. Not here. If you said this back home I know I wouldn't be the only one punching your arm for saying this.

I guess people want to here because it's normal? Something familiar to focus on in all this? At least, that's...kind of why I'm wanting to. Though I guess that doesn't count if some places didn't have college....

[She muses, looking through the pamphlets herself while cross legged on the bed.]

video;

[khajidont]

I know, I know. [Jaime grimaces, averting his eyes from the screen. He tries not to give it away, but Brenda of all people know exactly how much his parents' opinions of him matters to him - and how much he doesn't want to disappoint them.]

I'm not saying you shouldn't go if you want to! If you want to do it, we'll make it happen. I'm just not really feeling it.

Permavid

[governorkang]

My world doesn't have printing presses or internal combustion engines yet. I am planning on starting college next year simply because I can't pass up the opportunity to learn all of these new things, even if I know I won't remember any of it when I'm returned home.

[He shrugs.]

Maybe I'll get lucky somehow and be allowed to remember it all. It'd give my nation an unprecedented advantage.

Re: Permavid

[khajidont]

I can definitely get it from your guys' perspectives. I think the floating cars are pretty cool too, but I learned way more about those on the job.

[He flashes a grin at the screen just thinking about that.]

I hope we can figure out a way to remember everything we see here.

[ Video ]

[anthropophagite]

I'd say it's because they find learning rewarding? [ and because it makes them feel normal? ]

[ Video ]

[khajidont]

That's what I'm hearing a lot of. Is that your plan?

[He sounds genuinely curious.]

[andaway]

That's like asking why we bother making friends, or talking to people, or trying to get better jobs. Some people do enjoy learning, Jaime.

[khajidont]

[Whether it's there or not, Jaime reads a bit of condescension in that answer.]

Hey, I'm not knocking learning. Only difference here's that you gotta pay to learn.

[video]

[yatagarasu]

Contingency plan? Or because if we don't, the grown-ups are gonna get on our case?

[Kay shrugs. She's very close to hitting 18, and therefore close to entering college. However, she hasn't put much thought into what to do then.] Too bad this wouldn't count as credit when we get Ported out.

[video]

[khajidont]

Grown-ups as in other imPorts, or as in our teachers? 'Cause I don't know about you, but I don't think any of the imPorts I know really care whether or not I go to college.

It'd be a total no-brainer if alternate universe college credits could carry over, but not even my world accepts that kinda thing.

text

[rathercommon]

So what are you leaning towards? Going, or not going?

-Lizziie

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[khajidont]

Right now? Not going. I was just curious to see what everyone else was doing.

Apparently the answer is that everyone is seriously interested in learning. Who knew?

text.

[immigrantpunk]

what else am i gonna do?

text.

[khajidont]

Work?

video;

[hoboagogo]

Thank you.

[IT IS SO CATHARTIC TO HEAR SOMEONE ELSE VIEW IT AS A WASTE OF TIME HERE ALSO.]

Seems like with how things go here, it'd be better to just stick to working and actually being useful. 'Specially if the scholarships for imPorts are cut next.

[....even though he's unemployed now (thx freddie) but-- you know. Whatever.]

Re: video;

[khajidont]

[Should he be relieved that the person who understands is the high school dropout?

No, probably not... but Shinji's Jaime's friend, so that automatically means his opinion is worth more. Oops.]

Right? Even if they didn't cut the scholarships, I'm pretty sure that, like, half the imPorts are secretly geniuses.

[...Jaime is not.]

video;

[fridgeflower]

Oh, geez. I haven't even thought about what I'm going to do yet.

[ Anyway... ] Maybe the experience is as important as the payoff to some people. I think that's a big part of what school's advertise, even, right?

video;

[khajidont]

That's true. The whole frat-sorority experience, yeah?

[...that had never looked like much fun to Jaime.]

[Text]

[dog_eat_dog]

If I were still in my early twenties I would at least consider going to college here, because I never did at home. My job options here are pretty slim, to say the least.

[Text]

[khajidont]

Then why not go now? It's not as if there's an age limit

Video

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob can't really comment on higher education one way or another, especially in the context of the ImPort experience. But it has been a while since he talked to Jaime, so:]

Sounds like you're thinking about what to do after high school. Am I right?

Video

[khajidont]

How'd you ever guess?

[Hey there, mall cop.]

video;

[blondtactician]

Well.. [Armin is smiling.] It seems like fun!

video;

[khajidont]

Well - [Jaime starts, then stops with a laugh.] That's not a bad reason, actually. You're planning on going? Assuming you're here that long?

video.

[nitidus]

Oh, well. I wasn't going to get the chance to do it at home. Why waste an opportunity?

video.

[khajidont]

If you don't mind me asking... why not? Is college just not a thing where you're from?

text

[moded]

why do school at all i mean we dont have time for it anyway

[.... Hi, Jaime.]

text

[khajidont]

[Oh god, Bart. They've been avoiding each other, haven't they? Jaime's been a bad friend.

Thank god this is over text.]

It's not like I'm doing much else with my time right now. [He says, cheerfully juggling school, work, research and superhero duties! WHATEVER, IT'S FINE. IT'S FINE. SHUT UP.] I won't say no to the high school diploma so long as I don't have to pay for it

VIDEO.

[huitzilin]

Do heroes need to go to college?

VIDEO.

[khajidont]

Of course not! That'd be a pretty stupid restriction, don't you think?

video;

[theoryandcalculation]

I'm hoping I go home before I even have to think about it.

[He's got two years to go and it would make him pretty upset if he stayed here that long. But with that in mind...]

If I was here that long... maybe I would, in case I never went home at all.

College in America would be an interesting experience anyway.

video;

[khajidont]

Here's hoping, huh? I guess once you've been here for a couple years, then it feels like it'd be a lot more likely for you to be here for even longer.

[College in America? Ah, that sounds familiar, and even if he's bad at guessing ethnicities, his next guess isn't a difficult one, considering imPort demographics.]

Let me guess: you're from Japan?

audio;

[dragony]

It's only a matter of, do it if you want to, don't if you don't. You can't expect to stay here long enough to finish—but, you can't act as though you won't, either. There are probabilities, but none of them are a hundred percent.

You're the only one who can decide when something becomes futility.

audio;

[khajidont]

Sure. But that doesn't mean I'm not interested in hearing why other people are doing what they're doing.

video;

[runningstart]

If your grades are really, really good you can get one of those scholarships that pays for like, everything and then some.

Buuuuut I'm gonna guess your grades are probably not that good. [wow wally what a friend]

video;

[khajidont]

Hey, for all you know I could be a super genius.

[Okay, he's not. And secretly, he's a little jealous of people like Wally and Bart - they're smart enough to get jobs working for an actual tech company.

The imPort community has a disproportionate amount of very, very intelligent people, which is way unfair.]