Wallace, Brandon: Credentialing

    Definitions of success vary greatly from person to person. Talk to people who have just graduated law school and they will say that they have earned an accomplishment worth referring to. However, talk to those who just got promoted to shift leader at McDonald’s and they also will say that they, too, have earned a great accomplishment. The idea that a college degree makes someone exponentially “smarter” or “more prepared” simply does not describe the world we live in.

    College is a strange idea to some. A large portion of the population decide to end their education the night they accept their high school diplomas. So, is it right to force these people to attend a university just because someone might see potential in them? Coming from a family of college graduates, there was never a question whether I would be going to college. To those who already have families or those that are supporting themselves, it is a completely different story. Their priorities are different and some of these people make a choice not to attend college because of their respective situations. Is it fair to reject a person for a job interview simply because they do not have a college degree?

    A college education seems to be a growing “necessity” in today’s world. With advances in technology and science, the only way to keep up is to be thoroughly educated. This mindset is hardly true though. If a poll was taken on how successful Bill Gates has become most would say he has done quite well for himself. However, Gates began his career by dropping out of Harvard, one of the nation’s most accredited universities. Why would he do such a thing? Someone with such talent and potential is expected to receive a degree, there is simply no other result. This is where the “degree necessity” theory goes down the drain. People today are driven by more then just a need to be educated; they may a long to achieve all that they can, or to provide for themselves and there families as best they can.

    Without a set credential system, though, how can it be determined if a person is right for the task at hand? A simple record of achievements could plenty suffice for this. If a people have striven to succeed, used ingenuity to thrive, and battled through hardships, then, just like Gates, they are the ones who could potentially change the world.  Sadly, many possessing these hidden talents have been rejected due to their lack of education.

    To move forward in a world that is constantly becoming more demanding, it must harness the power of our education systems, but it should also promote the drive of those who carry distinct talents that allow them to unleash the kind of higher level thoughts that lead to astounding discoveries. It must never snuff the flame that is within those that don’t attend college. Whether it be that they simply make a living a McDonald’s, or perhaps go on to make a scientific breakthrough, each person in society helps to build it.