It seems that
today more than ever, a degree is the gateway to a brighter life full of
success and riches. Right? Perhaps not. The practice of giving scholars
accreditation is nothing new, dating back centuries before Christ, so should it
be surprising that we’ve embraced this tradition and turned it into a money
gobbling monster? Of course not! We’re Americans, and everything is done in
excess and extravagance. The theory now is that if you don’t have a degree you
pretty much amount to nothing. Our nation, and the world are becoming more and
more obsessed with the pieces of paper that we call “diplomas.” The more years
and money you pour into obtaining one, supposedly, the more learned you become,
this in turn leads to enormous success in your personal life and business
ventures.
And
so it all comes down to a master factor: cost. It rules the way we approach
almost everything in life nowadays and education is no different. A huge amount
of high school sophomores say they want to go to college, and of course when
you ask why the answer is, “To obtain a good, high paying job.” Myself? Oh, I
was no different, but I never looked at the cost.
Letters from huge name colleges came in, offers for scholarships were made. I’m
talking five digit sums here, that’s enough to throw down the brakes and the
money signs roll across my eyes like news tickers. In reality, the most well-known
and respected colleges cost upwards of $100,000 a year. That by itself is the salary of the good paying job. So in
this modern era, is it possible to not feel the pressure from degrees? I feel
like there is a ton of pressure on us millennials to go to college and get a degree,
it’s the “golden ticket” for your future nowadays. Society itself generates the
image that people with degrees aren’t as successful. Colleges start recruiting
at the 9th grade level, what kind of drive is this? It has nothing
to do with education anymore. It’s about separating the elite from the mediocre
and uplifting those in the upper echelons even higher. That 1% is very real,
and the gap is getting farther and farther then what most regular kids are able
to jump, and honestly that terrifies me, a kid who is supposedly “better” than
the others.
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