You have to go to college to get a good job.

I heard this maxim my entire life, and, as a result, I was college-bound from the time I was in preschool. Well, the brain-washing worked: I am now a college graduate working as a teacher, what most people would agree is a respectable, if not lucrative, “real job.” But you know what? None of my college classes taught me how to do my job, how to teach. And since I teach high school English, I had already learned the majority of the necessary concepts in my subject matter before I even darkened the gilded mahogany doors of a university.

It’s the same with a lot of careers. You need a degree so you can proudly stamp it at the top of your resume, but it has little to no bearing on what you actually do every day at that “good job” you’ve been seeking for umpteen years. And then there are the careers that don’t even require a degree. They require skill. And for that skill, you can get paid big bucks. An example. My brother-in-law is a union carpenter, and makes more money than my husband, a white-collar scientist with a Master’s degree. He works over-time, too, and gets time and half. Well, guess what, I work over-time every single day, and don’t see a cent. Now, obviously I don’t really wish I was a carpenter—I don’t think I’d be any good at it. But I think it’s funny that I never even knew such a career path existed back in high school, which is supposed to be the time when we’re exposed to all the opportunities available to us and guided to post-high school options that will fit us and help us succeed in the world. No, instead most of my friends and I were shunted towards academia with a big, fat, misleading pat on the back.

The other night I watched the movie The Ides of March, which is about the American political process. In the film, George Clooney’s character, an impressive Democratic presidential candidate, proposes some education reform: offer free college tuition to any 18 year-old who chooses to devote two years to public service, whether it is in the military, peace corps, or whatever. This plan actually struck me as a great idea: young people get a chance to give back and, more importantly, gain invaluable work experience (the real thing employers are always looking for, anyway). And then, they can pursue their degree with newfound life direction, maturity, and NO DEBT! Unfortunately with the country’s economy in the toilet, I doubt we’ll be seeing this program put into effect any time soon, but wouldn’t it be nice?

The kicker is, I don’t know if I would have taken the offer if it had been available to me six years ago—the idea of going straight to college was too deeply ingrained in me by my parents and teachers. But it makes you think. Right now I’m in the middle of a Master’s program that is costing me $25,000 out of pocket, and for what? To be able to do the same job I’m doing now, just maybe with a slightly higher salary…if I can find a school district with the money to hire me.

I don’t want to believe higher education is a scam, but some day when all the smart college grads working at Trader Joe’s stage a revolt, I’m not going to be surprised.