Not every job requires a degree. Not every mind is equipped for college. Yes, if you have the desire to go into a profession that requires a degree, you should be welcome to it. But there has been too much emphasis placed on the value of a degree and not enough respect placed on the jobs that don't require degrees.
Personally, I am a fan of vocational schools and apprenticeships unless you have a specific degree that you need for your job. Especially with the price of schooling, it seems ridiculous to spend money on a degree when you could have a job suited to your skill set and receive the training from someone who has been doing the job long enough to become a master at it.
Hearing about how Germany handles "blue collar jobs" makes me wish that our country had the same approach--the world needs street sweepers, and there is no shame in that.
This being said, I am a hypocrite because I am paying gobs of money to go to school for Bio in order to be a doctor. I know that it's what I want to do, and I know that in the long run I have the potential to rebound from the expenditures of college. Many people go to college because they know it will help them make more money in the long run. And they're usually right. I just wish it wasn't the case.
We go to college for many reasons. Wartburg says it "Challenges and Nurtures students for lives of Leadership and Service as a spirited expression of their Faith and Learning." It doesn't say we are going to prepare you for your next job. In some sense, that comes as an accident in the four years you are here.
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