Your Opinion of My Education

So, I saw this post shared on Facebook by a friend of mine a while back:

Let's break down what this thing is saying. I'm going to assume that "modern education" is in reference to a college education. It first implies that modern education takes people and turns them into, for lack of better words, slave robots (repeat what they're told and follow orders). Second, it implies that educated people think they are better than uneducated people. Third, it flat out states that educated people are dumb to have that opinion (dumb enough to think this makes them smarter than everyone else). Overall, it implies that anyone striving towards a degree is a pretentious fool. I am impressed by the lack of grammatical and spelling errors, but ultimately the existence of this image irks me.

Instantly, I was provoked to evaluate what my college education is really worth, how much free thinking I've been allowing myself to do since freshman year, and how my life compares to others. My conclusion is that college is what I need to do (at least for now), I'm neither dreamer nor robot, and I will only respect the opinion above if it comes from certain people.

What's it Worth: Clearly, college is not for everyone. Some don't go simply because they don't want or need to while others don't go because they don't have the capacity. I won't delve into what I believe the ratio is between those. For me, college needs to happen. For the careers and (more importantly) the salaries I have contemplated pursuing, a degree is required or, at the least, will generally put me ahead of those without one. That means that, aside from the "friends and experiences", what I get from these four years will add up to dollars and cents. Mostly dollars. And several hundreds or even thousands more of those dollars than I could make without a degree. A college education is worth a lot.

Free thinking: My ability to think for myself has not been hindered by education at all. Denying my creativity was not a condition of acceptance to college. If anything, free thinking has been encouraged. Several times in these semesters I have come to points where the only option was to create a solution on my own, as none had been pre-made for me. If that's not free thinking, then what is? I have come this far, first by the grace of God, but second, because I chose to. No one told me I had to do it. I did it because that's what I wanted. I have said before that college is a more traveled path, and that I know that sometimes more can be achieved by straying from it, but even that post shows that I am not a slave to the system, because I know there are ways out. If I am a victim at all, I am a victim of my own uncertainty, not of brainwashing. My thoughts are my own. They not forced upon my by books nor professors.

Respecting that Opinion: In my eyes, there are very few people who can rightfully have the opinion expressed in that image. The friend who shared the picture is one of them. To name a few others:

1. Successful business owners who did not spend more than two semesters in a college classroom as a student (any longer than that and their success can be contributed to their education).
2. Manual laborers whose occupation requires a specific skill set, but not a degree.
3. Musicians, real ones that play instruments, and who have honed their craft and are considered masters on one or more instruments
4. Current college students who understand that college is not the only way, and is not necessarily the best way to make it in life.

If you are making a career of work in any one or combination of the following jobs, i.e., this is what you're gonna do for the rest of your life, or are in any of these situations then you have nothing of value to say about a college education, a degree, or the people who have them:

1. Any fast food restaurant or grocery store in a non-salaried capacity
2. Any establishment that characteristically hires high school students (before they get their diplomas)
3. You are "self-employed" or are an "entrepreneur" but none of your goods and/or services are legal
4. Club promoters
5. Call centers (You can check me on this one. I might be wrong.)
6. Janitors
7. Bummin' it out at your mom's house
8. Struggling to get out of high school

To those people, I respect your right to mediocrity, but your opinion is worth a grand total of:

ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY NOTHING!!!!!!!!

Take that how you will. I don't really care. I will be busy doing things pertaining to my "modern education", things that (contrary to popular belief) don't involve me taking orders, also, things you wouldn't understand  because I'm smarter than you.

50 points for reading. 100 points if you agree with what I say. 100 points if you disagree and have a good argument (please, be vocal about it. I want to hear what you have to say). -300 if you are included in the group of people whose opinion is worthless. 

JOSH, THE SHERM