A diploma is not a “good for one free job/career” coupon.
A college degree is growing more worthless (by every measure—not just as a means to a more lucrative job) with every passing year. Why?
Time was when college degrees had to be earned by meeting high academic standards. Not only did that result in well-educated and skilled degree-holders, but in well-rounded citizens and neighbors. And it said something of the holder’s character too–he/she made sacrifices, developed and exercised self-discipline, and practiced delayed gratification. Those days are largely gone. That’s a shame.
Now everyone knows that most (not all, but most) colleges feel obliged to grant diplomas regardless of whether you learned anything or became a better person as a result–after all, “you paid the college a lot of money; it owes you.” That’s inane and counterproductive, but it’s reality. That’s a shame.
Being truly educated is glorious. It is beyond my ability to express fully how grateful I am for a meaningful college education. I learned a skill to support myself in a job, sure, but I learned to be a better person too. And I learned better how to keep learning long after college.
There are still colleges that provide real education (and are thus more than worth every penny of tuition and the effort they require), but it is no longer necessary (and in many cases it is no longer wise) to go to college to become educated, if you have the will to be educated formally and informally. And anyone who believes (or says he/she believes) a genuine education is not worth what it demands of him/her is someone to avoid in matters of employment, morality, and civic engagement.
https://seths.blog/2025/06/education-is-free-learning-is-expensive/
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