Day 16: Thoughts On Education (Day 16 of 30 Day Blogging Challenge)

I’ll admit it, I see the nice things educated people have and sometimes I wish I had them as well. The nicer homes, the nicer cars, the fancy vacations, the more expensive gadgets and trinkets. We’ve all been told going to college will give us a better life, but they don’t really talk about the huge debts that one is racking up if they don’t qualify for financial aid.  Yes, one makes more money, but one also owes more money.

And then you have someone like me who didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up at the age of 18. I chose Business Administration as my major, and I ended up working at a marketing research firm. It was great until my first baby was born, and then I didn’t want to be away from her all day while I wasn’t doing anything substantial. I was doing taste tests and working on the TV Guide makeover. That wasn’t enough to be away from my daughter’s sweet smell, that was simply swapping time for money and making somebody else rich. If I had to be away from my child, I wanted it to be doing something that meant something in someone’s life. At age 38, I have an idea of what I’d like to do, but is it worth going back to school for writing and Sociology and having all that debt at this stage in my life? Will I get enough of a payout in the end?

And here’s the frustrating part for me. Education isn’t tied into learning, which is something I greatly value. Education is tied in with money, which is something I have a love hate relationship with. It’s tied in with standing in a capitalistic society, which isn’t something I strive to have.

For me personally, I don’t base someone’s value on their education, career, financial status, etc. I know many people do, but I’m not one of those people.