Over the years, I have been writing about misconceptions regarding the schooling process. The purpose of these posts is to explain why I disagree with various comments that I have heard people make about schooling. These are meant as personal thoughts rather than conclusive proof, and I will admit that I'm not always the best at explaining my thoughts. Regardless, I have decided that I should be willing to share these posts when I encounter someone online who makes an argument that I have already discussed.
There are a lot of jobs that require college. Does that mean we should praise the schools for creating opportunities? Absolutely not. Does that mean we need to increase credentials? Again, the answer is no.
Jobs that require college would exist without college. The difference is that they wouldn't require college. In fact, many of these jobs required less schooling in the past. In these cases, the schools have actually closed doors that were previously open.
If we increase credential acquisition, we will see credential inflation similar to what has happened as more students graduate high school. Credentials will have a lower value, and more desirable jobs will increase credential requirements. If you do not obtain more credentials than you would now, doors will slam shut.
You can argue that the schools are reopening doors, but they were the ones who closed them in the first place. They are doing far more to restrict than to provide opportunity. This is by promoting a form of discrimination. More specifically, we are discriminating against individuals who learn outside of the schools.
The schools are not really opening doors. They are closing doors under the condition that they will reopen one if you let them control a significant portion of your life. Those are two very different things. Increasing credentials will not increase opportunities. Instead, we are merely altering who has the opportunities.
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