Godwin, Domonique: Credentialing

            My mother was always a pusher. She pushed me through sports, pageants, and above everything—school. "Education is the only thing in this world that can never be taken from you," she would say.

            In reading "Death by Degrees" I have come to realize how right the editors are when they point out a person's credentials should not be measured by their graduation certificate, a piece of paper, but by accomplishments and their ability to achieve. College has become an expensive stepping stone for a future in which I have to be certified with a Masters to be considered "qualified" for any "good paying" job.

            For example, I am a freshman in college, young (not even 18 yet), and already I am pushing to build my credentials. The more successful sides of the job market, involving quick inflation of ones' wallet, requires spunky individuals with outstanding recommendations and even better college degrees. As a result, students such as myself have to throw themselves into extra programs that set them apart from the majority. This is in hopes that an "esteemed" reward for spending thousands of dollars and training ourselves for four or more years in a particular subject, just as our counterparts did, will be commensurable in our reception of a  stamp on our graduation certificate. The difference is our graduation certificates will have a small stamp, unique to only us, placed in the bottom right corner to visually state that our classes were more difficult and our opportunities for experience in our chosen fields were more abundant. 

            Even my Honors College Director, Ed Kardas, stated on multiple occasions that he prefers not to assess a student's success rate based on their ACT scores. He has found that, statistics wise, students with better numerical qualifications are not always as successful in college.

            A college graduate with a Masters or Doctorate is considered to be in good credential standing. Ivy League graduates are in fantastic credential standing. As for myself, I need a Doctorate in psychology to start my own business and be noteworthy. Just as the Editors said, my " training will be overly complicated and outrageously expensive" whether I go big in my chosen career, or small. At this rate, by the time my kids graduate from college, something higher than a Doctorate will likely be invented due to the increased necessity for prestigious positions in every aspect of commendable credentials.