Some might say that school is the most important step toward success, but I am here to argue in favor of no.
“It’ll give you an opportunity for a better life.”
“It’s the only way.”
“An opportunity to have everything I never had.”
Of course I would think the way I did after having grown up in an environment where things like these were said.
I do not blame my parents for raising me this way. That’s all they knew; that’s all they heard, too.
There was never a time where I thought I was not meant for university. It was always the question of where, not if.
But as society molds, people succeed and experiences grow, the idea of being successful because of a degree has since then become distant.
Someone can become an expert on a topic by simply researching and practicing. No need for standardized tests or difficult professors.
But oh, does society value the piece of paper that says, “Yes, this person went through four years of questionable professors and unnecessary classes, such as music appreciation, giving this earthly piece of paper value.”
A piece of paper that can sum up to the cost of a sports car or a small home. A piece of paper that is worth the information I can gain through the internet with no worry of paying student loans for the rest of my life.
In fact, I believe I could have been just as successful in paying back a loan I got from the bank to start a business than paying back loans I got from the government to have societal validation.
I also believe that the best way to learn is by doing. The best way to become a teacher is to learn from others and actually do it. Best way to become a writer is to write, not learning about some dead poet. I am looking at you Oscar Wilde.
My family has and will always have my back. There was a time where I wanted to leave my hometown and there was nothing holding me back but myself. I had my parents’ full support to leave the nest and spend more money than I really had to, but in the end, I decided to stay.
Regardless of where I decided to go, it does not change the fact that the option of simply not going was also there. It was just not there for me and still won’t be.
So for the sake of the argument, here are some reasons why a university diploma should not decide your worth in the workforce.
Not every job values a diploma equally, so it is relative. Most people do not end up working in the area they studied for. It’s too much money. There is a slight, or even big, chance you won’t graduate or drop out.
I can confidently say that the only reason why I am in school is because it delays the inevitable duty of growing up.
That’s why you can call me Peter Pan.
