Last week, I had an interesting sit down with someone. We got around to discussing my future with the company I now work for. The topic of my education came up, and I was asked if I had a college degree. I answered “no” to this person and informed them that I did put in three years of college before leaving. As expected, I was then asked what I majored in. I answered that I completed two years of general studies course work, a semester of business school, and a semester of computer sciences; I hated business and wasn’t keen on writing code. Anyway, the conversation with this person continued on the importance of education and that I should return to school to complete my degree since I’m so close to finishing. I’ve had this same conversation numerous times with family, friends, and colleagues. This time, I felt a little insulted. Let me explain why.

It’s been a while since anyone has pressed the “finishing my education” speech on me, and therefore, my thoughts on college and why I haven’t returned to college have evolved. When this person informed me that they were a strong advocate of education and that I really should finish my degree, in the back of my mind, I had one thought: how do you know I haven’t continued my education since leaving school? There are many people, once they leave school, who stop learning things outside of what they need to know to do their job. I’m not one of those people. Even though I was no longer a co-ed, aspiring towards a 4-year degree, I never stopped learning. I was just learning by my own means and not in a classroom where you often learn things you will never need to use in real life. Yes, I realize the school and education system is like that in America, but I felt it was a waste of my time to take courses with content that I found totally pointless and/or completely uninteresting. Despite being a college drop out, I continued to develop my mind by learning new skills or just learning about anything interesting. Right now, I am going through a history phase and classical literature phase. I have learned more about historical events in the world than I would have probably ever learned in a classroom. I have a more in-depth knowledge base on ancient history from the time of the Romans and Persians up to Hitler’s hideous plans for Germany and the world if he would have lived. I took history courses in college, and I found them to be one huge snorefest; I never learned any of the types of historical events I have learned outside of college. As for classical literature, I have found an appreciation for novels such as The War of the Worlds and Dracula to the point that I would actually like to visit the places I read about. Reading these titles on my own were much better than being forced to read books co-authored by one of my history teachers or not reading any books other than textbooks. I’m not saying that I wouldn’t have read great works of art like Frankenstein in college. I’m saying it’s highly unlikely considering how college is typically structured; this was especially so in my case given my field of study.

Because I don’t have a college degree, it doesn’t mean that I’m not educated or that I don’t continue to educate myself. I love to learn, and I feel like I continuously expose myself to environments where I can expand my mind and knowledge. I don’t just check my learning experience at the office door once I’m out there in the real world, something that I have seen people do who happen to have college degrees.

I’m not against college and getting a degree. I think college is a good thing and a route that’s perfect for some people. I just don’t think college is the path for me. It doesn’t teach me what I want to know, nor will it teach me what I already have: God-given talent. I don’t need college for what I plan to do with my life. I know that, and I am fine with not having a college degree. I just wish people would change their perception of people who don’t have that piece of paper and realize that I am educated with or without it.

Posted on Monday, June 4th, 2007 at 7:29 pm in the category:Commentary, Life, The Daily Grind. Comment RSS 2.0 feed. Comment it , or trackback this post.