A Master’s Degree in…

I graduated from college, we’re going to say more than two decades ago and leave it at that. My age is no secret and I am comfortable with it, mostly. There’s no need to go about pointing it out, thank you very much. Anyway, I graduated from college and I was the first person in my family to do so. I was very proud of that accomplishment. I hold a BA in Early Childhood Education with a minor in English that I used for exactly three years and then I had children.

Now, don’t get me wrong – that degree went to good use as I raised my children, volunteered through years of various educational facilities, and guided my children and dozens of others through all of life’s ups and downs. My kids are older now, but I am still using the lessons from my education and psych classes. As I start today thinking of one of my own who is anxious about a decision they have to make – I said to my husband, “I’ve got this, I have a degree in life and being a mom.” He replied, “Babe, you have a master’s.” And maybe I do.

College didn’t come without a price. I am nearing fifty and I still have loans. My son is anxious about college because there are so many credits involved in areas that have nothing to do with his major. And he’s anxious to get started in life. He doesn’t want to be held back learning things that he will never use. I don’t disagree with him. He is studying photography and entrepreneurship. Both intertwined and valid courses. What he does not need is science, calculus, or the history of civilizations. There are subjects he enjoys like civil rights and politics and history. He chooses to learn about those things on his own time, reading and listening to podcasts. He is highly intelligent and interesting. I learn from him and I can see him changing the world. But I know if he could change the way higher education is done and make it more like trade schools geared specifically toward your chosen profession, he would. I think he has something like 65 credits necessary for a degree that are not in his major and to him that is a waste of time and money. Again, I don’t disagree. Photography is an art and like any other, you need to learn the nuances and skills, an investment to be sure. But do you need to get there by paying college tuition to take a class in ping-pong just so you can meet a physical education requirement? Could I have learned to teach and even write without studying which great British poets wrote their poetry on hallucinogens and when? Probably, but I took the class anyway because I liked the professor.

It’s long past time we reanalyze the four-year degree. A BA can be earned much faster, without the unnecessary classes that mean little or nothing. I know that college is also about the connections you make and the experiences you have and that can be an option too, but it is not for everyone. So maybe there needs to be a fast track for those that aren’t interested in fraternity and sorority life. Maybe life can be a teacher too.