Beel, Kaylee: Credentialing

In the world today gaining a job with a high paying wage can only be obtained with a degree from an accredited college. If success is measured by the number of digits on your paycheck, can that success be worth the debt to get you there? In order for people to maintain a life by which they can be proclaimed accomplished they must maintain academic achievement. Not only must students of less financial stability overcome the burden of student loans, but they must, as well, complete a graduate degree in order to gain a rank in the upper class of the economic world.

My own personal college experience has been much like that of those who struggle to afford it. Having to pay the price it takes to become successful is a greater burden than becoming less than what you deserve. “Of course one man’s burden is another man’s opportunity. Student debt in the United States now exceeds $1 trillion” (Editors). What would happen if universities decided to raise the price of tuition because it is well known that student’s would do whatever it takes to get a degree? Most people would still struggle to afford it and suffer the burden of financial debt for most of their adult lives. In overcoming the battles of the college world those who are more “elite” and of a better class will get by easier than those who have to work for their accomplishments. “When we ask ourselves whether populist hostility should be directed against the rich or against the professional elite, the answer must be, ‘Yes, please!’” (Editors). The price of living is high but the price of attending a four-year university trumps that by a substantial amount. In these days, “public policy is so complicated you need a stack of degrees to figure it out” (Editors).  In order to prove your suitability for a specific job you must first dish out your whole bank account and then obtain a “master’s degree [which has become] mandatory for advancement” (Editors). Credentials have become increasingly important even in the absence of a person’s merit.

Success is in fact measured by the position you have in life after you have overcome all of the obstacles it took you get you there. Whether you are drained of every last cent that you have or are still swimming in wealth, as long as your credentials are up to par and you have a stack of degrees as tall as the Eiffel Tower the possibilities of stability are consequentially higher.