thinking about education

I have been having conversations about education recently. As many of you may know, I am hugely in debt because of my four year degree. I am also incredibly grateful and happy that I have that degree. I believe it was the right choice for me. However, my family is a very educated family. My mother has a master's degree. Both of my grandparent's on my Dad's side have college degrees, even my great grandfather had a degree! (little fact about my family, my great-grandfather, grandfather, grandmother, two my brothers and my sister-in-law all went to the same college in Shreveport, Louisiana.) Really, it would be strange, considering my family history if I did not have a college degree.

All that being said, I believe that there are different types of knowledge. One is the type that you receive through an education at a university, but there are many other types as well. The knowledge you receive from your family. The knowledge you gain through employment. The knowledge you acquire through friendships. The knowledge that comes from life experiences. The knowledge imparted from elders. The knowledge you learn from on-the-job training. All of these types of knowledge are important, and none is more valuable than the other. In our society, we have placed monetary and societal significance on College education, however, that education is just one type of education. We are limiting ourselves and students when we limit "real" education to having a four year degree.

In the US there is a push now for alternatives to four year college. I just read this article in the New York times. I think it is imperative that we develop an alternative to the four year college system for some students. However, we cannot do that while saying that 'under achieving' or 'less desirable' students can complete these other courses. No, we must fully believe (and fund) other, practical, alternatives to four year college. We must move forward and see that knowledge is not based on your ability to take a test, but instead is measured in a myriad of ways. Trying to force all students into the University track only increases the chance of failure of some students and brings other students down because professors are overburdened. I hope that the US can find a way to embrace the idea that all skills and knowledge are equally valuable and that we should not only put monetary value and societal worth on the four year college degree.