a Little Light

    The most overpriced and overrated product in America today is not the MacBook Air, Gucci handbag, H2 Hummer, Adobe Creative Suites or any other item which you may ogle at with envious eyes. But rather, it is a single piece of paper which easily costs hundreds of thousands of dollars but nine times out of ten holds very little value in the “real world.” I am speaking of the Bachelor of Arts degree you and I are currently tirelessly working toward.

    The current post-secondary education system is one where the acquisition of a BA represents educational success. We push the youth into spending – regardless of their path of study – four or five years of their prime at institutions where the majority of them lack the adequate ability to complete their intended major or goal. After spending years and thousands of dollars, we feed the incompetent students into General Studies or Liberal Arts.

    Welcome to the most robust and grounded of all business models. Welcome to a four year University.

    Outside of engineering or science majors, the content learned at universities generally do not translate into effective workplace competency. And the statistics which show that college graduates tend to earn more than high school graduates is misleading. I assure you that if you locked an Ivy caliber student into a closet for four years and then had him compete with a high school dropout, he’d still find better employment due to his intellect and inherent motivated personality. The true solution is not a better college system, but no college at all.

    In lieu of degrees, high school graduates should work toward earning certification in their desired field. Imagine going straight into employment out of high school in a field which you decide you may enjoy. Working on the bottom of the totem pole, you learn through hands on experience and mentorship of supervisors. When you feel prepared, you take a certification exam such as the CPA for public accountants. Technical schools would still exist, but toiling and wasting away at a university where you spend your time studying for material you’ll never use again would never happen.

    Unfortunately, this likely won’t develop, as an entire social mindset shared across the globe cannot simply be changed overnight. So I implore my fellow Cougs at this point to do something radical. I am asking of you to make the most of the product which you sacrifice so much for.

    Obtaining a degree from WSU can consist of more than a rush to 120 credits over 8 semesters with the best GPA possible. It can be the best period of your life where the greatest amount of your academic, social, emotional and spiritual development occurs – if you plan carefully and step out of your comfort zone.

    Never take a class without knowing about the professor beforehand. If your education is top priority at WSU, then the professors are the most important employees at the university, no offence Mr. Floyd or Mr. Bennett. Pick the good ones, not the closest ones to your other classes or the one not teaching before 11am. Along those lines, take time in the semester to personally meet every one of the professors teaching your classes.

    Beyond the classes which we religiously attend, go to the guest lectures and speakers which come to WSU. If they came all the way to Pullman, they should have something interesting and important to say. Go ahead and check it out. There’s nothing better to do on an evening in Pullman anyway.

    Outside of academics, there is an entire world seeking your guidance and assistance. Go join a registered student organization or two and go beyond the meetings. Volunteer and participate in activities. Believe it or not, college is supposed to be the time in which you have the most freedom in life. It won’t be long before careers, spouses and children consume every waking moment of your day-to-day living. So do a mission trip, study abroad or simply spend time helping others locally. Opportunities come fewer and farther in between in the future.

    Our investment into graduating as Cougars is undeniably costly in time and money. But we can make the most of it by developing relationships with professors, enriching ourselves academically, and taking advantage of opportunities to explore life outside of the classrooms and residence halls. The future started yesterday, so let’s get to it.