One Of The Biggest Lies I was Taught

I think the value of a college degree is one of the biggest lies I’d been taught to believe.

How can I say such a thing when I was brought up in a family of teachers?

My grandmother, aunt, uncle, and father were all public educators with my grandmother starting in the 1930’s. All I lived was education.

The importance of top grades were drilled into my head from as long as I can remember and rightly so. Education and knowledge is essential, but “conventional wisdom” feeds all of us a fairy tale.

I was led to believe that if you do well in school, get good grades, go to college and graduate with a degree, your path to success will be laid out for you. While it may not have been that overt, the implication by my teachers, parents and society in general was that successful people have a degree. Anyone else who doesn’t follow this path of education is destined for much less or some menial job.

With that societal idea that a college education means “success”, so many people have gone out and secured huge loans in pursuit of the “degree” hoping it will pay off with a great job. For some it may but for others it might not be that simple.

I used to believe in the dream well until I graduated and then realized it couldn’t be further from the truth.

I interviewed for countless jobs, got turned down for most. Nobody ever asked to see proof I even graduated or went to college! I was terribly frustrated. When I did land a job, the “degree” didn’t put me on any fast track to upper management or success. I started at the bottom in an entry level job with little hopes of promotion. I had to pay my dues and prove myself. Again, the degree didn’t open any doors for me as I found out many of my co-workers were without them. I soon figured out my internal drive and work ethic was much more valuable.

Here’s the reality.

A college education can be great, however it by no means guarantees you anything. It’s a tool in the toolbox toward success. Education and personal growth is a lifelong pursuit, not so something that ends with a degree. I’ve personally learned much more on my own after graduating.

There are countless entrepreneurs and successful people in careers who simply went out on their own and built amazing small businesses in areas where many may think are “boring”. All without a diploma.

My point is not that college is useless or wrong, but that idea that college is the only way is a fabrication. Success in life comes down to a one’s true goals, motivation and how they choose to use their education. Every one of us has unique talents and often people are funneled into what “society” is pushing instead of what the interests and passions of the individual are.

I know it’s the time of year when many college graduates prepare to enter the workforce and are proud of their accomplishment. That’s great and attaining a degree is something to be proud of, don’t get me wrong. The key though is not to think the degree matters more than what you do with it. Don’t buy into the hype that it guarantees anything.

Remember, it’s not the piece of paper that counts, it’s what you choose to do in life that matters.