Harwood, Kala: Credentialing

            I thought the article was different yet spoke to colleges in America. In China, in the 19^th century, it was very expensive to get an education, but people found a way to prevail anyway. In America getting a degree is also very expensive, but help from the government is readily available. When too many people were succeeding in China the government decided to make the test harder. Today, in the United States if too many people are applying for a position, or a college, the people in charge will make the requirements tougher. This is not to say that the United States is discouraging people from getting degrees they just want people to work for it.

            If I did not graduate from college I would probably be doomed to a fast food job for the rest of my life. I would make minimum wage and always struggle to have things. I would not be able to have the life I have always imagined for myself. Without a college degree I would probably be forced to move to a bigger town in order to be able to find a job.  I am not saying that people can’t get good jobs without a college degree. It is just getting harder to achieve a high paying job without a college degree. Also, I come from a very small town where jobs are hard to come by so it is almost necessary to go straight to college after high school, for women at least. I believe that it is easier for men to get high paying jobs without a college degree. Where I’m from instead of going to college, men usually go off to work on the pipeline or on an oil rig. Those are usually hard labor jobs, therefore, not ideal for women.

            I don’t feel like I am being forced to be credentialed. I have chosen to come to college so I can get a degree. With a degree I can make good money, even in my small town. I will be able to make a good life for myself and not have to live paycheck to paycheck. In American society today people are not forced to be credentialed, but most would be better off with a college degree. There are some good jobs that can be had without college degrees, but good jobs are much easier to come by with a degree.

                 

Eubanks, Kelsea: Credentialing

         Hong Xiuquan suffered a nervous breakdown when at the age of 15 he failed a life changing test. He couldn't afford a tutor or to bribe examiners; in a sense he felt his fate was sealed. Like Hong, many students today who fall short on important exams like the ACT can fall into a pit of despair. Unable to get scholarships many are forced to take out so many loans and end up deep in debt. Or, they just give up completely and never go to college. I would hate to think about the idea of my never attending college much less not ever graduating. I can only imagine the place I could end up. Most people who don't finish college end up with a blue collar job or no job at all. They have to rely on help from the government and then a vicious cycle begins and affects generations to come. 

         Our society makes it extremely hard to make college affordable, especially for the middle class families. The rich can afford to pay for their children's college educations and the poor are eligible to apply for need based financial aid. In contrast, the middle class is between them. Those families are the ones that are hit the hardest by the rising costs of education. They are wealthy enough not to qualify financial aid but do not have enough income to pay for college. This is normally a result of both parents working and therefore making "too much money." The members of this group are the ones who end up the most in debt after finally graduating from a college or professional school. They can't ever seem to get ahead, and just like Hong and the other students long ago striving for an education, they are faced with ever-rising higher tuition costs.

         In this day and time, as well as years ago, students are being forced to become credentialed. To receive jobs and even scholarships, they are required to have certain credentials to even qualify. Economic success is based on accomplishments and experience. For example, when students apply to college, schools want to know what activities they were involved in, what honors they received, and what community service they completed during their high school years. Today, education and credentials are necessary and expected everywhere.

Cooper, James: Credentialing

A college education is a critical part in our world’s economy and daily lives. College education could be short-term such as obtaining an Associate’s Degree or long-term such as obtaining PhD. In Death by Degree, a college education is obtained through faith in education and avoiding student debts.

One point in obtaining a college education is through faith. In ancient China, students were expected to pass three exams. A small percentage of students passed all three exams. Many students did not pass the first exams. Some students did not pass the second exams such as Hong Xiuquan. Hong Xiuquan was 23 year old man from the village of Guangzhou. Hong placed first in the county-level test, but his family could not afford a tutor for him. Hong also lived in poverty so bribing the examiners was impossible. After failing the second exam twice, Hong suffered a nervous breakdown. During his nervous breakdown, Hong began to see American Christian missionaries. During his first dream, he saw God and was questioned on his faithfulness. During his second dream, he was carried to heaven and instructed to exterminate demons in China. After failing the second exam a third time, Hong convinced himself and others that he was Christ’s younger brother. He fomented a rebellion against China and was defeated in 1864 with severe casualties. My analysis of faith is that it plays a critical part in a student’s education. Hong used his faith to fight against China. I believe that I would not succeed in my college/graduate studies through lack of faith. In the Bible, it states that “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”(Philippians 4:13)

Another point in obtaining a college education is avoiding student debts. The now exceed $1 trillion in the US today. Although college graduates obtained their college education, they do not have the obligation to retreat from these student debts and doing so could have a negative impact on their careers. It is now expensive and stressful to obtain a bachelor’s degree. My analysis of student debts is that they should be reasonable instead of hindering the national economy. A checks and balances system would be a logical solution for this economic problem. It is a concept created to balance a student’s financial problems and help the national economy as well. I think of it as killing two birds with one stone.

Collins, Auttumn: Credentialing

         In China during 605 CE, in order to get a decent salary, students had to pass a series of tests. Exam performance corresponded exactly to salary, denominated in piculs of rice; the top scorers received more than 17 times as much rice as those in the lowest tier. But the true rewards of exam success were considerably higher: besides the steady salary, bribe collection made it very good to be a bureaucrat. However, these tests were made more difficult as the number of people who were able to pass them increased.

         Failure could be discouraging. Even though Hong Xiuquan was able to pass the first test, he was unable to afford a tutor or to bribe the examiners, and suffered a nervous breakdown. He attempted the test twice but, sadly, failed each time. Eventually he convinced himself and a band of other young men who had been defeated by the test that he was Christ’s younger brother. He assembled an army and began the work of conquering China. He was unsuccessful and millions died in the process.

         Even today, young people are pushed into getting degrees. In this economy you need a degree to have a decent paying job. However, college is really expensive and hard to get into. Also, it is even harder to stay in. Sometimes the lucky can get a good scholarship, but that does not happen very often. Most people do not realize the stress that college students suffer while they are in school. It is not some easy walk around the park. They have tons of work and what seems like not enough hours in the day to get it all completed. Plus they have to make good grades in order to maintain their scholarships. If not they will be paying off those student loans for the next 10 years. This is very difficult and if one little thing goes wrong than they can sometimes have nervous breakdowns like Hong. Hopefully you will not try to convince anyone that you are the chosen one, start a war, and end up killing millions of people in the process. No wonder why so many people cannot survive through college.

Cecil, Allie: Credentialing

When looking into life after college, students must think of the pros and or cons of their professions. In my case, early childhood development, there will always be a need for practitioners. According to the latest statistics there are 67,140 elementary schools in the United States, which would seem to grant me multiple possibilities for being hired. If I don’t graduate, I will be forced to live a life with fewer opportunities and with a much lower salary than that of a college graduate.

            In the essay “Death by Degrees” it states how China set up a three level exam for the whole country. This exam, as a whole, was the most challenging thing that Chinese students faced. With this exam in place the main people who take it are those of wealth and high status, but when a young man from a small and poor village goes to take the test and turns fails it. This makes that boy, Hong Xiuquan, start to think about his future but he soon realizes that he has no way of going anywhere, yet he is still persistent and tries the test more times. When he fails in his attempts he soon gives up on it all and converts from the ways of Confucius to the views of Christianity. With this new lease on life he takes it to a completely different level and starts the biggest revolt in the 19^th century, the Taiping Revolt.

            Today, it is becoming a must to have your masters before applying for a teaching job. With the way teaching jobs are now, it is a necessity that get to achieve a higher education to become more successful and to have the opportunity to obtain a job. Most school systems wouldn’t hire a person with a bachelor’s degree only. This relates to Death by Degrees and the fact that we control our future and the hard work we put into our studies determines how successful we will be for the rest of our lives.

Burton, Talia: Credentialing

            In the thought-provoking essay “Death by Degrees,” the writers explain their views on the current system of higher education in America and its negative effects on society. The system ensures that the average high school graduate must pay exorbitant sums of money in order to obtain a bachelor's degree. If one wants to get a decent career, one also must get a master's degree, or even a doctorate. In their view, the whole system is undemocratic and ensures that the country is being controlled by a few rich elite.

            Many points of this article are valid. I came to college planning to get a bachelor's degree, only to find that in order to teach, I most likely will need a master's degree as well. Bachelor's degrees are simultaneously getting more common and more expensive. They are worth now what a high school degree was worth years ago. And, as with the example from Obama's cabinet, the writers pointed out that if you want a prestigious position in government, you must be educated at an Ivy League College (not at SAU).

            If college is too expensive, too much of a requirement for decent employment, then what should the solution be? The writers believe the answer is for the educated elite to shed their degrees and slowly work on bringing down the whole system of college, in a romantic, revolutionary notion of “standing with the 99%.” It is on this point, however, that I disagree.

            If master's degrees and doctorates (and perhaps even bachelor's degrees) were abolished altogether, I cannot see a bright future. Though some students are ready to go into their professional field of choice right after high school, the majority are not. I would not want an undereducated doctor operating on me or prescribing medication. However I also understand that many cannot become doctors, not because they are unqualified, but because medical school is too expensive.

            I believe that in order to improve our current system of college, education should be reformed from the bottom up. Then the system must ensure that the right people are handling the right jobs—not only the rich people who could afford the education. Scholarships are an example of trying to ensure that those from poor backgrounds have equal opportunity to become as credentialed as those that don't. But there will never be a perfect answer, or a society that does not give power to the rich, educated, or privileged. To think otherwise is overly-optimistic—but something we should strive for.

Buchanan, Katie: Credentialing

According to the essay "Death by Degrees" credentialing has become a major factor in the lives of most Americans. It has come to the point where most jobs require prospective employees to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree, many of these jobs prefer a master's degree or beyond. Thinking of this, I have to stop and assess how my future career will play out if I continue my education past an undergraduate degree. I also must consider how society perceives people who possess credentials.

 With the field of study I intend to pursue, obtaining a degree higher than a bachelor's degree isn't necessary. I am pursuing a major in mathematics with a minor in education. But, I do not intend to stop my education there. I want to earn my master's degree in teaching as well.  My desire to obtain a master's degree in based on two facts. One is that having a master's degree will make me more employable, as suggested by this essay. The other reason is because with a master's degree I can teach courses for concurrent credit at a high school. That would help my students by reducing their number of hours they must take in college. Being able to provide such a service to students would give them an incentive to take my class.

At one point, it was very rare for a person to even have an undergraduate degree. People who stuck it through college and earned a bachelor's were considered credentialed. People who went even farther in schooling were rare because that route was only required for doctors and lawyers. Nowadays, obtaining a bachelor's degree is almost expected of all students. Anything beyond that is considered credentials. I know in my case going to graduate school seemed guaranteed. There was no "if I go" it was "when I go" to graduate school. My parents told me to save my extra scholarship money for graduate school before I ever really understood the meaning of it and decided that I wanted to go. Continuing one's education is almost expected in today's society. 

For me, becoming credentialed is a given. It will help me gain respect from my peers in today's society. It will also help me have an advantage in one day obtaining a job.