Canada, Trent: Credentialing

                  After reading the article “Death by Degrees” I have been forced to think more critically on the situation that Americans face today in the world of higher education. I have also started to reflect on my own educational journey.

                  “Death by Degrees” has also raised an important question for me to ponder on. What would happen to me if I did not graduate or complete graduate school? This question alone kind of scares me because I understand it is going to be a hard to earn my bachelor’s degree, but it is vital that I graduate and attend graduate school. A bachelor’s degree will simply not be enough for me to advance in the workforce, so I will have to attend graduate school to achieve the status that I want. As the article states, if bachelor’s degrees become more common then it becomes almost mandatory to achieve a masters to have any kind of advanced rank. In my education goals, being a psychiatrist requires a doctorate which would only mean disaster if I did not finish my education.

                  The article also made me ask myself another question.  Am I being forced to become credentialed in today’s society? I do not believe that I am being forced by my parents but I do agree with the article on some points. I believe that society is forcing me to become more credentialed. In today’s workforce, it is almost impossible to have a moderate or high paying job without having a masters or Doctoral degree. Therefore, I believe that my generation and those following me are being forced to become over educated.

                  The last question that I was forced to think about was probably the hardest. What is an alternative to become credentialed? I believe that there are a few ways but I also believe that to become successful you have to be credentialed to be advanced in you line of work. Like the article states, it is harder for someone with a lower level degree to have the leg up. So I think that there is no real alternative to becoming credentialed. Even if you are an entrepreneur you are going to need some kind of background or credentials.

                  Reading “Death by Degrees” was very eye opening and forced me to think critically on a situation that we face everyday.