I have my bachelor’s degree in “Individualized Studies.” This, basically, means that I have been in college long enough and took a variety of courses to get a bachelor’s degree. I can say I am a college graduate. I can, also, say that I am still unemployed. As it turns out, I am overqualified for some jobs and under qualified for others.
“Higher education can’t be a luxury; it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” Barack Obama[1]
Everybody should have an opportunity to go to college, but not everybody deserves to go to college. As a matter of fact, everybody does have an opportunity to go to college…but not everybody is willing to work to go to college. If we were to allow the “illiterates” to attend college, because it is imperative that we do so, what kind of message are we sending to those who have studied much and worked hard to become well-informed and highly-educated? If we give a college education to those who cannot afford one, because it is imperative, what kind of message are we sending to those who have worked hard or worked several different jobs to pay for a higher education?
In order to preserve the value and quality of earning a higher education degree, we need to maintain the “luxurious” nature that higher education holds. We are quickly providing financial aid for anyone wanting a higher education without asking if they deserve a higher education. We are dumbing down the quality of education to allow those uneducated to survive in college. We are catering to those who want a higher education degree, but unwilling to work hard enough for a higher education. At what point do we say, “Enough!” and make people work for what they want?
We are devaluing the quality of a higher education by allowing “every family in America” to get a higher education. We are creating cookie-cutter graduates and their degrees become meaningless. Hence, we, with bachelor’s degrees, are, now, considered under qualified; whereas, if we allowed colleges to be select, the value of a degree would become more worthwhile. We need the “luxurious” nature attached to higher education in order to dole out highly qualified individuals.
…see you January 30th.
[1] Obama, Barack. “Higher Education.” SearchQuotes: Higher Education Quotes. SearchQuotes. Web. 28 March 2013. <http://www.searchquotes.com/search/Obama_Higher_Education/>
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