Why do you want a degree?

Why do you want a Degree?

Reasons are numerous and varied. While some are reasonable, others are downright dubious and wrong. Whatever may be the reason why a thing is done, the paramount fact is that an action was taken based on a perceived “drive-reason”.  Very few journeys are embarked upon without a destination in mind and of a truth; no one would subject the psyche and will to the rigorous journey to “Bachelorhood” in various areas of knowledge without a driving force. This is the twenty first century and knowledge is in exponential proportions and increasing at a geometric rate. Young and old, rich and poor, the majority of the civilized world wants to get a degree.

The complexity of the world system today force many to get degrees. Taking a close look at the economic, social and leadership system of the world today, would reveal a dramatic change from the way it was few centuries ago. Many jobs today require specialized knowledge or at least a first degree. The cost of things has also gone up and things like food and shelter, what Maslow called physiological needs are becoming hard to get. Many people who strive to get a degree usually find themselves in a strait financially as a result of the very little job opportunities with a good pay for first and high school leavers. Poverty is what the world today is doing its best to combat and many are of the opinion that a first degree would better equip people with the needed skill to get jobs that would bring in a good pay and inadvertently lead to a higher standard of living. The nice car, beautiful home, expensive gadgets and luxury goods all come at a price that very few people without a degree can afford. Is this the driving force behind your desire to get a degree?  Do you want to be able to wake up every morning and be rest assured that food and shelter would be the least of your concern?

Retirement is a worldwide reality today. The working class today cannot work forever. At a point diminishing returns take hold as a result of the “Aging effect” and in the highly organized world of today, retirement has been upgraded to a level of sophistication that even a degree holder do not understand. The bottom-line here is, everyone cannot be an entrepreneur. The majority of the world’s population today depends on retirement savings at the twilight of their lives. Imagine a man or woman, in this present day and age, without any money or funds to keep living after retiring from a job. Money is not static, it can lose and gain value and thus it behooves on many that they have to save for the “Raining days” of retirement. The chilling thought of the reality of retirement drive many to get first degrees. They want to get a job with a retirement plan and most times be able to understand and follow the retirement plan closely. People without degrees usually leave work with little in retirement savings in comparison with their first degree holding counterparts. Is the “Raining days” your reason for getting a degree?

Passion and the drive to impact the society and if possible, the world in a positive way drives a sizable number of people to universities to obtain degrees. Senators, Doctors, Engineers and other professionals may not be able to do what they do effectively well without a degree. Many people have childhood dreams of what they envision themselves doing as adults. The passion for a particular field of knowledge is a strong drive for getting a degree. Several award winning Scientists, ground-breakers and pacesetters in various fields of human endeavor are degree holders. Is passion the reason you want to get a degree?

Ego is one thing that would never see death in the human makeup. Maslow ranked it as Self-actualization. The desire to be called and tagged as a degree holder in various areas of human knowledge is a very huge reason why many go to universities to study. Many people feel that the absence of the term “Bachelor” from the list of their achievements is too great a loophole to pardon. Many even go to the extent of getting more than two degrees for self-actualization. It is very common these days to hear someone say “I am a Lawyer, Engineer and Business administrator”, all in one!

There is the term called “Protocol”. Another way to put it is to say “Fulfill all righteousness”. Education today has reached a level where holding a degree is tantamount to holding a high school certificate. It has been drummed into the subconscious mind of twenty first century man that education does not end until a degree has been acquired. When many young people are asked, “why do you want to get a degree?”, one of the most typical answer is, “I have not completed my education until I have a degree”. With the rate at which this “Protocol” is going, master’s degree would soon witness a similar fate and the answer to the previous question at such a time is obvious.