In the recipe of success we have been taught throughout our school years, college is the main ingredient. Without it, we have been told, our lives will amount to nothing, much in the same way a cake made without flour is nothing more than a mess.
While it is true that many professions require higher education and extensive training, other respectable professions do not. This does not lessen their status or the importance of their role in society, by any means. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of the varying skills and resources found in a population of people and should be embraced, not looked down upon.
Higher education is simply not necessary for many blue-collar jobs and assisting positions. Mechanics and dental hygienists can be apprenticed to an experienced supervisor and trained on the job to do their work.
It is not necessary for every single American worker to spend a lot of time and money earning a degree that is essentially useless, when they could get the same (if not better) exposure to their chosen field by actually working within it under a seasoned professional.
CNN reported in Oct. 2012 that the average student debt of college seniors was nearly $27,000. The graduating class of 2011 faced a fairly high unemployment rate of 8.8 percent. Unfortunately, the same year, individuals without a college degree faced an even higher unemployment rate of 19.1 percent.
While the numbers clearly show an economic dip and high unemployment rates, they also indicate a bias within our culture. College graduates are generally considered to be better candidates for the job, even if the job has nothing to do with what the college grad studied in school. Does being a college graduate mean you are more qualified than an experienced worker with only a high school diploma, to do such tasks as answering phones and filing documents? The answer is: No.
Education is a privilege and a wonderful thing for those who are interested in it. But it should not be an across-the-board requirement to obtain a job for which training—not sitting in a classroom and writing papers—would be more appropriate.
By investing time in apprenticeships set up in the work field and funding for high school programs like construction, mechanical and metal workshops, the future work-force will have a second option open to them. For those who do not wish to attend college (because college is not for everyone) and for those who want to work in a position that really does not call for a degree, this will open new opportunities for work.
Along with accepting that a college degree is not necessary for every occupation, we must also accept that blue-collar positions are just as significant to society as jobs that require a degree.
Instead of blindly pushing college on every person, we must recognize that everyone has different interests and skills. We need plumbers just as much as we need doctors. Education should be pursued because of passion, not just because it has been forced upon us.
